What gets rid of Carpenter bees?

[zopi]

I was much closer to the nest, and they didn't bother me ! [I hate insurance companies, and don't care much for their people, either!]

Our ins. guy creeps me out....stepford idiot...

I had a couple of bumble nests last year...got the crap stung out of me a couple times...they do not act like honeybees...one bunch simply got doused in diesel four or five times, couldn't burn or smoke them out as they were in a building I want to keep...and the other bunch was in a piece of tin stovepipe...<GRIN>
160,000 BTU propane burner at full bore in one end and a piece of hardware cloth on the other...

 

[neverrude]

I use badminton racquets. Table tennis paddles are to small and short, racquet ball racquets a bit heavy as are tennis racquets. Badminton racquets are nice and light and with a bigger head would be perfect. Who cares what the neighbors say.

The first time Mrs. Saw me swinging away with a badminton racquet by chicken house she was back up the house about 75 yards away and too her it looked I was just swinging away at nothing.
It was on a hot July day. She came down to see me and said she thought the heat had gotten too me.

Now I pay the grand kids to do it, or sometimes after I have a few
I'll get a racquet, I keep a few on a hook on the side of barn.:greenchainsaw:

 

[sawyerDave]

Carpenter Bees

I've seen 'em nest in an old pitchfork handle leaning on the sunny side inside of a barn before! Best way I have found is to stuff a moth ball (Paradichlorobenzine, not moth testes) into the hole that they have drilled.

 

[pdqdl]

Bumble bees!

I use badminton racquets. Table tennis paddles are to small and short, racquet ball racquets a bit heavy as are tennis racquets. Badminton racquets are nice and light and with a bigger head would be perfect. Who cares what the neighbors say.

The bumble bee nest that I mentioned previously was VERY difficult to eliminate. We sprayed them with insecticide, gasoline, diesel; all to no avail. They set up camp underneath some metal cabinets, and were too far back for our chemical efforts to take them out.

I ended up killing over 50 of them with a light board by "baseball batting" them when they came home to roost. I wish I had had a badminton bat; I'll bet the strings cut them to pieces !

 

[pdqdl]

I've seen 'em nest in an old pitchfork handle leaning on the sunny side inside of a barn before! Best way I have found is to stuff a moth ball (Paradichlorobenzine, not moth testes) into the hole that they have drilled.

The old fashioned moth balls were naptha. I never thought of that, that would work real well.

[Mix with gasoline, and you get napalm, too !]

 

[318firebug49]

Bees n Beer

Used to run a wholesale Crawfish business out of an old wood shed on our place in Effie. Had several guys working for us and at the start of the first crawfish season we had one heck of a infestation. Thousands of them!!!!!!! We got a half dozen badmitton rackets and at the end of the day we would pass a few beers around to get the guys to hang around, put a racket in their hand and let the fun commence. Took most of the crawfish season, and a small fortune in beer cost but we got all of them. Still have a few show up every now and then but for the most part - No more bees-... Sodbuster killed quite a few, he was one of the better one's once he got a six pack in him!!

 

[pdqdl]

Darn ! That sounds like a LOT of fun.

 

[318firebug49]

Darn ! That sounds like a LOT of fun.

It was/is- just gotta watch out after a 12 pack- the swings can get kinda wild and you end up with a bump or two on the noggin from over swings!! Might also try a Red Rider BB gun, shooting at the holes can be challenging!!

They will also attract to a bug zapper- just be warned- they sometimes catch fire while they are frying- quite a show I have seen sodbuster catch them, tie a thread around them and let them fly on a leash, he took one into Blockbuster- kinda got a little attention out of that

 

[pt026422]

Ortho Ome Defence

ORTHO HOME DEFENCE!!!! My Terminix guy said it's the strongest unregistered spray that I can get and it works on bee's, ants, and just about everything except bats. I have used it numerous times and it is great. Home depot and Lowes carry it in a self applicator container. I live in a log cabin and can't take chances with boring bees or carpenter ants!! Hope it works for you. Russ

 

[Duane Broussard]

Hey Russ... thanks for the advice with Ortho. I'll give it shot.

 

[Ted J]

That wd-40 thing is the most fun at dusk, when they are just settling in for the night. No good for keeping them out next year, though.

Did you know that carpenter bees (at least the ones around here) don't have stingers ?

GREAT story: I had a worker's comp insurance man at my shop doing a "walk-through" to evaluate our various occupational hazards. I presume he was looking for reasons to increase my rates. A big yellow & black bee buzzed him real close, but I told him not to worry, it was just the carpenter bees. "They fly in real slow that way, trying to find their hole. Don't worry, they don't even have stingers."

Just one minute later he was jumping and whooping and swearing from a bee sting. It turns out that some bumble bees had set up an underground nest in that area, and they just don't seem to like insurance men.

I was much closer to the nest, and they didn't bother me ! [I hate insurance companies, and don't care much for their people, either!]

I don't have a problem with them anymore.

I bought a Bellows Duster and a bottle of Drione powder. Puff the powder in the holes and when the bees hatch they will die in the hole, and it will kill any bee that goes in the hole.

Plus I also take the duster and dust every weep hole in the brick wall around the house real good.

The male carpenter bees do not have a stingers, only the female ones. There area number of pests listed on this page and suggestions for getting rid of them.


Good luck,
Ted

PS: Before I bought the Drione I used wasp spray and it fills the holes fast, but ya gota be careful of "spray back", that'll burn the eyes, goggles recommended!!!

 

[Duane Broussard]

Ted, thanks for all the great info! I'm going to look into all of this.

 

[Mike PA]

Use sevin to kill 'em. Two types of sevin, liquid or powder. For powder, blow sevin into holes. I have heard of people using steel wool in the holes after blowing in the dust. Haven't used the liquid, but I imagine it works the same, once it drys out. Untreated wood can be coated with liquid sevin to prevent boring. Once a bee has bored in, blow the dust in so the bee takes the dust throughout the hole.

BTW - female carpenter bees have stingers, males do not. Male tend to be aggressive, while females are not.