Sick of Seeing the Wooden Fences Get Ruined Every Year
*Ryobees
I've always preferred Beewalt myself.
I've found that MilwaukBee tools hold up quite a bit longer than the Beewalts
Good selection of both at HarBee Freight.
Do more with less…shop at Home Beepot.
I like Home Beepot for their financing options.
Any MaBeeta fans out there?
Makbeeta will be buzzing long after we're gone
I'm not sure if this is very effective but some bees kept digging into our swing set. I scared it away and jammed some hot sauce up in the hole they dug. It came back, stuck its face near it and flew off as far away as it could and they didn't bother it for the rest of the summer
I'm going to ride your top comment. Last year I accidentally got rid of mine by cleaning my whole deck with Murphys oil soap. I liked the chubby little guys and they made my friends ass of a husband nervous, so I was ok with them ;) They never came back so it might be a good solution for everyone.
checks out, they don't like citrus oils.
Citrus oil is a neurotoxin to a lot of insects if I remember correctly
TL;DR: Spice beats spicy bugs.
And rodents. But not birds.
Haha, my sister was having a problem with her new puppy (now an old lady) chewing on the vertical blinds over the slider. So she put hot sauce on the bottoms as a deterrent.
Welp, puppy suffered and learned, but so did sister/her husband, cuz puppy got diarrhea all over the house.
Every puppy has a D-Day. It’s a right of passage
Had a puppy that kept eating her poop
Did the hot sauce trick, obviously hated the hot sauce but next poops she ate, she was a risk taker
Capsaicin is actually toxic to bees if they come in contact with or eat/drink it.
Easy, don´t make your houses and fences out of carpenter bee food.
You ever been to America?
The house I grew up in is ~40 years old and built entirely of wood. It's out in the country, so carpenter bees and woodpeckers have had their fill in that time and the house is perfectly fine. Do you think wood houses in America are just rotting or being devoured by animals every 10 years?
There are a ton of reasons why wood is used over other materials in North America. It's SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper and has been shown to be able to withstand the average wear and tear a house goes through every 100 years or so. When built to code wooden houses are extremely durable.
Tell me you don't know how construction works without telling me you don't know how construction works.
Eh, part of the issue is no one wants an outdated 100+ year old house. I bought a 120 year old house partly because I enjoy the process of modernizing it and making it mine, but I was heavily criticized for not just tearing it down and building a new house, which is the go to around here. Modern floorplans, utilities, conveniences, etc. that way.
There’s an entire Reddit of people like you who enjoy older homes it’s called r/centuryhomes
The only reason our house isn't 70 years old and in good condition is the linear passage of time. It'll be fine when it's older too, and I know of countless older farmhouses. We didn't get some pre-built doublewide trailer; my mom bought land and had a contractor build a wooden home. The area I live in isn't "European village" old, but Cornwallis surrendered in a house that is still standing about half an hour away from here. The town I live in was founded before the revolutionary war. There are plenty of historic homes in this area that are from the 18th-19th century. Obviously some have had lots of work, but you don't get to big-time all parts of the US for not having old buildings.
Wooden houses can last 50-100 years and are orders of magnitude safer during earthquakes, which we get quite a bit.
As a serious suggestion, finishing or painting wood can deter them
Also, there is insect spray specifically for carpenter bees. It's best if you spray them when they're trying to get in the nest because the poison is carried in
For the ones that hang outside to "guard", they're males and don't have stingers. They may try to headbutt you though. They are easily killed with a tennis racket. The females which do have stingers usually stay inside the wood
Source: have been fighting the fight against carpenter bees for a few years now
Edit: sorry, I know they're pollinators, but I also want my porch to live
My deck is toast. They are the bane of my existence. It's a huge problem for my entire neighborhood. Bee traps everywhere and there are still so damn many! Speaking of which, I need to empty the trap today. It's full.
*bane
He meant it’s like the bathroom of his existence. He’s frenchish
The little bastards are up, under the eaves along my roof line, boring holes that I cannot even access on a ladder. Can’t get at them through the attic either. You win you fat cunts. Now I just go out there with an electric bug swatter and try to smack them. I must look like an insane person playing tennis with an imaginary ball.
