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Safety Products

Please be sure to read the product label of any insecticide you choose to use to get information on the personal protective safety gear you will need. In most situations, it is recommended that you wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, closed toe shoes with socks, chemical resistant gloves, and goggles. In areas where ventilation is poor, a manufacturer may recommend you wear a mask or a respirator. We have put together two different safety kits that will make selecting the correct safety gear easier for you.

Carpenter Bees

How to Get Rid of Carpenter or Wood Bees

Carpenter Bee Treatment Guide

By DoMyOwn staff

Carpenter bees are an invasive species of bee that can cause serious damage to your home and other nearby wood structures. These solitary bees nest alone and do not produce honey, nor are they beneficial pollinators.

Successful carpenter bee treatment can be completed in two steps: applying a topical carpenter bee spray followed by dusting and plugging individual carpenter bee holes. Carpenter bee traps can also be used to help control the pest population.

Continue reading our guide on how to kill carpenter bees below.

Step 1

Spray Insecticide Labeled for Wood Boring Bees

It is recommended that you begin spraying areas where carpenter bees, also known as wood bees, have been active in the past during the spring/fall, prior to new activity or as soon as new activity is noticed. Following the usage and dilution rates listed on the concentrated liquid insecticide product label of the product you have chosen, spray any area that has been susceptible to carpenter bee infestations including eaves, siding, fascia boards, railings, posts, fencing and garden/landscape fixtures. Spray one time per month as needed during the carpenter bee season.

***NOTE:***

While carpenter bees are solitary bees and do not attack in groups, it is possible that you can be stung while performing a treatment. If you are sensitive to bee stings or bee stings are intolerable, we recommend that you hire a professional pest control operator to control carpenter bees. If you are not allergic but are worried about bee stings you may want to consider purchasing and wearing a bee suit.

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Step 2

Apply Insecticide Dust & Plug Existing Holes

In this step you will need to dust and plug existing holes to kill the wood bees newly emerging in the existing holes. We recommend applying the dust to the carpenter bee nests late in the evening to make sure you are contacting the existing female carpenter bees as this is when they are most likely to be inside the nest and also when they are less active which will somewhat reduce the chance you could be stung. This application will also help to eliminate the immature stage of the developing carpenter bee and will reduce the future carpenter bee population.

Using a hand duster, apply the chosen dust to each carpenter bee hole. After 14 days, we recommend you plug the hole using a Trebor plug, Super Plug, or wood patch material to stop other insects from invading the hole at a later time. Dust applications typically need to be applied to each hole only once per season.

Pro Tip

If you plug the hole immediately after dusting, you risk having the immature carpenter bee growing into the adult stage and chewing it's way out of a different part of the wood and avoiding the dust application completely. This is why carpenter bees are sometimes referred to as boring bees. Waiting 14 days will allow the female bee to go back to the nest and crawl through the application and spread the dust into the nest to help eliminate the immature bees.

Carpenter Bee Control

Getting rid of carpenter bees will take time and effort but will be effective if you use the right products and follow this guide. If you would like further guidance on your carpenter bee treatment, give our customer service team a call at 866-581-7378 or email support@domyown.com. You can also shop our Carpenter Bee Control Kit here.

Carpenter Bees Treatment Infographic

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