Category: Bee Guides

Carpenter bees are one of the most common species in the United States due to their ability to survive in various weather conditions. This species builds nests in wood and often chooses wooden houses to settle in.

If you are the one suffering from carpenter bee invasion, I’ve got you covered. In this article, I focus on the “how do carpenter bee traps work?” issue, explain the peculiarities of their use, as well as how to protect your home from these nasty pests. Read on and educate yourself with my expert tips.

Guide on How to Trap Carpenter Bees

1. Place a Wood Bee Catcher on the Corners/Top of Your House.
2. Wait for Bees to Fly Into the Trap and Get Caught.
3. Check the Jar Regularly for Trapped Bees.
4. Remove Dead Insects and Release the Alive Species.
5. Cover Wooden Elements With Oil-Based Paint/Varnish for Prevention.

What Is a Wood Bee Trap?

Let’s start with the danger these insects pose so that you can understand why you need such a trap. Carpenter bees are considered almost harmless to humans because they sting very rarely and are not poisonous.

People often mistake them for bumblebees due to their similar size, but they have different coloring: females’ heads are entirely black and less hairy.

However, they can damage your house, spoil the facades, and ruin the entire construction. Carpenter bees gnaw tunnels in wood to lay their eggs, raise offspring, and spend winters there.

Damaged rafters, beams, and walls lose their sturdiness and might simply not withstand the load. You need a specialized trap to catch these insects and protect your house.

How Does a Bee Trap Work?

A wood bee trap is a small box made of softwood with holes in the lateral edges and a jar attached to the base. A bee perceives it as a potential home and flies into the hole.

Since the trap is empty inside and not suitable for laying eggs, the insect instinctively heads to the biggest source of light, the hole, to which the jar is attached. A carpenter bee gets trapped because it cannot fly straight up or crawl up smooth glass or plastic.

There is another type of trap with a simpler design, which is a plastic cylinder with an adhesive surface. Every insect that lands on it immediately gets caught.

If you are concerned that this trap can harm small birds, do not worry: a thin net around the sticky part will keep them away. None of these traps requires additional chemical baits.

Carpenter bees release a specific pheromone, which stands for the SOS signal. This scent works as a natural bait and attracts other bees.

Where to Place a Trap for Carpenter Bees?

You should place this trap on the corners of your house and on its top regardless of the construction type. You can roughly determine the number of traps you need based on the working radius of the trap (about 15 feet), and how many nests are located on the site.

Don’t forget to seal all the holes in the nest if your house is already damaged. If the nest is still accessible, the bees will not change their location wherever you place the trap.

Wood shavings and brownish fecal stains are the main signs that can guide you to the nest. Carpenter bees also make a distinct buzzing noise in the nest.

How to Avoid Carpenter Bees?

The only way to protect your wooden house from carpenter bees is to cover it with oil-based paint or varnish. Bees can harm not only wooden constructions but also fences, outdoor furniture, and many other items you can’t secure with paint, so I still advise you to pay attention to the signs I have described above.

FAQ About How a Bee Trap Works

Now that you are aware of the basic principle of work of such a trap, let’s move to more practical issues. Here are the most typical questions about using carpenter bee traps: when and where to hang them, when to expect the first result, and how to get rid of bees on the first try.

How long does it take for a carpenter bee trap to work?

The first bees usually find a trap in two or three days. In case you see no changes, and the trap remains empty, you should ensure that all the nest holes are tightly sealed or move the trap to another place.

What to do with carpenter bees after you trap them?

When the jar is full, there are two ways to get rid of carpenter bees. The first one is humane: you can leave these insects alive and release them further. Be careful since they can find their way back to the nest, so make sure you free them far enough from your site.

Wash the jar thoroughly as it can smell like an “SOS-pheromone.” If you want to catch other bees using such a bait, you should place already trapped insects in the freezer for 24 hours or immerse them in water for an hour, and then put them back in a trap.

When should you put out carpenter bee traps?

Carpenter bees are most active in the spring, when they mate, lay eggs, and build their nests. Given that, you need to think about such traps with the first thaw. Any time is suitable for placing the traps, but ensure that you thoroughly seal all the holes in the nest.

Secure Your House With Wood Bee Catcher

Although carpenter bees are not dangerous to humans, they can do much harm to houses. The best way to protect your property is to carefully paint the facades and roof of your house.

However, bees still can find loopholes and even settle inside your apartment. If you find a nest inside, use a wood boring bee trap. Its effectiveness is based on the insect’s behavior; it features a simple design and does not require any extra chemical components.

