What To Do About Carpenter Bees In Brentwood

How To Identify Carpenter Bees

The first step to getting rid of these stinging insects is knowing what carpenter bees look like and where carpenter bees live? These big, black bees may look similar to bumblebees at first glance, but unlike the bumblebee’s yellow, hairy back, carpenter bees have bare, shiny bodies and are far less colorful.

These critters get their name from the way they behave. While honey bees may reproduce in hives and wasps may build nests, carpenter bees prefer to drill into wood and lay their eggs there. Almost no type of wood on your property is immune to carpenter bees. Most carpenter bee holes are perfectly round and less than ¼-inch in diameter.

Carpenter bee activity often starts around early spring, when male and female carpenter bees emerge from their winter tunnels and begin mating. Despite their small size, these pests are quite effective at their job, and it doesn’t take long for them to drill a hole that’s a couple of inches deep. Multiple carpenter bees mean multiple holes, and this damage can add up quickly. A carpenter bee infestation can spell trouble for your home and personal property.

Does Anything Instantly Kill Carpenter Bees?

Although carpenter bees aren’t as aggressive as wasps or other types of stinging insects, they won’t hesitate to use their stingers if they have to. If you stumble on a carpenter bee hole accidentally and start messing with their home or try to shoo the bees away, you could end up with a few stings yourself.

How do you kill carpenter bees instantly? If you’re looking for a home remedy that will get rid of these pests, a solution of vinegar and water might do the trick. This DIY method works best when you spray it into carpenter bee holes, and let the solution expel and kill the larvae. Keep in mind that these DIY methods may work temporarily, but if you want to get rid of carpenter bees permanently, working with a professional pest control company is the safest and most effective option.

What Damages Can Carpenter Bees Cause In Brentwood?

Like any stinging insect, dealing with carpenter bees can put you at risk for a bee sting, but their presence can also cause more damage than that. While severe carpenter bee infestations that go untreated for years may have the potential to cause structural damage, this isn’t very common.

While infestations don’t often lead to structural collapse, carpenter bees can still cause your wood to rot or become damaged. These pests don’t always cause the damage themselves, but by drilling holes into your wood, they make it easy for rainwater and other moisture to seep inside. This damage can put your wood at risk for carpenter ants, termites, or even wood-decaying fungi.

Other types of pests, like termites and carpenter ants, like to feed on moist, damaged wood, and that’s exactly what carpenter bees are creating when they drill holes in fences, porches, or other wood on your property. While it’s not as severe, fecal matter from carpenter bees can also stain the wood they drill into and cause discoloring, especially over time.

What Is The Best Treatment For Carpenter Bees?

Home remedies like water and vinegar may be a temporary fix for carpenter bees, but if you want to get the best treatment for these stinging insects, you’ll need to contact a professional pest control company like All-American Pest Control. We’re well-equipped to handle carpenter bees as well as any other secondary pest infestations, like termites or carpenter ants, you might end up with around your Brentwood home.

If you’re finding holes in fences, porches, or other wood on your property, the culprit could be carpenter bees. Don’t wait for them to cause more damage – contact us today at All-American Pest Control to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Brentwood. 

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