Carpenter bees work on wooden structures

As enthusiastic, bored children, we would try to hit them with baseball bats. A tennis racket would have been a better choice, but there were no tennis courts on our farm. Nonetheless, carpenter bees were a lot of fun for growing boys.

Adults, though, usually aren't into fun things like that. People who live in cedar-sided or log homes see no humor at all in these obnoxious bees. They just want to get rid of them.

About this time every year people see large, black bees hovering around their heads and homes.
They're probably carpenter bees. We get very little pollination benefit from them, but we do get some headache.

Look similar to a bumblebee

Carpenter bees resemble bumblebees but have a couple of noticeable differences. The upper surface of the carpenter bee's abdomen is bare, shiny and black. Bumblebees have a hairy abdomen with at least some yellow markings.

The other difference is where they nest. Bumblebees usually nest in the ground. Carpenter bees build their nests in tunnels they create in wood. They chew a perfectly round hole about the size of a dime into soft, untreated, unpainted weathered wood.

Male carpenter bees seem to be mean. But it's all an act. They'll hover in front of people who are near, even dive-bombing occasionally. But the males are harmless. They don't even have stingers.

Females hurt, damage most

Female carpenter bees do have stingers, though, and their sting can be quite painful. I had to be stung several times before I learned to leave them alone. The females seldom sting unless they are handled or disturbed.

Even if they don't sting, female carpenter bees aren't harmless. It's the fertilized females that excavate the tunnels and lay eggs in a series of small cells.

They provision each cell with a ball of pollen, on which the larvae feed until emerging as adults in late summer. The adults will overwinter in abandoned nest tunnels to return again the next year.

Prefer bare softwoods

Carpenter bees prefer bare softwoods, especially redwood, cedar, cypress and pine. They don’t typically bother painted or pressure-treated wood.

Common attack zones are eaves, window trim, fascia boards and decks. Sawdust beneath the hole is an easily recognizable sign of attack.

Control can be a combination of things. A fresh coat of oil-based paint is very effective. They don't like paint. Wood stains and preservatives are less reliable, but better than bare wood.

Where the bees have already attacked, spraying insecticide on the wood surface won't work. You have to inject it into each burrow to be effective. An aerosol spray for wasp and bee control will work if you direct it into the hole. Applications of cypermethrin or permethrin may provide short-term control when applied to wood surfaces, but will have to be reapplied after 1 to 2 weeks to maintain control.

Plug the hole

After a couple of days, plug the hole with a piece of wood dowel coated with carpenter's glue, wood putty or your choice of filler. This last step protects against future use of the old tunnel and reduces the chance of wood decay.

It's best to spray at night to kill the adults and the brood. If you spray during the day, the adults may be gone. And they may just start a new colony.

Remember, the females can pop you pretty good, so treating towards sunset or at night helps. Or you could make it a two-person job and arm the other with the tennis racket.

By B. Wade Hutcheson 

(Wade Hutcheson is a county Extension agent with UGA Cooperative Extension serving Spalding County.)

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Guarding Against Sinister Stingers

(NAPSI)-It's that time of year again, when unwelcome pests put a stinger in everyone's fun. Stinging insects such as yellow jackets, hornets and wasps are most active in late summer and well into fall. More than just a seasonal nuisance, these pests can pose a significant threat to your health as well. According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), stinging insects send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room every year.

Yellow jackets, which have a yellow and black face/head and patterned abdomen, are considered one of the more dangerous stinging insects due to their unpredictable and aggressive nature. They build their nests in the ground or cavernous areas but frequently invade human space in search of sugary and protein-rich foods. They sting repeatedly when their nest is disturbed and reactions can be severe.

Carpenter bees resemble bumblebees and create nests by drilling tunnels into soft wood. Over time, these tunnels can severely compromise the structural stability of a home. Males are in charge of guarding the habitat, but only their female counterparts have stingers. Females will only sting if threatened, but reactions to these stings can range from mild irritation to life-threatening respiratory disease.

A lesser-known stinging insect is the velvet ant. Despite its name, it is actually a wasp. With short, brightly colored hairs (generally red and black), they can be seen running in open areas. Females lay eggs directly in the habitat of ground-nesting bees and wasps. Only the males have wings, but what the females lack in wings, they make up for in stings. Females use a needlelike stinger to inflict a painful poke that can cause allergic reactions.

The NPMA offers these tips for avoiding stinging insects:

• Wear shoes, especially in grassy areas.

• Overseed grassy areas to get better coverage, as this will deter ground-nesting insects.

• Paint/stain untreated wood.

• Remove garbage frequently and keep trash cans lined and covered.

• Don't swing or swat at stinging insects.

• Avoid wearing sweet-smelling perfumes.

• Seek immediate medical attention if stung, as reactions can be severe.

• Do not attempt to remove a nest on your own. If you have an infestation, contact your local pest professional.

For more information, visit www.pestworld.org.

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