Have you found a carpenter bee nest on your site, or are you just researching ways to prevent the hazard? Please, leave your thoughts in the comments.

Also read:

• Best Bee Killer Spray
• How to Get Rid of Bumble Bees
• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees
• How to Make a Carpenter Bee Trap
• Citrus Spray for Carpenter Bees
• Carpenter Bee Trap Bait
• How to Keep Bees Away

References

• Carpenter Bees (Richard Houseman Urban Entomology State Specialist Division of Plant Sciences)
  https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g7424
• Analysis of Honeybee Aggression (By Dylan Voeller and James Nieh) labs.biology.ucsd.edu/nieh/TeachingBee/honeybee_aggession.htm
• Carpenter Bees (by Michael F. Potter, Extension Entomologist University of Kentucky College of Agriculture)
  https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef611
• Carpenter Bees (Ohio State University Extension)
  https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-2074
• Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa spp.) (By Steve Buchman The Bee Works)
  https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/carpenter_bees.shtml

Some bees are very useful insects, and some of them, like carpenter bees, can bring about destruction to your home. They drill hundreds and hundreds of holes in the deck of your house, specifically burrowing into softer woods like cedar and pine and creating lots of damage.

It’s very important to remove them in time to prevent infestation, and so learning how to make a carpenter bee trap is the first thing you should do.

It’s easy and is proven effective against the bee’s infestation. Making a DIY carpenter bee trap is also a good project you might find enjoyable.

A guide to making a wood bee trap at home

To build a carpenter bee trap you need simple DIY tools like a drill or a circular/hand saw. All you need to do is put together a block of wood and drill some holes in it. At the bottom of a trap, you’ll attach a glass jar, that will be the source of light that will trap the bees.

Why are carpenter bees damaging wood?

Carpenter bees cause an incredible amount of damage to your house. They dig holes through various wooden structures and try to lay eggs there. While they do not eat wood, and only drill it to create space to lay their eggs.

They often find older holes and drill them further, and the damage this removal of wood causes the wooden structure to fail eventually.

So learning how to make a carpenter bee trap is going to be incredibly useful to prevent their infestation and avoid using chemical insecticides. Annoying as they are, these bees are not really dangerous and are important pollinators.

First, let’s look at what materials you’ll need to build a carpenter bee trap at home.

Materials that you will need to make carpenter bee traps

• 4х4 piece of lumber (untreated cedar or pine)
• circular saw
• drill
• hammer
• a regular mason jar with a lid
• small chain, wire or cable
• measuring tape
• ½ inch drill bit
• nails
• hook
• 6-inch wide plank of wood
• honey or sweet water

When preparing to make a homemade carpenter bee trap, it’s better to purchase all your materials in time, so that you’re not forced to interrupt your project because you need to make a trip to the hardware store.

Because you need saws and drills and other electrical instruments to build a carpenter bee trap, remember to use protective gear, like gloves, dust mask and safety goggles.

Your work surface ideally should be far away from the place where you’re planning to install your wood bee trap because you don’t want to agitate the bees.

You should also straight away add a drop of honey or sweet water to the mason jar to act as a lure. Also when your homemade carpenter bee trap will be ready for installation, wear long-sleeve clothing and long pants to protect your skin from potential stings.

Though carpenter bees are not aggressive, it’s better to avoid the risks altogether.

Step by Step Guide on How to Make a Carpenter Bee Trap

Step 1: Cut your wood

You need to cut your 4×4 piece of lumber into pieces around 5-8 inches in length, at least 4 inches thick. Measure it precisely with a measuring tape and make pencil marks to ensure you get an even result. If you have more wood left – use it to make another wood bee trap.

Step 2: Create a base hole

You need to make a tunnel through which carpenter bees will enter the wood bee trap. Choose your ½ inch drill bit, attach it to your power drill and drill all the way through. A hole should go through all the length of the wood.

Step 3: Make 3 side holes

The next thing you need to do is create 3 side holes at a 45-degree angle. Take the three long sides of the block and using the same ½ inch drill bit make 3 holes at a 45-degree angle.

This will make additional entry points for the beesa and will make it like a tunnel. The angle should be aimed upward, otherwise the sun will be able to shine through it.

Step 4: Make a roof

Take your 6-inch wide plank of wood and measure how much you need to make a roof for your wood bee trap. You should have about 1 inch overhang on each side.

