I believe that I posted something in here last year about these critters,
and I was told not to worry about them?
Well I don't know if it's my imagination or what, but there seems to be
twice or three times as many this year. I have a log house and I have been
dealing with them from day one. I used to plug up their holes, spray bug
spray in the holes, bat them with a tennis racket, squirt them down with a
hose, but I think you guys told me that they were harmless and that I should
not plug the holes, cause they would use the same holes next year? Have I
got any of this correct. And how can they not be harmful when they are
drilling holes in my logs??? I was just outside watering my hanging baskets
and there were several of them just staring at me, looking like they would
attack me at any given moment!!
Help!!!

Bebra

NE PA
zone 6b

On Mon, 10 May 2004 19:02:16 -0400, Barbara Yanus wrote:

I believe that I posted something in here last year about these critters,
and I was told not to worry about them? Well I don't know if it's my
imagination or what, but there seems to be twice or three times as many
this year. I have a log house and I have been dealing with them from day
one. I used to plug up their holes, spray bug spray in the holes, bat
them with a tennis racket, squirt them down with a hose, but I think you
guys told me that they were harmless and that I should not plug the
holes, cause they would use the same holes next year? Have I got any of
this correct. And how can they not be harmful when they are drilling
holes in my logs??? I was just outside watering my hanging baskets and
there were several of them just staring at me, looking like they would
attack me at any given moment!!
Help!!!

Bebra

NE PA
zone 6b


I've had TONS of them the past few years. My wisteria is in FULL bloom and
there were literally DOZENS of them around the flowers this evening.
They love my back roofed patio, I've killed at least 24-30 of them so
far this year. They are amazing to watch but they are very agressive if
you go after them so bee careful (Pun intended). They are trying to mate
now too here in NY, saw quite a few trying to "hook up" in mid air
tonight. That's got to be interesting!

Tom Randy expounded:

They are amazing to watch but they are very agressive if
you go after them

Well, the trick is....don't go after them! They are looking for a
mate, they're only interested in that, they aren't aggressive at all.
Why kill them? We need all the pollinators we can get.
--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

"Barbara Yanus" wrote in message
news
I believe that I posted something in here last year about these critters,
and I was told not to worry about them?
I have a log house . . .

If you live in an all-wood house such as a log house, cedar house or one
with wood siding (though paint on it will deter them), they are not
harmless. Search /"carpenter bees" damage wood houses/ and there are tons of
references like this one:

Typically, carpenter bees do not cause serious structural damage to wood
unless large numbers of bees are allowed to drill many tunnels over
successive years. The bees often eliminate their wastes before entering the
tunnel. Yellowish-brown staining from voided fecal matter may be visible on
the wood beneath the hole. Woodpeckers may damage infested wood in search of
bee larvae in the tunnels. In the case of thin wood, such as siding, this
damage can be severe. Holes on exposed surfaces may lead to damage by
wood-decaying fungi or attack by other insects, such as carpenter ants.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/no...n/carp-bee.htm

And, yes, if you just plug the holes they'll come drill more of them.

On Mon, 10 May 2004 20:59:59 -0400, Ann wrote:

===Tom Randy expounded:
===
===They are amazing to watch but they are very agressive if
===you go after them
===
===Well, the trick is....don't go after them! They are looking for a
===mate, they're only interested in that, they aren't aggressive at all.
===Why kill them? We need all the pollinators we can get.
They can make a wooden structure look like swiss cheese ina short
period of time. I kill em all usually with a badmitton racket. Boric
acid is good at drying out their tunnels so the larvae starves as it
does not get decent food once its stored supply is dehydrated. It also
does good on the adults. The females can sting, but males do not have
stingers. They don;t get a chance to prove what they are around me as
I kill em all. Plenty of good honey bees around that do not cause such
damage in structures.