Try getting one of those larger wind chimes; personally I think the sound and vibrations keeps the buggers away.
I read that and bird feeders. I think you place peanuts to attract blue jays since they’ll eat carpenter bees.
My wife said she tried shaking the wind chime on a non windy day and it just agitated him. I wonder if this is an example of a spurious correlation because it is really the wind that keeps them away
WAIT u/kemosabe!!! What trap are you using?!?!
Are these bees bad? I actually love seeing them, and just fill in any holes with wood-fill (when they aren't in it) if they're bored into something they shouldn't have.
The bees may feast on my fence. I am willing to make that snackrafice
Carpenter bee traps are pretty easy to make with scrap wood. Google it and pick a design you think you can pull off.
People keep talking about bee traps but man, we can not afford to be killing bees. So they may be in big numbers where you live specifically but on the grand scale we need every single bee and killing any is making our situation on earth worse. If they destroy your deck or fencing so be it, use composite materials next time. We simply can not afford to be killing bees.
Yeah, carpenter bees are great pollinators. They don't stick to a specific type of plant or flower, so they do a bit of everything, and can even pollinate some plants that are more difficult for other bees. There are so many ways to try to deal with them by giving them alternatives for nesting and using deterrents that don't kill them where you don't want them. It's a shame to see so many people in the thread smacking them with bats and tennis rackets.
They like to make their home close to where good food is, so making a carpenter bee hotel near some tasty flowers further away from the home will move them towards living there rather than in your house.
I am all for saving bees, but money doesn't grow on trees. Its not just your deck and fence they eat, the roof, soffits and facia of your house are at risk too. The vast majority of people cannot afford to just simply replace these with composite materials.
Yep, I literally just discovered the soffits/roof of my condo is being attacked. Like dozens of them swarming/fighting each other and the signs of many 'nests'.
I even looked up relocation services and nobody will deal with anything but large hives and... apparently carpenter bees are solitary and only 'live' with their young. So nobody will relocate them.... traps are a nice word for killing them and the other option is insecticide.
I have no other options and I can't let them further destroy my roof. That would be negligence from my condo and I'd be on the hook for repairs to my place and potentially the attached neighbors (our roof is shared, so I'd have to pay for the entire thing as they can't replace half (flat roof, no shingles)
I simply can't take that risk, I don't have that kind of money laying around.
They like to make their home close to where good food is, so making a carpenter bee hotel near some tasty flowers further away from the home will move them towards living there rather than in your house. They are opportunistic and if find welcoming homes would rather use them than bore out their own.
Exactly. I’m also so torn about this as well because I always do what I can for the environment, take insects back outside that get inside (except ants), make a garden for the bees to pollinate and have food, but when the carpenter bees (and the woodpeckers nearby) start wrecking my deck, it’s game on. I’ve looked at what it would cost to replace this deck these days and it’s damn near $100k. I don’t exactly have that laying around and we were lucky to find this house for the price it was, but the deck was built in 2000 when it probably only cost $15k.
im not even talking deck, they can destroy a house.
Yup, exactly, especially with exposed soffits.
Well tough shit kinda, the bees are more important than you going broke from repairs.
edit: no bees means you never have to worry about home repairs again as we all starve to death so maybe y'all are onto something.
you have no idea how the world works do you? What are you like 14?
I struggle with this too since they’re good pollinators. I strangely find them a little cute too. But I want to enjoy not being dive bombed every time I want to spend time on my patio.
I’m fine with them destroying your house. The ones attacking my garage are as good as dead
I have them bore into my soffits in my house. Spray the shit out of them mostly but I also enjoy hitting them with a whiffle bat or badminton racket
Had them all over our "game room", converted farm chicken coop. I had a fat wiffle ball bat I used to smack the hell out of them with. The "Tink" sound they would make was so satisfying.
Yea, the fat whiffle bat is fun!
Tennis racket is my go too....chunky bastards are big enough that they don't stand a chance
One time I bought an electrified racket. The harder you hit them the bigger the spark. Extremely satisfying
This is why you need treated wood.
