I was out watching the carpenter bees buzz around some of our fascia that they’re turning into swiss cheese. Got to wondering if there’s anything out there in the way of trim that they will avoid. Do they get into Azek, Komo, Trex?
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In general, insects to not like the cedars (red or white), which is why cedar chests have been used for centuries to protect woolens from moths, etc.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
I've discovered (to my dismay) that carpenter bees will bore into Eastern red cedar. I had some rough-sawn cedar 2xs stored in my barn loft. The bees ruined several boards. IMO, you would have to go with a man-made material.
carpenter bees.......
i've seen them in red cedar.....white cedar.....redwood....oak....pine.....
i haven't seen them in synthetics
and..... they leave a substance behind that attracts other carpenter bees
to return to the scene of the crimeMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Hope I never see any of them up here.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
It's the plumber bees you've got to watch out for.Suckers make some huge holes in wood, almost like they're carrying around bee sawzalls or something.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
View Image
"It's the plumber bees you've got to watch out for."
LOL! Now that made my morning. ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
My browser windows won't let me do a reply all to thank people for the replies. At any rate, thanks for the feedback.Mike, I think I remember you saying you use Azek products. But Azek recommends against dark colored paints on their products, right? What would you use for fascia, trim boards, etc. if you had to go to dark colors?
Miratech...... we use a lot of .... much more than we use Azekdon't know hat the bees think of thoughMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thanks. Will check it out.
The bees leave the miratech alone.
Maybe its because the squirrels chew on it.A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.
On no!! I've just installed Miratec trim on my shop. I will keep an eye out for squirrel damage. In the past I've used an animal repellent that I purchased at Tractor Supply. It has kept the squirrels from gnawing on my house trim.
squirrels get pretty dumb.... think it's from eating the lead flashing around the chimniesMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
"But Azek recommends against dark colored paints on their products, right?"
Sherwin-Williams Duration is 'vinyl safe' (and Azek ok's its use), you can get it tinted in most colors including dark ones - but there are limitations. S-W has a standard color pallet for PVC's but can tint beyond that, just be sure to tell the clerk that it's going on PVC so you don't get one of the few shades that shouldn't be used on it.
http://azek.com/setcontrol/download_file.php?id=1&table=document&field=file
-Norm
Their dark color specs have changed recently -- you might look up a product rep in your area."It depends on the situation..."
We've got red cedar clapboards over that old black celotex sheathing. Some years ago, a carpenter bee decided a nice warm sunny spot about 3 ft from our chimney would be a nice place for a nest. It dropped down about an inch below the overhanging edge of the top clapboard & bored a hole straight through to the celotex. Obviously, that was not a good spot for a nest, so it dropped down 2 boards, drilled another hole. Repeated that process all the way down the wall. It took me about a year to get around to replacing those boards. At the beginning of the next summer, I walked out & looked at that stretch of wall & had 6 or 8 more 1/2" holes reaching down to the celotex. I haven't bothered to replace them.They don't seem to like that celotex, but it's not much good for trim.Around here, cedar seems to be a favorite. I've got two friends with cedar log homes that have been eaten up by the bees. I don't know about the new PT stuff, but the old PT is also just fine as a homesite as far as they are concerned.
That's interesting; I wouldn't have thought any animal as small as bees could tolerate the poisonous gasses present in cedar--which is what makes it smell so nice to us...but at a low concentration relative to our size.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
I have a 90 foot tall incense cedar tree on my property at Lake Tahoe that has been home to carpenter ants for 50+ years that I know of.BruceT
Hi bd,
I was out watching the carpenter bees buzz around some of our fascia that they're turning into swiss cheese. Got to wondering if there's anything out there in the way of trim that they will avoid. Do they get into Azek, Komo, Trex?
They've never touched my hardie plank and they've never messed with my window frames which are very similiar to the material Trex is made of.
I've also "never" had a problem with any spruce that's been primed with Kilz followed by two coats of a quality latex semi gloss exterior paint.
Pedro the Mule - Now how do I get paint out of my fur?
No problems with those products. Sometimes a PITA if gutters are involved.
I have black walnut and never seen any carpenter bees.. However the wasps do seem to be willing to make their nests anyplace..
F,I've got a stash of curly black walnut I've been sitting on for years, but I don't think I want to use it as house trim.
The pressure-treated pergola over our patio has been a home for a small colony about 4 years now. They've hatched and are now emerging, right on time.
I've found one of my sons' wiffle ball bats seems to make them vacate the premises. Unfortunately, they return a few minutes later.
Edited 4/19/2009 10:08 pm ET by shtrum
I have a friend who uses a badminton racket to swat the bees.
Badminton racket is the best tool for eliminating the bees and getting some exercise in the process. Light weight for those quick moves.
Ever now and then one will get stuck in the racket and you can tell from their faces that if they could get free they would kill you.half of good living is staying out of bad situations
Believe it or not, I've actually managed to hit a few of them on the fly with a pellet pistol. The ones I get have learned to stay just above the edge of the roof when I'm out there with something to swat them. As soon as I move on, they're back. Dang that's aggravating.
Ya, that's true now that you mention it.
Once when I was dead set on eliminating the whole tribe I had managed most but the few remaining would pull that prank
so I'd get a step ladder and hide behind the sunny corner they frequented.
Ah, the memories of summer warmth.
Killing always heats my blood. half of good living is staying out of bad situations
My cabin is board and batten white pine (like the old barns)Damb bees make me crazy . . . used a ping pong paddle for a while . . then got a butterfly net that works far better than anything...You trap them . . roll them in . . .take down to the deck and step on the em . . . crack! . . . .. pure joy.Last year I got overly pissed and stepped on one with my bare foot and the sucker drilled me right in the hollow of my instep . . . DO NOT TRY THAT AT HOME!My Blog
Ah, you'd payed to play that round.
badminton rackets have a nice spring that sometimes sets them sailing across the yard.half of good living is staying out of bad situations
I love my Harbor Freight high voltage badminton swatter. I puts a number on most flying insects. Well crawlers too if you can get them to crawl on it.
badminton raquets . . . where's the sport?
i'd much rather have my neighbors thinking i'm some crazed lunatic, swinging a wiffle ball bat and running around like a caffeinated chihuahua
running around like a caffeinated chihuahua
Ha! That was good.half of good living is staying out of bad situations
the real fun is when the police get involved
the first Tazer's the worst . . . the next few, not so bad
You can't feel them if you're pumped up on monkey adrenalin.
Have you tried hornet and wasp spray? The can I've got will spray 22 feet away and it sure does a great job on killing wasps..
Yes, I have. When I feel like sitting & waiting to ambush them. It definitely works, but it's at most a one kill event whenever I go out. I actually bought some insecticide that is supposed to kill / repel them if put on early in the season. However, that's stuff so toxic, I don't like using it.