Carpenter bees problem

[Tracker123]

I assume that's what they are called. Big as bumble bees. Swarming big time here, not around the house but in the outdoor kitchen. They are even chasing off the humming birds around the feeders. Attempting to bore into the wood frame. I spray wasp/hornet killer all over the wood and kill several. Back they come in droves. Didn't see anything at Lowes or the feed store for them. Only do it during the day. If I can figure out where they're at night I'd do the damage on them as I do the shiners. Any ideas? Thanks.

[Slabyanker]

The ones I have burrowed holes into my shed. I went out there at night with a flashlight, and could see them up in the holes. There was one in nearly every hole. I think they stay in there at night. Wouldn't hurt to check.

[Tracker123]

Just did that, thanks. Didn't see any but did it anyway.

[belizaire]

Get some plastic bats give them to the little kids and teach them to play bat the Bourdon (French for bee) that's what we used to do and it was something to past the day

[Tbone]

What Belizaire said. As a kid we used wooden slats, badminton rackets, or anything else to swat them around my grandparent's barn. I've seen some cases where they would bore three feet or so into a timber--amazing.

[BuckeyeKdog]

I routinely spray liquid sevin on all exposed wood and after a few days will rarely see them. Sevin is toxic to all bees and although highly touted as a great gardening insecticide is counter productive for crops needing bees for pollination.

You can also fill a pump sprayer with kerosene and spray the bees with it. knocks them down and dissolves their wings. this one was passed down by an old farmer and is not recommended but it will stop them from buzzing around.

[Tbone]

Around Natchitoches, there are several old houses made of bousillage (a mixture of mud, deer hair, and moss). They generally are whitewashed to keep the bees from boring into the walls.

[Tracker123]

I routinely spray liquid sevin on all exposed wood and after a few days will rarely see them. Sevin is toxic to all bees and although highly touted as a great gardening insecticide is counter productive for crops needing bees for pollination.

I didn't think about the pollination. They do look like the same bees that were around all my fruit trees while they were flowering. All the trees have fruit now, so I guess they moved over to the outdoor kitchen. If I sprayed them now with sevin, I most certainly hope they will still come back next year to pollinate. I want to be sure before spraying. Thanks.

[kycreek]

I saw them by the hundreds yesterday in the top of an old tobacco barn on our farm. Too many to even think about spraying.

[jimp]

I've gotten some Termite spray insecticide that is also for carpenter bees. Spectracide is the brand and get at WM, Lowes, HD, etc. Comes with a small spray tube and you insert the tube into the bored holes and spray. have also heard that the bees will eat chewing gum put into the holes and it will kill them somehow, but IDK about that. The spray works, but you have to spray the insecticide fairly deep into the bored holes as I've read they bore deep and have several routes or tunnels in the wood.