Carpenter Bee Control In Baltimore MD

Carpenter Bees In Baltimore MD

Carpenter bees are a native species of bee found in Baltimore MD and like other native bees they are important pollinators, are not aggressive, and are typically only noticed in the late spring and early summer months. Control is normally not necessary unless they are damaging wooden structures.

Signs of carpenter bees around your home or garden:

• Sawdust piles below perfectly circular holes drilled into wood surfaces around your home.
•  Large, shiny, black, and yellow bees buzzing and flying around your head.
• Fan-shaped, yellow, or moldy stains on the sides of a structure.

Carpenter bees do not eat wood, they eat flower nectar and pollen. The holes they bore into wood are nests for their young.

Carpenter Bee Traps

Carpenter bee traps are often just pre-drilled wooden blocks attached to glass jars or plastic bottles. The jar eventually traps the carpenter bees, where they perish and are later removed. Elegantly simple and wildly effective, the traps basically copies the carpenter bees' nests. Carpenter bees in Baltimore MD happily crawl into strategically pre-drilled holes in a wooden block, but once inside, they can’t find the entrance holes. A light source usually means escape, so they look around and spot light coming from the bottom of the box and head for it. What they don’t know is that light comes from a hole in the bottom of the box, which is covered by a glass jar. A translucent prison, if you will, from which there is no escape. The carpenter bees soon die and their accumulated bodies are disposed of by simply unscrewing the jar and dumping it out.

Wood Bees in Baltimore MD

Wood bees, more commonly known as carpenter bees, are named for their habit of excavating holes in wood, in order to rear their young. Carpenter bees prefer unpainted, weathered wood, especially softer varieties such as redwood, cedar, cypress and pine. Painted or pressure-treated wood is much less susceptible to attack. Common carpenter bee nesting sites in Baltimore MD include eaves, rafters, fascia boards, siding, wooden shake roofs, decks and outdoor furniture. Female carpenter bees then bore into wood, excavating a tunnel to lay their eggs. The entrance hole in the wood surface is perfectly round and about the diameter of your little finger. Coarse sawdust may be present below the opening, and tunneling sounds are sometimes heard within the wood. After boring in a short distance, the bee makes a right angle turn and continues to tunnel parallel to the wood surface. Inside the tunnel, about five or six cells are constructed for housing individual eggs.

How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees In Baltimore MD

Because carpenter bees can be difficult to get rid of, we recommend starting with preventative measures to keep carpenter bees from becoming a problem for your home or business in Baltimore MD.

• The early fall is the best time for preventative measures because the carpenter bee's galleries will most likely be empty: the young adult bees will have hatched and moved on, while the mature bees will not have settled in for the winter yet. 
• Plug up carpenter bee holes. Use plugs, putty or caulk to plug up the holes after the bees have vacated the gallery. 
• Carpenter bees prefer weathered or unfinished wood. Paint or varnish exposed wood surfaces around your home to make them less attractive to the bees. The most vulnerable areas are windowsills, railings, decks, fences, doors, eaves and wooden lawn furniture. 
• Cover exterior openings to your home with fine mesh screens or caulk for small crevices to prevent bee incursions. 
• Hardwoods are generally less appealing to carpenter bees than softwoods.
• Painted or varnished wood can be also be effective at repelling bees.

For professional help getting rid of carpenter bees in Baltimore MD, contact Miche Pest Control today!

Carpenter Bee v Bumble Bee

Carpenter bees and bumble bees can look very similar, but there are a few key differences in their appearance. One of the easiest ways to tell these two types of bees apart is by looking at their abdomens. Carpenter bees have smooth abdomens, while bumble bees have hairy abdomens with a yellow band near the end. Carpenter bees are also generally larger than bumble bees. These carpenter bees can range in size from 3/4 to 1 inch long, while bumble bees are usually around 0.6 to 1 inch long. Finally, take a look at the bee’s head. Carpenter bees have black heads, while bumble bees have black and yellow heads.

Carpenter Bee Nests In Baltimore MD

Carpenter bees in Baltimore MD do not nest anywhere but in wooden tunnels or hollowed-out sticks. Carpenter bees stay true to their name and only nest in wood, tending to prefer soft, rotting wood such as dying tree trunks and timber. The female carpenter bee prepares a nest for her young; she alone is responsible for grinding her mandibles against the wood to chisel out nearly perfect dime-sized entrance holes and 6-8 inch galleries in which to lay her eggs. Generally preferring wood that is either unpainted or weathered, the female carpenter bee will often return to the same nesting site year after year.