Carpenter bees

[Frosty]

Carpenter Bees (aka the Incredible Bee Hullks) are amazingly resistant to consumer-available insecticides. I've hit them with direct streams of wasp & hornet spray and they just slow down a little in flight due to the momentum of the fluid. It apparently has no immediate toxicity for them.

I recommend:

1. The flamethrower idea
2. Baseball bat
3. Hammer
4. Biga** medieval two-handed sword
5. .308 or bigger

On the bright side, if they can sting, they don't seem to be inclined to do it much. They just kind of lumber along and eat your stuff.

While the flame thrower idea would seem to solve a lot of issues at once, I don't have enough time to move all my valuables out of the house, and I assume the fire department would think it was suspicious that all our stuff was out on the lawn. The tennis racket is fun and great for working on the backhand form, it's not doing much good. I believe only the females can sting, and they are not as common to see out flying around. Probably in the hole making babies and sammiches...

 

[rhino]

While the flame thrower idea would seem to solve a lot of issues at once, I don't have enough time to move all my valuables out of the house, and I assume the fire department would think it was suspicious that all our stuff was out on the lawn. The tennis racket is fun and great for working on the backhand form, it's not doing much good. I believe only the females can sting, and they are not as common to see out flying around. Probably in the hole making babies and sammiches...

. . . and chicken pot pie. Where they belong.

 

[Frosty]

. . . and chicken pot pie. Where they belong.

THAT'S RIGHT!!!

 

[fullauto 45]

Mason jar and a 8-10" 4x4 treated lumber.

Carpenter Bee Trap

 

[fullauto 45]

At the farm in Kentucky many years ago, we used a couple of suppressed 22 pistols and chanced them off the porch onto the yard. Then got pretty good with the pistol. Went through about 500 rounds of 22, but eradicated an entire gene of carpenter bees. I think it was about 10 years ago.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

They're always around our deck... need to find something to use on them this year.

When I find holes... usually put some Sevin dust in them and duct-tape them shut while they're in there. Otherwise, just have the wife out there with a racket. think I'll check out the trap idea on the first page.

Now the wasps... how about those? Any similar traps?

 

[JimH]

The only good use I have found for .22 shot shells-mini skeet!

 

[Frosty]

They're always around our deck... need to find something to use on them this year.

When I find holes... usually put some Sevin dust in them and duct-tape them shut while they're in there. Otherwise, just have the wife out there with a racket. think I'll check out the trap idea on the first page.

Now the wasps... how about those? Any similar traps?

The wasp sprays will finish the wasps and yellow jackets off fast, it doesn't seem to do much of anything to the bees, sprayed a few last night and I could almost hear them laugh... I'm going to order a couple of those frugal home traps somebody posted a link to, for the price of the lumber and jars I'd rather just buy a couple already put together. When the porch gets redone I'll save some of the posts and make a carpenter bee max security prison!

 

[Leadeye]

Buy permethrin (also known as Bonide carpenter ant and termite killer) at Rural King and mix strong. Spray the wood parts of the house where the bees are working, kills carpenter bees, lady bugs and wasps.

 

[NHT3]

If you have access to the entrance of the nest, a couple of hours before dusk put the hose of a shop vac close enough to the entrance that when they try to return they are sucked in. Couple of evenings like that and you will have them. I saw my dad do that when they were in the foundation of our house. sealed the hole the second evening and Problem solved.

Glock certified armorer- M&P Certified armorer
NRA Basic pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] /[/FONT][FONT=&amp] RSO[/FONT]

 

[Dead Duck]

If you have access to the entrance of the nest, a couple of hours before dusk put the hose of a shop vac close enough to the entrance that when they try to return they are sucked in. Couple of evenings like that and you will have them. I saw my dad to that when they were in the foundation of our house. sealed the hole the second evening and Problem solved.

Glock certified armorer- M&P Certified armorer
NRA Basic pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] /[/FONT][FONT=&amp] RSO[/FONT]

Just borrow the neighbor's Shop-Vac so you don't need to mess with emptying it.

 

[tyrajam]

Now the wasps... how about those? Any similar traps?

My grandpa showed me how to make yellow jacket traps when I was little. You take a plastic milk jug and cut a window in the side about 4 inches up from the bottom. Fill the bottom up with water 4 inches deep and pour some oil on the water. Next push a wire through one side of the jug and out the other about level with the top of the water, I use a piece of hanger and hold one tip under a lighter for 10 seconds so it will push through the plastic easily. Skewer a hunk of raw chicken on the wire and set it down or hang it from the handle. Yellow jackets will swarm the meat and get oil on their wings and drown. On a hot summer day you'll get a hundred in there, I've had to clean them out a few times in a day because the water was literally covered up in dead ones. They don't look very classy but they sure work!

 

[patience0830]

They're always around our deck... need to find something to use on them this year.

When I find holes... usually put some Sevin dust in them and duct-tape them shut while they're in there. Otherwise, just have the wife out there with a racket. think I'll check out the trap idea on the first page.

Now the wasps... how about those? Any similar traps?

Wasps will be caught by the borer bee traps too. Not as effective but they do catch some.

 

[JettaKnight]

Neighbors had them - I could sit outside and hear them munching...

[video=youtube;aCbfMkh940Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbfMkh940Q[/video]

 

[Frosty]

Neighbors had them - I could sit outside and hear them munching...

[video=youtube;aCbfMkh940Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbfMkh940Q[/video]

If you can find the area they are in and hit the wood with something they will go insane and make all kinds of noises.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Just borrow the neighbor's Shop-Vac so you don't need to mess with emptying it.

Or dump sevin dust in right before shutting it off the plug the hose with a rag?

 

[amboy49]

I made q couple of the bee traps last year. My bees must have been to bee school because I didn't catch a single one. One of my friends suggested I use honey as bait in a trap. I plan on testing the theory.

The bees I have been so active they didn't just chew a round hole in a board or two - they bird into my wood soffits and then worked their way down several feet.

 

[Frosty]

I made q couple of the bee traps last year. My bees must have been to bee school because I didn't catch a single one. One of my friends suggested I use honey as bait in a trap. I plan on testing the theory.

The bees I have been so active they didn't just chew a round hole in a board or two - they bird into my wood soffits and then worked their way down several feet.

Only problem is see using honey is you're very likely to attract honey bees, and killing them off is not a good thing, besides, they are about as docile as they get unless you really mess with them.

 

[bigelowe]

I've researched this on the Internet, and decided to try wd40 in the holes. Just did it yesterday. I haven't been home today to see the outcome.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I made q couple of the bee traps last year. My bees must have been to bee school because I didn't catch a single one. One of my friends suggested I use honey as bait in a trap. I plan on testing the theory.

The bees I have been so active they didn't just chew a round hole in a board or two - they bird into my wood soffits and then worked their way down several feet.

Don't use honey, you'll just catch/kill a bunch of honeybees.