Stop Carpenter Bees From Drilling Into Your Home.

FAQ

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Q: How do I know if I have carpenter bees or bumblebees?

Carpenter bees have shiny black abdomens (butts). Bumblebees are fuzzy all over, including their abdomen. Carpenter bees also hover aggressively near wood structures, while bumblebees visit flowers and don’t defend territory the same way.

If you’re seeing large bees hovering in the same spot every day (usually near a deck, fascia board, or shed), and you find perfectly round 1/2-inch holes in wood, those are carpenter bees.

Q: Do carpenter bees cause serious damage to wood?

Yes, if left alone for multiple seasons. One female drills a single entrance hole, then tunnels 6 to 10 feet along the wood grain, creating chambers for eggs. That’s one season.

The problem compounds because new females reuse old tunnels and expand them. After 3 to 5 years, a single board can have tunnels running in multiple directions, weakening the structure. We’ve seen deck railings and fascia boards that needed replacement because carpenter bees hollowed them out over years.

Woodpeckers make it worse. They hear larvae inside the tunnels and peck through healthy wood to reach them, causing visible damage you can’t ignore.

Q: Will painting or staining my wood prevent carpenter bees?

Paint helps, but it’s not perfect. Carpenter bees strongly prefer unpainted or weathered wood, so fresh paint on all exposed surfaces does reduce nesting. But once paint cracks or peels (which happens faster on south-facing trim that gets full sun), carpenter bees move in.

Stain alone doesn’t stop them. Stain soaks into wood and adds color, but it doesn’t create a hard barrier like paint. We see carpenter bee damage on stained decks all the time.

Best approach: Treat existing tunnels, seal the holes, then apply fresh paint to high-risk areas (fascia boards, deck railings, window trim). That combination works better than paint alone.

Q: Can I just plug the holes with wood filler myself?

You can, but it won’t solve the problem. Here’s why:

If you plug holes without killing the bees inside first, they just drill new exit holes a few inches away. You’ve trapped them, but they’re still alive and active.

Even if the adult female is gone, there are larvae developing deep in the tunnel. They mature into adults and drill out, creating new holes.

The right sequence: Kill everything inside the galleries with residual dust treatment, wait 48 hours for the dust to work, then seal holes permanently. That’s what we do.

Q: When is the best time to treat carpenter bees?

Best timing: April through early June (active nesting season in Worcester County)

That’s when females are actively drilling and laying eggs. Treating during this window kills the current generation before new larvae mature.

Second-best timing: Late summer (August/September)

If you missed spring, late summer treatment still works. You’ll kill any adults still using the tunnels and prevent overwintering bees from surviving inside.

Worst timing: Mid-summer (July)

Most adults have finished nesting and left the tunnels. You’re treating empty galleries. The larvae are too deep to reach with spray treatments, and they’ll emerge as adults next spring anyway.

If you’re seeing active carpenter bees now (spring), schedule treatment within the next few weeks. If it’s already summer, wait until August or plan for early next spring.

Q: Are carpenter bees dangerous?

Male carpenter bees (the ones hovering aggressively near your deck) cannot sting. They don’t have stingers. They’re territorial and will buzz near your head to scare you off, but they’re harmless.

Female carpenter bees can sting, but they rarely do unless you handle them or trap them against your skin. They’re docile compared to yellow jackets or hornets. Most homeowners never get stung.

The real danger is structural. Carpenter bee damage weakens wood over time. Deck railings can become unsafe. Fascia boards rot faster when tunnels let moisture in. Woodpeckers cause secondary damage trying to reach larvae.

If you have kids or pets playing on a deck with active carpenter bee tunnels, the risk is splinters from weakened wood, not stings.

Q: Do those fake wasp nests or ultrasonic devices work?

No. Carpenter bees don’t care about fake wasp nests. They’re solitary nesters, not colony insects, so they don’t compete with wasps for territory the way some people think.

Ultrasonic devices don’t work either. There’s no scientific evidence that they affect carpenter bee behavior. We’ve treated properties where homeowners had ultrasonic plug-ins running for months and still got carpenter bee infestations.

The only things that actually work:

• Treating tunnels with residual dust (kills bees inside)
• Sealing holes after treatment (prevents re-entry)
• Painting or treating vulnerable wood (reduces new nesting)

Save your money and skip the gimmicks.