They made a home in the composite not-wood on my parents deck last summer, that was fun to handle.
What about fake wasp nests ? I have had luck on my front and back porches with just hanging some grocery bags (stuffed with other grocery bags). Looks kinda janky to have that hanging by my front door, but the bees lay off the wooden bench that is there, so it's working for me.
I blow them out of the air with my leaf blower if I see them. They drilled like 15 holes in my fences last year, and they're all over my yard again this year. So fucking annoying.
I believe decoy wasp nests have been working to defend my deck.
That is a very difficult pest to get rid of. You don't just spray the nest and be done because there is no nest and sprays aren't that effective or discouraging. The dust works better than the spray. You'll want to put out carpenter bee traps to get rid of as many in the air as you can. You'll need to fill in any holes they've bored so there isn't a home for them to come back to. All kinds of stuff. Sometimes it's best to just torch the place and start over.
There's literally no need to kill these beneficial pollinators. The are plenty of ways to discourage them from nesting in certain places. They are harmless to people because they lack stingers.
As a biologist and someone who just generally loves nature, this just doesn’t reflect reality unfortunately.
I’m the kind of person who lets spiders and what not make residence where they please, but when it comes to carpenter bees, they just got to go. I don’t have an extra $20k on hand to fix my house when they gnaw through it.
Also, female carpenter bees have stingers. They aren’t aggressive though, so unless a person grabs one or is supremely unlucky, they mind as well not have stingers
Everything I've ever read about them says they are unlikely to cause structural damage and while it doesn't look great they don't generally cause real damage.
I know anecdotal experience isn’t a scientific study by any means, but my porch begs to differ.
Given the restrictions on what portion of joists and studs you can drill through, I have to imagine the bees aren’t doing it any favors. That’s not even counting the introduction of moisture to the interior of boards.
Long story short, I’ve seen them wreck my shit, especially in thinner boards.
This is conjecture though, same with the other person who responded.
My anecdotal experience is equally invalid, I see a few holes around my structure, but all my research and the information I got from experts was that they generally don't cause problems to the point of structural damage.
I still would like to move them, but the goal will be to get them to move or to move them to the edge of my property and eventually replace the trim with something less desirable for the bees. Best of both worlds. I get to keep some good hard working pollinators that don't generally attack people, and they get to keep their homes, albeit in a new location.
Then you clearly don't have real experience with them.
Here is a picture I just took of the railing on my deck. Those go clean through the board. That is not mere cosmetic damage. There are many other sections like that.
Accumulate enough of that sort of damage and it eventually becomes "structural".
Once the woodpeckers know that your house is a good place to find the Carpenter Bee larvae, it gets out of hand real fast.
I dont k ow why people like to make moronic assumptions about things they don't know because people have different experiences.
I own a home and I have carpenter bees living on my trim. For a number of years I researched and monitored and found two things.
The general consensus is they are a minor nuisance more than an actual problem. They aren't aggressive and are good pollinators.
Ive seen no significant damage to my home beyond a few holes here and there.
Otherwise said, I didn't bother to read your post, shut up.
Female carpenter bees have stingers.
Can you suggest some ways to discourage them?
They prefer dead trees, so a brush pile somewhere in your yard or some branches for them to set up shop in may attract them more than the treated wood of your house. Though, they aren't eating the wood or anything, they just bore into it to create nests, so it's not like they won't still go for treated wood or even composites. That's when you add deterrents to the mix.
Almond oil and citrus sprays work well to keep them away from spots they are causing trouble. You don't spray the bees, just the area you want them to leave alone when they're not there. I've heard of people hanging up fake wasp nests as well since they're a predator to carpenter bees and they tend to stay away.
The most important thing is to give them alternatives, though. I had trouble with them on my front porch for a bit. Then a tree in my backyard came down. I cut it up and have it stacked against the fence because I keep telling myself I'm going to get a fireplace. Since then, no issues. They use the wood pile.
Female carpenter bees can sting. Both male and female can bite you. Just learned that recently on my gardening subreddit. Very painful bite, but they generally won’t do that unless you are trying to handle them or something. I’m not saying to kill them, but just aware of them
The potential for tens of thousands in damages to someone's home is more than enough bounty to be paid for their heads.