Once you’ve cut it properly, place it atop of the block of wood, make sure the side holes are still aimed upward, and nail it to the block with a hammer.

Step 5: Make a hole in a mason jar lid

Place the metal lid over the hole on the bottom of your block and mark the center of the lid with a pencil. Use the same drill bit to make a hole in the jar lid that should be placed in the center.

Step 6: Attach the lid to the base

Take a hammer and nail the lid with the hole in the center to the base of your block. You should try to match the hole in the lid and the central hole of your block align and that the lid is nailed tight to the jar to prevent any bees slipping out of the trap.

Step 7: Screw the jar with honey

Pour a drop of honey or sweet water to the bottom of your jar and screw it onto the lid. Make sure you screw it on tight.

Step 8: Attach the hook

With a measuring tape find the center of your lid, to ensure that it hangs straight and mark it to attach an eye hook screw. If you want to use a larger hook you can drill a small hole to attach it.

Step 9: Hang the wood bee trap

You should try to choose the spot which is the closest to the infestation site. and carefully hang the trap there so that the side without a hole is against the house or a pole you attach the bee trap to. Make sure it’s secured firmly.

How does a homemade carpenter bee trap work and how to use it correctly?

A boring bee trap can be incredibly effective against bees. When used correctly, what it does is act like a nest where carpenter bees burrow into an existing hole and encourages them to get into pre-made tunnels and investigate the trap.

Because they like to burrow into soft wood, choosing an untreated wood like pine is excellent, as the bees will likely choose it to make tunnels.

Once they get through the side holes, they’ll be going up to explore the main channel. This is why we drill the side holed aimed upwards. The holes will not let in the sunlight, but the mason jar will. The bees will think that it’s the exit and will naturally head over there, where they’ll be trapped.

A boring bee trap is designed so that the bees fly down to the jar, and once they go past the lid they’re effectively trapped. They cannot fly directly up, and they use the light source as a navigation point where they head to once they find an ideal place to lay their eggs. Once they reach the jar, they cannot escape it.

A drop of honey or sweet liquid is not necessary to make carpenter bee traps, but it can help you jump start the process. Once your trap starts to catch some bees, the rest will also come, because of the pheromones that the dead bees exude.

DIY Carpenter Bee Trap FAQ

What is the best wood to make carpenter bee traps?

They’re attracted to the soft wood, so using untreated lumber like cedar or pine will be the best option.

How often should I empty my homemade carpenter bee trap?

When you install your wood bee trap you expect it to work all season for you. Emptying it regularly is tricky, because you’re not really sure whether all the bees are dead or alive, and if you unscrew the jar, some of them might fly out.

So ideally you should empty it in the fall when all the carpenter bees will surely be dead.

Where do you place a diy carpenter bee trap?

If you have an active infestation, before you hang a boring bee trap at your house you should plug up the holes they’ve previously made. After you do that, you should hang your trap directly over the bee nest.

If you don’t have an active infestation, you should look for strategic places to hang the homemade carpenter bee trap, like corners and peaks of the building and try to use a sunny spot, as they are naturally attracted to warmth.

Conclusion: why you should build a carpenter bee trap.

Getting rid of carpenter bees is actually quite easy if you make carpenter bee traps. The whole process only requires the most basic DIY tools from you and is incredibly easy, all you need to do is drill some holes in the block of wood and attach a mason jar to it.

What it will do is trick the bees into thinking this is a potential nest, and eventually they’ll be trapped. Using a diy carpenter bee trap is an ecologically safe option and will not harm you, your pets, children and other useful insects.

Have you ever had a problem with carpenter bees? Tell me about your experience in the comments down below!

Also read:

• How to Get Rid of Bees
• How to Get Rid of Ground Bees
• How to Get Rid of Sweat Bees
• Citrus Spray for Carpenter Bees
• Carpenter Bee Trap Bait
• How to Keep Bees Away
• Bumble Bee vs Carpenter Bee
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work

References

• Get Rid of Carpenter Bees? Yes, Please! (Prepared by Gary Alpert, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. Updated 2015 by Matt Frye, New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, Cornell University)
  https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/43827/carpenter-bees-FS-NYSIPM.pdf?sequence=1
• All Buzz. No Sting. Carpenter Bees Do Just What Their Name Suggests (Mary M. Woodsen)
  https://blogs.cornell.edu/nysipm/2016/05/27/all-buzz-no-sting-carpenter-bees-do-just-what-their-name-suggests/
• Carpenter Bees (Richard Houseman Urban Entomology State Specialist Division of Plant Sciences)
  https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g7424

The differences between honeybees and bumblebees are obvious, but it’s not the case for carpenter bees. It’s very easy to confuse these two bee types because of their visual similarities.

