Warmer weather brings about carpenter bees
Carpenter bees will be here before we know it!
As the weather starts to warm up and insects begin to come out of their hibernation, the wooden structures around our homes will be prime real estate for carpenter bees.
These bees will start to bore into wood anywhere they can, usually our homes and buildings.
Every spring, clients begin to call to try and find out what the pesky bug is that is boring a hole into their wood boards and leaving a pile of sawdust on the ground. Well, that is a carpenter bee, and they can cause a ton of damage especially to older/weak structures.
These bees are looking to make a home for their eggs to hatch in and rightfully if you take care of the carpenter bees you can usually take care of your problem. The best ways to cure the problem is with prevention. The way to prevent carpenter bees is to paint or seal the wood.
Bees usually will not bore into sealed or painted wood. If you already have bees and have not had time to paint or already have holes, fill the holes with any type of insecticide to kill the bee and fill the hole with wood putty or glue.
Carpenter bees can be large in size and very unsightly when flying around your yard, so swat at them as you would a fly. Their size and build make them fairly slow and thus an easy target for a rolled newspaper or tennis racket.
Finally, if all else fails or the structure is not compromised by the bees, you could just leave them alone and monitor their progression as they are a great pollinator and could potentially help your garden more than harm wood buildings.
If you have any questions regarding carpenter bees, you are welcome to contact the extension office at 770-749-2142 or email uge2233@uga.edu.
For more information and details on upcoming events, check out the Polk County Extension office on Facebook by searching “UGA Extension Polk County.”