Yeah we don't need a food supply, you're right. How vain of me.
Look, I understand what you're saying. But you are smart enough to know it's not that black and white.
I love the environment, I love pollinators, encourage use of natural ground cover (fuck grass lawns forever) and being aware that the foundation of our ecosystem starts all the way at the bottom at the microscopic level, to bugs, to what eats bugs, all the way up to us.
But some people's hands are forced. Not everyone has the economic luxury to leave nature completely untouched. It's a noble thing to want, but you can't expect the average person, who is most likely getting financially wolloped to take of thousands of dollars of damages every year. They have to keep a roof over their heads. Most people can't afford to add to their yearly home repair expenses.
We agree on what you're trying to say, it's just not feasible enough to say that shit to random people when you have no idea about any of the details. It's just gonna piss people off.
Ok, fair enough. It's easy to be dogmatic and absolutist in a vacuum but nuance and individual cases are important.
Agreed!
I disagree; put up a plastic fence or a metal fence.
you gonna come rebuild my carport??
Can I use them for the back porch when you're done with them?
That is a great idea, especially if you are starting from scratch on a build, but again, most people can't afford to replace siding or entire fence lines if they are pre-existing.
But again, like most things; varies greatly by situation.
It's all good. I get where you're coming from, but there are some situations where nobody wins. This is one of them. If they were honeybees, I'd have the hive moved. Same with these guys, but they don't have a give and moving the entire hoard at once isn't going to work. I'm all about preserving nature as best we can, but there's a line that has to be drawn somewhere. Honeybees? Move them and save them. These guys? Napalm.
I feel like napalm would do more damage to the structure than the bees.
Insurance will replace fire damage. Not sure about the bees. All kidding aside, they're destructive pests. If they weren't, I wouldn't say a word. I'm in a business where we see this every once in a while and it immediately lowers the asking price for a home.
You're all right.
roof collapsing on my family
“At least I protected pollination!!!”
Oh yeah? Please elaborate on the “plenty of ways” you speak of.
You evidently haven't had them destroy structures no matter what you do to prevent them.
Yes much better to destroy the ecosystem instead
Equating the killing of some carpenters near your house with destroying the ecosystem is rhetorical nonsense, and it's why you are being downvoted.
I can think of at least 1 literal need.
Carpenter bees aren't pollinators. They're nectar thieves that bite through the side of flowers to get nectar, bypassing the pollen entirely.
They pollinate through vibration, not by collection.
This is exactly what I've been talking to my wife about
Had a crew cutting trees down on my property just get stung/bit by accidently knocking down a nest from a dead tree that is outside my property line.
Burn them all.
A nest? Of solitary insects?
They don't live in hive communities… rather, a male-female pair occupies one hole. Carpenter bees don't mind living near each other though. Multiple pairs will often bore into and occupy the same wood structure.
Just a quick google search. Im fully ready to concede that they were not carpenter bees but they looked like it to me and and holes on the trunk looked like it
I just put out my first trap of the year, last year I filled four traps. I hate having to kill them but I also hate those bastards dive bombing right past my ears, it's always disconcerting even when you're ready for it
They won't sting you. They are just trying to intimidate you.
I don't put the traps out because I'm afraid of getting stung, I put the traps out because I'm a property manager and am already too busy with repairs that people need to get to fixing carpenter bee holes
Ah, I didn't get that when you said you hate them dive bombing past you.
What kind of trap do you use?
Foul on the play.
Incorrect use of dickish response. Google does not tell us which specific trap you used.
I thought that site existed to make light hearted jokes, but apparently it exists to get Redditors salty, and to get the karma whores to speak up in response. You learn every day!
"It's just a joke lol" are you twelve? or grown man that doesn't like heing called out, which is just sad.
The joke only works if they make an something that could easily be googled.
If they'd asked "they make carpenter bee traps?" or "where do they sell carpenter bee traps" you'd have been fine.
But they asked what trap you use and unless "what bee trap does u/tattarax use?" gets accurate results, you're just a dick. And apparently you take reddit seriously enough to think anyone that calls you out is a "karma whore"
That's a dick move. There's lots of options, so they were curious what you used. Not all traps are the same, and you clearly had success with yours.
