Putting Sevin Dust into a hole and sealing it does not
imperil honey bees any more than squirting a wasp spray
in the gallery. The advantage of the dust is that it is
more durable and effective because the carpenter bees
pick it up on their body. The issue with honey bees
occurs when you spray a chemical such as Sevin (or
just about any of the currently used insecticides) over an
area where bees are actively foraging (e.g., in your garden).
The bees come into direct contact with the chemical on
the flowers and they pick up contaminated pollen and carry
it back to the hive.

Simply puttying over the opening to a carpenter bee gallery
may work, but the bees can quite easily just chew their way
through the putty or they make proceed to excavate another
opening elsewhere. You might try putting a wad of aluminum
foil in the hole first then putty the opening, but the Sevin
Dust still improves the likelihood of success of killing off
the ones inside. However, as you soon discover that does
nothing to stop future attacks from carpenter bees.




bud wrote:

Well - there is alot of food for thought here... For one.. I have been
bombarded by these things. I just put some wood putty in the holes as i
find them. I used to shoot some sevin up in the holes until i read a story
about these kinds of dusts hurting honey bees. So i just plug the holes.
Sure it's work but if you use the wood putty and fill the hole you get your
strength back in the wood. And if you must... to be sure... squirt some
wasp stuff up the hole, let it dry for a few days and then plug the hole
with wood putty.


"Raleighgirl" wrote in message
om...


Our favorite entomologist, Michael Waldvogel, talking about
carpenter bees, is quoted in the paper today.
http://www.newsobserver.com/lifestyl...-8896592c.html.
Congrats Michael!
Raleighgirl









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Michael Waldvogel, PhD
Extension Specialist, Structural & Industrial Pests
North Carolina State University
Dept. of Entomology, Campus Box 7613, 4318 Gardner Hall
Raleigh, NC USA 27695-7613
Ph: 919.515.8881 Fax: 919.515.7746 Cell: 919.801.4108
Email:
http://entomology.ncsu.edu/waldvogel

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