Carpenter bees or wood bees are the native bees and they are found in the USA. These bees carve out the 0.5 inches holes in round shape in soft, dry, and soggy wood. Moreover, they can make holes in outdoor surfaces and fixtures. They don’t eat the wood but they can create the nest by making the boreholes.

Here will talk about how to get rid of carpenter bees naturally that will can help you to kill them in a non-toxic way that is eco-friendly too. The carpenter bees are pollinators like native bees and they are very helpful to grow gardens and crops. There are a lot of ways to kill these bees but we will discuss more safe and natural ways that prevent any damage to your belongings.

What Do Carpenter Bees Look Like?

In appearance, they look like bumblebees but their abdomens have no yellow marks. They have sparkly and smooth, unlike bumblebees. There are hundreds of species of carpenter bees across the world and every species have different physical features. In the USA, only 7 species are found which have resemblance with bumblebees. They are black in color with yellow hair on their trunk.

Where Do Carpenter Bees Live?

They don’t live in colonies. They bore the round holes in wood to lay their eggs and protect the larvae until they develop.

Do Carpenter Bees Sting?

Carpenter bees don’t sting or bite. However, the female carpenter bees have a stinger but they don’t bite until you handle them directly. But they are not commonly hostile.

What Do Carpenter Bees Do?

Carpenter bees are pollinators and that ‘why they are too much important to grow gardens and crops. They feed on nectar from flowers and transfer the pollen from one plant to another plant. They don’t eat wood as a portion of food. The pollinator carpenter bees eat flowering plant’s nectar and pollen. The female carpenter bee lay eggs in the galleries of the main channel after boring a corridor in wood. This channel is about 4 to 6 inches long.

NATURAL METHODS TO ERADICATE CARPENTER BEES

Spraying citrus scent

Take citrus fruit, for example, lemon, orange, lime and grapefruit and put its juice in a container of water. Let it boil and pour this solution into a large spray bottle. Sprinkle this citrus solution scent where carpenter bees are large in numbers. This citrus solution has a refreshing aroma that not only acts as a repellent for bees but also leaves an exquisite citrus smell to your house. The carpenter bees can’t stand the scent of orange, lemon, and other citrus fruits.

Oiling the bees

Using essential oils is a great remedy when you are looking for a solution to how to get rid of carpenter bees.

Almond oil:

The essence of almond oil or simple almond oil is a great remedy when it comes to fending off these bees from your house. It is a good repellent because of Benzaldehyde which works as a repellent. Pour 10 to 20 drops in the holes to dissuade the carpenter bees and their larvae. It will work for about four months.

Tea tree oil:

Alternatively, use tea tree oil to deter carpenter bees. Take water (8 ounces) and add 1 tbsp. of tea tree oil in it. Now pour it in the spray bottle and spray liberally passageways of bees.

Eucalyptus oil:

You can also use eucalyptus oil for this purpose. Take some water (1 ounce) and add 25 to 30 drops of oil and pour this solution in a spray bottle. Now spray this solution in all the channels where bees are commonly found especially wooden surfaces. The essential solutions are actually natural repellant. The fragrance of eucalyptus makes them decamp the tunnels.

Brewing garlic, oil, and vinegar:

Take a few garlic cloves and put them in vegetable oil jar for some days. After a few days, add vinegar (white) into this jar. Use the vinegar which is more acidic. Spray this solution all over the place. Keep a consistent check on the carpenter bees especially around tunnels. If you see the movement of carpenter bees around tunnels then keep spraying this solution until they have been runoff. Alternatively, use garlic powder directly to get rid of the carpenter bees. Sprinkle the garlic powder into the holes of bees. It is the most effective way to eradicate carpenter bees.

Using borate and wood preservatives:

If you are looking for a long-term solution to eradicating the carpenter bees then using borate and wood preservatives is the right option to achieve the same. You can apply borate directly on the wood surface that works as a repellent. It makes the wood impenetrable to the carpenter bees and ultimately they destroyed.

Mixing a liquid to make the bees vanish:

To make this solution, take 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 5 drops of lavender oil and 5 to 6 drops of tea tree essential oil and one tbsp. of rubbing alcohol but make sure to tale pure alcohol. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle and shake it well. Each ingredient will work differently and ward the bees off because essential oils will work as repellent while ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) and rubbing alcohol (99% pure) will kill the carpenter bees. You can spray this potion mixture solution directly on the carpenter bees and their holes. It will help you to get rid of these bees permanently.

Block the Holes

How to get rid of carpenter bees in an effective way? It is a common question that most of the people ask and the answer is to use natural ways and do some precautions to deter these insects. This remedy would be great for those people who immensely dislike the use of insecticides and its after-effects. All you need to close the entry point and exit point of tunnels. You can use steel wool to close the tunnel because carpenter bees can’t enter when you use steel wool. Additionally, caulking is also a good way to deter the bees into your home. Close all the holes at night because carpenter bees especially adult bees are vigorously rummaging in the daytime

Noise

No brainer, but it works wonderfully because they can’t bear loud noise. So use loud noise for keeping them away from your home. For this purpose, set up a sound box that should be nearby to their burrows that will compel them to flee. This home remedy is hassle-free, easy and safe.

Petrol

Petrol and diesel can also kill carpenter bees. Spray petrol or diesel in the tunnel that will eradiate the carpenter bees. With this keep in mind, petrol is flammable so make sure there is no means of ignition around burrows. Also, try to be cautious while squirting petrol and wear goggles gloves and N-95 respirator. If you are using a spray bottle rather than a petrol bottle for spraying the label it for use of petrol-only for next usage.

Conclusion:

We hope, you enjoy our post on how to get rid of carpenter bees. Here, we discussed proven and practical home remedies to kill the bees. Use these remedies instead of chemical because they are safe and hassle-free. Which one do you like the most, add your thoughts below?