Carpenter Bees.....

Lencho

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Jan 21, 2017
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We’ve got a lot cabin and wood boring bees and carpenter ants are enemies of our sovereign property. Defense starts with paint / stain. Spray exterior with an insecticide, if you find a home / saw dust, dust them with borax….the sprays that shoot a stream are good for around the sophet / eves if you catch them in the act. And for the low fliers in late afternoon after work, I use an Adirondack chair on the porch and my favorite drink, and then when you see them good ol tennis racket….GSD cleans them up when they they hit the ground.
Interesting that you say the German Shepard Dog (GSD) cleans them up. We’ve had many dogs over the years and all of our GSDs have been bee hunters! They stalk bees on anything that flowers and snap them out of the air And eat them. It seems like dog salsa - sweet and spicy. ;) Our other dogs don’t. I’m curious about others experience.
 

rc51stierhoff

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Interesting that you say the German Shepard Dog (GSD) cleans them up. We’ve had many dogs over the years and all of our GSDs have been bee hunters! They stalk bees on anything that flowers and snap them out of the air And eat them. It seems like dog salsa - sweet and spicy. ;) Our other dogs don’t. I’m curious about others experience.
Yep…they chase, catch, and gobble up carpenter bees, regular bees, fly and other bugs…all if them, but the worst is the stink bugs…for some odd reason they think they should come pant in your face after they eat the stink bugs.
 
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Lencho

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Yep…they chase, catch, and gobble up carpenter bees, regular bees, fly and other bugs…all if them, but the worst is the stink bugs…for some odd reason they think they should come pant in your face after they eat the stink bugs.
They do like to share with the pack.
 
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The Evil Twin

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Interesting that you say the German Shepard Dog (GSD) cleans them up. We’ve had many dogs over the years and all of our GSDs have been bee hunters! They stalk bees on anything that flowers and snap them out of the air And eat them. It seems like dog salsa - sweet and spicy. ;) Our other dogs don’t. I’m curious about others experience.
My mutt eats anything that flies and he catches. It's been a while, but birds included. We call the bees "Jalapeño Bugs". They are indeed spicy but he doesn't learn. He found a Yellow Jacket nest in a hole one time. Fortunately his thick coat kept him from getting stung and none got his ears/ nose/ eyes. By the time I got him out of there, using the garden hose, I had 9 stingers in me. Good thing I'm not allergic.
 
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D2Cat

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Building a couple of traps solved my problem with the bees. It's too simple to not do and so inexpensive also. Used lumber I had, drilled 1/2" holes upward at about 60 deg on opposite sides of the 4x4 so they meet near the top. Drill 1" hole from the bottom up until it reaches the two tapered holes you just drilled. I hot glued the cap from a water bottle where the 1"hole is (be sure to cut out the center of the bottle cap!!!!). Screw the bottle on the cap, hand in the area you see the most bees and wait.

I've got two traps and catch a half bottle of bees in a week or so! This guy give a picture of what I tried to describe.

 
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pigdoc

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From the National Pesticide Information Center, run by Oregon State University under a cooperative agreement with the US EPA:

"If permethrin gets into the soil, it is broken down by microorganisms. Sunlight may also break down permethrin on the soil surface and on the surface of water. Permethrin does not mix well with water. When permethrin gets into surface water like lakes or streams, it sticks very strongly to sediment and can stay there for more than a year. Since permethrin sticks to sediment and does not mix well with water, it won't usually contaminate groundwater. Permethrin does not evaporate very easily when it is applied to surfaces. Permethrin was applied indoors near a window in an experiment where it was exposed to daylight. After 20 days, 60% of the permethrin that was applied was still on the surface.

If permethrin is applied to plants, it may stay on the leaves for between 1 and 3 weeks. Scientists applied permethrin to soil and then planted sugar beets, wheat, lettuce and cotton in the soil. Scientists found trace amounts of the permethrin residue in the edible parts of the plants at 30 and 120 days after planting. Trace amounts of permethrin have been found in foods including bananas, collard greens, squash and watermelon. However, less than 1% of the more than 1,700 food samples tested had detectable levels of permethrin."

