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Discussion Forum

Carpenter Bees……. Again!

| Posted in General Discussion on May 11, 2000 06:22am

*
I use chlorpyrifos [trade name is DURSBAN] or carbaryl [trade name SEVIN] in a pump-up sprayer. We call them wood bores and they will knock the pee-waddin out of you if they sting. Be sure there are no honey bees in the area before you spray. Good luck!

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  1. Scott_Chadbourne | May 11, 2000 06:22pm | #1

    *
    I use chlorpyrifos [trade name is DURSBAN] or carbaryl [trade name SEVIN] in a pump-up sprayer. We call them wood bores and they will knock the pee-waddin out of you if they sting. Be sure there are no honey bees in the area before you spray. Good luck!

  2. Guest_ | May 11, 2000 08:28pm | #2

    *
    patchogue....back again huh? yur like a bad penny..

    even bees can take a hint.. i wud go buy a couple be / wasp bombs... the kind that can shoot 25 feet..every roofer / remodeler carries one in their truck...
    aim right for their entrys... if it's painted or natural the spray shouldn't hurt the finish...watch out for asphalt roofing material.. it will melt it..

    after a couple of doses they wshould get the hint.. and move to safer quarters..

    1. Guest_ | May 12, 2000 05:15am | #3

      *Never left, Mike!I've used those 25-foot sprayers and they work. Bees come back next season. This time you can't see their entry holes..... they now squeeze up and behind the trim! Adaptive little b*$^ards!!Phil

      1. Guest_ | May 12, 2000 01:55pm | #4

        *Badminton racquet?? Don't knock it. I have used that method for 20 years. Had an exterminator tell me that only the females have stingers and the bees that you are seeing are males vying for territory. With this in mind I have been exterminating carpenter bees for a long time. Face the bee with the racquet held in front of you in an upright position. The bees ( for some reason ) will challenge your raquet one at a time. A quick flick of the wrist downward will take him out. When I miss, he will go into wild gyrations and buzz my head but they don't sting. I have a new batch of them every year around my house and shed. This method is also environmentally safe. . . .

        1. Guest_ | May 12, 2000 11:47pm | #5

          *There are several classes of pesticides, some toxic to bumble bees, some are not. The following are commmonly available and are some of the most toxic to bumble bees.Cholrpyriphos sold under the brand name DURSBAN.Malathion sold under it's own name. Permethrin which is a pyrethroid and is sold under many, many names. Usually with a name sounding or spelled similar to pyrethroid.All three are not restricted and can be bought over the counter.

  3. RoanokeRay | May 18, 2000 05:17pm | #6

    *
    Does anyone have advise for repairing concrete walks that have been badly pitted form salt?

  4. Guest_ | May 19, 2000 03:45am | #7

    *
    Perhaps the pitting is actually from carpenter bees...

    1. Guest_ | May 19, 2000 04:24am | #8

      *Customers pay extra for salt finished concrete. Look what you got for free.

  5. Bearmon_ | May 19, 2000 06:09am | #9

    *
    Steve & Ralph, I like your sense of humor!

    Bear, the paver guy.

  6. Guest_ | May 19, 2000 06:17am | #10

    *
    It sounds like you have yourself a case of concrete-boring flatulent spiders.

    You'd better order a rescue kit before it's too late. Look what they did to the kingdome in Seattle......

  7. Bill_Shivers | May 21, 2000 06:15pm | #11

    *
    I Thank you, My Wife Thanks you!! We have fought bumble bees above our picture window for too many years with no real success. The damn bees pooped on the window everyday and that's the picture we saw!

    The malathion did the trick, psst -- no more bees -- no more bee poop.

    Thanks Again,
    Bill

  8. Guest_ | May 22, 2000 05:30am | #12

    *
    Hey! I plugged the bee holes with Imodium tablets..... they all got constipated and exploded! No more bees!

  9. Mark_Fritch | May 26, 2000 01:53am | #13

    *
    Phil, I have to tell you, we used to have Horse Flies that big in Washington when I worked for a while as a logger. They don't sting; they just wait for you to get into a compromised position where you cannot defend yourself and then generally remove a chunk of hamburger from your neck. We finally became skilled at catching them in our hands. We'd take a large sliver and poke it in the abdomen and let them go. The shift in weight balance would point them skyward and we would all stand and watch until they disappeared at high altitudes. Some much for the coffe break; back to work you guys!

  10. Guest_ | May 26, 2000 01:53am | #14

    *
    Hi all

    After searching the archives, I found all sorts of advice for PREVENTING carpenter bees, but none on getting rid of them once they have taken residence. Oh, yes there was one reference to using a badminton racquet!

    Last summer I sprayed the tunnel openings with bee-killer and plugged the holes. This season, they are back and it appears that there are two separate factions!!

    I have spent a lot of time mesmerized by the aerial combat maneuvers between opposing bees! One group seems to be on the gable end and another group just around the corner. The hovering "sentinels" on sentry duty will attack anything flying near or far. From a safe distance I have tossed up small pebbles and they dive bomb at 'em! And these are HUGE! Inch and a 1/4, inch and a 1/2!!!

    So, any successful methods of permanent eviction? BTW, they are getting behind the trim, squeezing in between the siding and the trim boards. Other than removing the trim and painting or wrapping with aluminum, any ideas?

    Maybe I could hire a woodpecker, but then I have to get some rubber snakes and plastic owls to get rid of him. Still don't know how to get rid of those pesky plastic pests yet.....

    Phil

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