Named for their tendency to bore through wood, carpenter bees are relatively harmless critters that will leave perfectly round holes on all your outdoor wooden structures. Solitary insects, carpenter bees neither nest nor travel in swarms, and rarely pose a threat to humans (interestingly, males can be aggressive but lack the ability to sting, while females have stingers but are more docile in behaviour).
Despite their innocuous existence, carpenter bees will quickly pose an aesthetic blight to your property if not promptly and properly untreated. Of course, you’ll want to ensure that the culprit is, indeed, carpenter bees: at first glance, you may think your home is the happy host to a band of bumble bees. Similar in appearance, a keen eye will note that bumbles are entirely covered in fuzz, while carpenters have a solid, shiny abdomen (typically black, but occasionally green or purple with a metallic sheen).
Next, you’ll want to inspect your property for damage. Carpenter bees are especially fond of softer varieties of wood (think pine, cedar, redwood, and cypress), and are more likely to hide in worn or unpainted timber. Having burrowed into your wooden structures to create their nest, the only indication you are likely to find is the miniscule holes they leave in their wake – or, if you’re particularly unlikely, dents and damage from woodpeckers, who have a special taste for these snack-sized buzzers.
Once you’ve determined that carpenter bees are, in fact, your pest-in-residence, you’ll want to contact a trusted and reliable pest control provider to rid your property of them once and for all. Proud to be a premier provider of pest control services up and down the East Coast, Viking Pest Control offers a range of residential and commercial bee treatment.