Bottom line: permethrin is relatively persistent in the environment. A Good Thing if you're needing prolonged pest control. A Bad Thing if you're worried about human exposure. So, be careful about where you apply it.

In contrast, the half-life of the herbicide glyphosate (Round-Up) in the soil is about 24 hours. So, within 10 days of application, less than 0.1% of the active ingredient remains. It's one of the safest herbicides there is.

-science guy Paul
 

Mark_BX25D

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Bx25D
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Building a couple of traps solved my problem with the bees. It's too simple to not do and so inexpensive also. Used lumber I had, drilled 1/2" holes upward at about 60 deg on opposite sides of the 4x4 so they meet near the top. Drill 1" hole from the bottom up until it reaches the two tapered holes you just drilled. I hot glued the cap from a water bottle where the 1"hole is (be sure to cut out the center of the bottle cap!!!!). Screw the bottle on the cap, hand in the area you see the most bees and wait.

I've got two traps and catch a half bottle of bees in a week or so! This guy give a picture of what I tried to describe.


I tried that, and they ignored them. I caught two after several weeks. I thought it was because I used treated wood, but it looks like you did the same.

:unsure:
 

The Evil Twin

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Supposedly, pressure treated does not matter. They go after decks and such. Maybe if it's new PT....
So far as the permethrin warnings....meh. Not worried about all that. As long as it keeps the little buggers out of my home.
 
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The Evil Twin

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This is what we use.The spray straw has 4 holes in the end.Just spray in there hole. Has dropped the population here.
Yup. Got a variation of that. Trying to keep them from making the holes to begin with. Got some Permethin 32% on order. The watered down stuff for flying insect control I'm stables is pretty available. Probably could use that at a higher ratio but dunno.
 

Mark_BX25D

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In contrast, the half-life of the herbicide glyphosate (Round-Up) in the soil is about 24 hours. So, within 10 days of application, less than 0.1% of the active ingredient remains. It's one of the safest herbicides there is.

Good friend of mine is a chemist. Works for the family firm, making a fumigant for strawberries. Small, family company, owning about 50% of the worldwide market for this stuff. Their one real competitor is Dow.

The EPA went on a crusade against them, trying to prove the fumigant is all kinds of bad, persists in the environment, etc. They fought them for over 10 years. All kinds of demands for testing this, testing that. As part of that, they had to show their product side by side other approved products, one of which was glyphosate.

All that to say, he said the same as you have said.

However, I think there is newer evidence that suggests the routine dumping of huge amounts of it is causing buildup problems, but I doubt that's an issue for a homeowner using sane amounts.
 
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The Evil Twin

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It's approved (in lighter mixtures) for treating lice and scabies in kids. Not too concerned about what may get from my eaves and gutters into the ground. The creek is about 80 yards behind the house. Not concerned there either. Permethrin is used on clothing for tick, flea and mosquito repellant.
Round up is involved in some sort of cancer lawsuit. Had it. Not recommended.
Ill stay clear of Round up and take my chances with permethrin sprayed in the side of my house. 😉
 
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Nicfin36

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20230423_180639~2.jpg

I have two of these I made just inside my barn entrance. I have tried different designs, but these seem to work the best for me. Also, location is key. I have some on the shady sides of the barn, and they never catch any bees. These fill up quite often when the bees are active. I think I read the bees prefer an overhang and where the wood gets some sun, which is where I have these.
 
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The Evil Twin

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Update-
The permethrin seems to have done a good job so far. Went from 6-7 bees in the traps per day to 1 in the last 3 days.
I mixed it per the label instructions. I do not take joy in killing things, but when spryed on them directly it takes less than 5 minutes to kill. When it dries on the eaves, I have no clue if it is simply repelling them, or if they have landed and flown off elsewhere to die. Either way, I don't see nearly as many as I used to. We shall see as the temps go up. Seems that's when they are most active.
 

dirtydeed

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I mixed up some wasp killer the other day (applejuice, sugar and boric acid) but it just doesn't appear that they are taking the bait I put in soda cans. Perhaps I used too much boric acid? I really would like to wipe them out early this year.

I got lit up a couple of years ago by ground hornets, nasty little critters for sure.