I occasionally see carpenter bees around my deck and swingset. They've made a couple of holes but nothing outrageous.
Someone told me that if I paint the wood, the bees won't want to attack the painted surfaces. Is this true?
Is the same true of waterproofing? I want to waterproof the deck and swingset (I use Olympic Wood Toner waterproofing sealer). Would this have the same effect as paint as far as repelling the bees goes?
If they are English speaking you could ask them the leave, most Carpenter bees don't understand English these days ( illegal bees) you might an translator
Plug the holes with aluminum foil until they get the idea.
Or, get some Tempo WP and "paint" the problem areas as they are discovered. -----
- gpsman
Paint does not always stop them. On the recommendation of an biologist, I blow boric acid up the tunnels with a rubber bulb. Eggs in the tunnels develop into larva that burrow out later.
T
Carpenter bees like old soft wood, preferably with the paint worn off. But you can just spray them with regular bee/wasp spray when they do show up. They are less trouble to deal with, less aggressive, than paper wasps and such. Some people are fond of batting the hovering males with a tennis raquet. It's the females who sting, I've read. But I got rid of mine by just spraying the places they were interested in.
" snipped-for-privacy@bellsouth.net" wrote in news:759c611d-bb94- snipped-for-privacy@79g2000hsk.googlegroups.com:
Does this work on pesky in-laws?
In-laws are worst than outlaws!
In my next life, I will only shack-up with orphans.
Dick
It helps.
Not long term.
Best bet for carpenter bees is to spray deep inside the hole, caulk and paint. These bees will make the hole deeper over time, and that's not what you want.
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