Carpenter Bees

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What do carpenter bees look like?

Carpenter bees are black and yellow in color, and except for their shiny hairless abdomen, they are covered in yellow fuzzy hairs. Carpenter bees have an oval shaped, stocky body; adults grow to between ¼ and 1 inch in length depending on their specific species. Female carpenter bees are equipped with stingers, male carpenter bees do not have stingers.

Are carpenter bees dangerous?

Carpenter bees have the potential to be dangerous to both structures and people. Females, while not super aggressive do have the ability to sting a person if they feel threatened; their venom is strong enough to cause an allergic reaction in some people that may require medical attention. Carpenter bees “drill” holes into decks, trim, and other wooden surfaces to create nesting galleries inside of, they tend to re-visit the same galleries and pieces of wood year after year causing more and more structural damage. Damage to structures can also come from woodpeckers that attack carpenter bee nests in order to feed on their larvae.

Why do I have a carpenter bee problem?

Carpenter bees are solitary insects that are attracted to unpainted, unstained, aged softwoods; they use the untreated wood to create their nesting galleries in. While there is only one female per nest, many females may choose to nest in the same piece of wood or in the same area. If there is untreated wood on your property, carpenter bees will be attracted to it. Also, carpenter bees feed on plant nectar so properties with abundant flowers and landscaping may attract carpenter bees to a property.  

Can I control carpenter bees?

The best way to get rid of carpenter bees from your property is to contact a pest control professional that has experience safely reduce stinging insects. It is important to find and treat all the nesting sites on your property to ensure complete reduction of these damaging pests. The pest control professionals at Arrow Pest Control have the safety equipment, experience, and training needed to get rid of carpenter bees from your property. If carpenter bees have decided to nest on your New Jersey property or home, contact the dedicated pest professionals at Arrow Pest Control today!

How do I make my property less attractive to carpenter bees?

It is difficult to completely prevent carpenter bees from choosing your property to nest on, but doing the following things can help to make your New Jersey property less attractive to them!

• Limit the amount of flowing plants and landscaping that are planted both, on your property and very close to the exterior of your home.
• Make sure the wood that has been used to build decks, play structures, sheds, and other structures on your property has been treated painted or stained.
• Create structures on your property out of hardwood instead of softwoods.