Use a ear syringe filled with boric acid and squirt the powder up in
their tunnels. As the female goes in to carry food etc she gets boric
acidon her and it eventually kills her by dehydrating her.
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

On Mon, 10 May 2004 20:59:59 -0400, Ann wrote:

Tom Randy expounded:

They are amazing to watch but they are very agressive if you go after
them

Well, the trick is....don't go after them! They are looking for a mate,
they're only interested in that, they aren't aggressive at all. Why kill
them? We need all the pollinators we can get.


You better do some research on these bees.

Tom Randy expounded:

On Mon, 10 May 2004 20:59:59 -0400, Ann wrote:

Tom Randy expounded:

They are amazing to watch but they are very agressive if you go after
them

Well, the trick is....don't go after them! They are looking for a mate,
they're only interested in that, they aren't aggressive at all. Why kill
them? We need all the pollinators we can get.


You better do some research on these bees.

I have, Tom, I've got a couple that have set up housekeeping in my
porch every year now for the past 14 years or so. House is still
standing, and I haven't been stung yet, even though they check me out
every time I leave my door and sit on my bench.

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7417.html
Carpenter Bees Management Guidelines--UC IPM



(Roy) in :

I kill em all usually with a badmitton racket.

must be a rather dented racket :-)

Boric
acid is good at drying out their tunnels so the larvae starves as it
does not get decent food once its stored supply is dehydrated. It also
does good on the adults. The females can sting, but males do not have
stingers. They don;t get a chance to prove what they are around me as
I kill em all.

and they aren't very aggressive. at first i felt a bit freaked around them,
but they just bob around as if i'm not around.

Plenty of good honey bees around that do not cause such
damage in structures.

i think the honeybee losses have left a void for pollinators such as
carpenter bees.


Use a ear syringe filled with boric acid and squirt the powder up in
their tunnels. As the female goes in to carry food etc she gets boric
acidon her and it eventually kills her by dehydrating her.

diatomaceous earth does same. use a squeezable bottle with extension tube
taped to opening.


Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com


looks interesting.


Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
(wife's? or how many wifes, wives?)

I had no input whatsoever.

ha! :-)

From: "Rachel"

Typically, carpenter bees do not cause serious structural damage to wood
unless large numbers of bees are allowed to drill many tunnels over
successive years. The bees often eliminate their wastes before entering the
tunnel. Yellowish-brown staining from voided fecal matter may be visible on
the wood beneath the hole. Woodpeckers may damage infested wood in search of
bee larvae in the tunnels. In the case of thin wood, such as siding, this
damage can be severe. Holes on exposed surfaces may lead to damage by
wood-decaying fungi or attack by other insects, such as carpenter ants.

What a bunch of blithering ''the sky is falling'' nonsense.

The key word here being "large" numbers of bees, as in you'd have to have
hundreds of boring females to get to this point referenced so absurdly above.
Most of the carpenter bees one sees hovering around are competing males anyway,
who don't tunnel at all. There can be 10-20 of them competing for one female.


~flick

They love my back roofed patio, I've killed at least 24-30 of them so
far this year. They are amazing to watch but they are very agressive if
you go after them so bee careful (Pun intended

They LOVE my back porch as well. Had a neighbor build it and its mostly wood.
Kind of ironic since the front porch is made of wood too but they prefer the
back. My mother is from the south and she says as long as you don't bother
them they won't bother you - which I have a hard time believing because they
are quite big!




Rose
http://members.aol.com/Roseb44170/home.html
"How did I ever get talked into this?"

On Sun, 16 May 2004 00:34:34 +0000, Rose wrote:

They love my back roofed patio, I've killed at least 24-30 of them so
far this year. They are amazing to watch but they are very agressive if
you go after them so bee careful (Pun intended

They LOVE my back porch as well. Had a neighbor build it and its mostly wood.
Kind of ironic since the front porch is made of wood too but they prefer the
back. My mother is from the south and she says as long as you don't bother
them they won't bother you - which I have a hard time believing because they
are quite big!


BIG and LOUD! They sound like aircraft flying by!

If you have a wisteria bush or tree nearby be careful, they LOVE those.
I have one loaded with flowers this year and there must be several DOZEN
hovering around it.

Tom