If you don't like pests setting up shop in your home, you might be interested in hiring a professional exterminator to help you with your problems. However, unless you understand the tools that they are working with, you might find yourself wondering what else you can do to curb issues. For example, if you don't mention that mosquito problem, your exterminator might not know to treat that water feature with a pesticide that targets larvae. My site explains different ways you can prepare for your professional pest control treatment, so that you aren't left with issues later down the road.
If you've recently noticed what appear to be bumblebees burrowing into your wooden patio furniture or the overhang of your roof, you likely have an infestation of carpenter bees. These bees are similar to bumblebees in appearance, but are solitary creatures that feast on chewed wood and can be quite destructive.
However, killing carpenter bees can also cause ecological problems. Are there any ways to humanely eradicate these bees from your property and prevent their return? Read on to learn more about what you can do to encourage your local carpenter bees to nest elsewhere.
Why should you avoid killing carpenter bees?
Although these bees aren't usually thought of as pollinators (like honeybees), they do perform this important role. Their slow, bumbling way of flying is highly effective in attracting and spreading pollen, helping fertilize plants and flowers so that they can grow to their full capacity. While these bees can seem intimidating due to their large size, males are unable to bite and sting -- and females will sting only when strongly provoked.
These bees are also useful in the natural decay process. While you may not like the idea of a bee chewing a marker-sized hole into your deck chair, when this same bee chews a hole in a dead tree, it helps accelerate the decay process and add valuable minerals to the surrounding soil.
Because carpenter bees are relatively slow, they're a favorite snack for many birds and amphibians. Poisoning these bees in an effort to remove them from your property can potentially cause harm to songbirds, frogs, and other creatures.
What can you do to relocate these bees and minimize any damage to your home?
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to rid your home of carpenter bees without causing them harm. However, before taking action against the carpenter bees around your home, you'll want to eliminate attractive hiding spots and food sources. Although you may be able to get rid of the bees currently nesting near your home, without taking steps to prevent these bees from returning, you're likely to be dealing with the same problem again in just a few weeks.
Because these bees prefer to nest in unpainted wood, if you have any exterior wood that fits this description, you may want to seal it with a clear coat of polyurethane or another water-repellent substance. Doing so will make this wood much less attractive to carpenter bees and will also help protect it from environmental damage.
Carpenter bees, like all bees, also require a source of water. If you live near a creek or pond, it's likely this serves as the bees' watering hole -- but if your home isn't on the water, you may find your bees lose interest in your property once you've emptied birdbaths and gotten rid of old tires or other items that collect pooling water.
Once you've taken some preventive measures, you're ready to encourage your bees to move elsewhere. You'll want to purchase an insect repellent (not a pesticide) and spray this repellent around the surface of each hole you can find, or areas in which these bees seem to congregate. If you're sure these bees have left their holes in response to your repellent spray, you can quickly plug these holes up with putty or even chewing gum.
During this process, you may also want to put several blocks of soft, unpainted wood in your yard to give these bees a safe place to which they can escape. Once your bees begin to burrow into these blocks, you'll be able to move these blocks far from your house (or even give them to someone who could use some pollinators at his or her own house), relocating the bees without unduly disturbing them.
If you are still have trouble after a few weeks, call a pest control company to assist you.
Share20 August 2015