Seriously, I’ve used one that caught like 1 bee all year.
Well, you are what you eat. Can't give you or anyone a name or brand because I make my own, so I thought I'd answer in a joking way, but I'm new here on Reddit and didn't quite realize the seriousness of...lol.../rAdviceAnimals
Asshole. RTFM asshole at that.
I hope you have a wonderful, carpenter bee-free day
They are quite fascinating. But i do understand a structure owners hatred of them for sure
I use a multifaceted approach.
Badminton racket works great for any flying. They don't sting but they like to dive bomb near you, and hover around you to try to scare you off. This behavior usually brings them within racket range.
For the holes I've tried everything I can think of. Expanding foam, pesticide infused foam, wood filler/putty, diatomaceous earth, wood plugs, rocks, and probably some other stuff.
What I've been doing the past couple years is a spray of pesticide into the hole, couple hours later I'll spray in a puff of diatomaceous earth, and then I hammer a spent 9mm casing into the hole. They usually fit tightly, though I have also used .45 for some odd ones. So far I haven't had a bee manage to push one of those out when it's been hammered in. Plus it's a whole
*~* A E S T H E T I C *~*
I don't know how I've never seen this before, love it
Make sure you check out part 2, he brings out the big guns.
Hate to admit it, but its gotten so bad I spray my deck and back patio with malathion every year and once I clean up the hundreds of bee carcasses I'm usually good for awhile. I cant handle it, the damage is so bad I'm replacing a hundred bucks of boards every summer and it's only getting worse.
Thanks for that info, I'll check it out. Any particular product you recommend?
Same question what product?
Lol, man these stupid mutha fuckers were buzzing the fuck out of me while gardening my front beds this weekend. I had a leaf blower and would blast them and they come right back.
Based on the title I thought this was from the stardew valley subreddit. I was so confused about the image thinking it was something I missed from the 1.6 update!
We had these in the exposed wooden beams in our last house - you could hear them buzzing away all through the night. Putting your ear up to the beams they had got to 3 feet in from the wall. Plus another 18 inches for the stonework, that's a hell of a distance to burrow over the years.
The noise kept me up at night, there's a deep and primal response to hearing buzzing/scraping sounds at night that I just couldn't shake. Just one of several reasons we eventually sold up and moved house to something built in the last 30 years instead!
Make some homes for them that are more hospitable, put them closer to plants that they like. Carpenter and other solitary bees are far more important for the ecosystem than honey bees. I am growing onions for their blooms specifically because carpenter bees love them so much.
Then get black locust wood fence. It's naturally insect repellent and resistant to weathering. It'll last you a lifetime if you take care of it. Expensive though.
Paint them. It helps with carpenter bees.
If you really want people to stay off your lawn, put up a razor wire.
I keep a tennis racket on my deck to bat them away
Good thing my dog likes these spicy flies
I put some calk in their home hole and they dug it out.
They are persistent. Next up I'm using brake clean
Tennis Racket my friend.
I'm a fan of insecticide...spray them to death.
Lately however, I just get a length of round dowel, usually 3/8" and plug as they drill. That does the trick...I guess they just give up.
We also have a Boston Terrier that runs around the backyard on her hind legs chasing them. That might be helping.
I’ve been known to spray with a flex tube up inside the tunnel. For a few days as they return they will die in place. After a reasonable period I plug it typically with steel wool. I’m down from dozens to strays
I tried that insecticide foam. These bees just bored right back through it.
I had better luck with regular expanding foam personally, but I don't like any of the foams because they're so messy/ugly. Unironically I prefer the look of hammered in spent 9mm casings 😂
Every year growing up, a bear would smash through the wooden fence in my backyard.
Same bear?
“Who keeps putting this fence here?!”
Or
“How thoughtful! They rebuilt my smashing fence! Thanks guys!”
my smashing fence
LOL
They’re making the fences saint-like! You know … hole-y.
I don't mind the bees. But the woodpeckers destroying my soffits hunting for the babies is horrible.