If you saw a carpenter bee in your home yard, that is an alarming sign, but if you found a bumble bee, there is nothing to worry about. So, we’ve made a bumble bee Vs carpenter bee comparison to help you identify the insects correctly.

Taking a Closer Look at Carpenter Bees and Bumble Bees

Bumblebees vs Carpenter Bees Appearance

There are a bunch of visual characteristics that may help you to distinguish these two insects:

1. Carpenter bees’ body color is usually dark gray or even black. In contrast, bumble bees’ chests are always colored yellow.
2. Carpenter bee size is huge. Bumble bees are smaller and shorter: 0,4”- 0,8” vs 0,9”- 0,11”.
3. Bumble bees are much fluffier: bushy villi on sphere-shaped bodies gave them a “bumble” name.
4. Carpenter bees usually have purple or dark blue wings. Bumble bees – translucent orange wings that are smaller in size.

Hive building and appearance

Principles of choosing and building nests are pretty different for these bee types.

Bumblebee nests

Bumble bees usually search for holes and tunnels in the ground or, rarely, in trees and in houses. They do not dig them on their own but settle down in abandoned holes and burrows. Typical homes for the bumble bees usually are the burrows left by rabbits, moles, shrews or natural deepenings like small ground caves.

Despite the fact that they build a nest in the ground, the structure of the nest itself is pretty similar to the honeybees’ ones. Bumble bees fill the nest with honeycombs and cover the walls with nectar and pollen.

Carpenter bee nests

The main difference between carpenter bees and bumblebees is that wood bees dig their nests in dry wood. This is the only bee type that has chews strong enough to gnaw tunnels in such a hard material.

Even more, the tunnels made by these bees have clear circle-shaped diameters (usually 0,6”).

Wide systems with dozens of long tunnels and halls don’t have one ounce of honey. The reason is that these bees do not belong to the honey-producing type.

Instead of making honey, they collect nectar and pollen to make a nourishing mixture that will be stacked into the cells with larvae. The cells themselves are built right in the tunnels one after another and are separated by strong walls made of wood chips and bees’ saliva.

Tunnel systems of these insects weaken the wood and may cause problems with the sustainability of the house.

Differences in ways of relocation

Bumblebee versus carpenter bee battle continues even in how they relocate. It’s impossible to remove a carpenter bee nest without touching the material where the nest is dug out. So, there is one way left – making their life in the nest unbearable.

Turn on loud music, plant herbs like lemon balm or Melissa, paint the wood and they will leave by themselves. After the swarm leaves their home, take measures to prevent bees in future: seal entrances to the nest and all gaps, cracks, and treat the wood.

Bumble bees’ nests are pretty similar to the honey bees’ ones, so the technique is pretty the same. You smoke out the nest in the early morning or in the late evening, place the nest in a special box and move it at least 4 miles away from the original place of living.

Surely, you shouldn’t forget about safety measures during these operations. Even despite the fact that bumble bees and carpenter bees are pretty friendly, you may trigger an attack while operating near the nest.

Colonies

A generation change occurs in the spring for both bee types, but carpenter bees and bumblebees have different approaches in building up new colonies and swarms.

The bumble bees’ youth tend to leave their nest to find a new place after the old one is overfilled. In contrast, carpenter bees prefer to prolong tunnels systems for years making new entrances, halls etc.

Even more, several female carpenter bees may share one entrance and one nest which is exotic for the bee family – usually female species fight for supremacy over the whole swarm.

Behaviour

Carpenter bees and bumble bees belong to one family, so the behavior is pretty similar for both types. However, there are a couple of differences.

Habits

Carpenter bees and bumblebees both play the role of pollinators in the ecosystem. So, both bee types spend their lives searching for nectar and flying from one flower to another.

They are attracted by sweet smells, water and bright colors. The main difference here is in the nest-building: carpenter bees dig nests in wood and bumble bees build their homes in the ground or in peoples’ houses.

Aggression

Carpenter bees and bumble bees are not aggressive and completely friendly to people. However, they may attack you if you try to offend them or the nest by waving your hands away, getting too close etc.

Only female species of these two bee types have a stinger, so it’s unlikely that you’ll be bitten. However, you shouldn’t neglect the safety rules. If you were stung, immediately go to a hospital – carpenter bee or bumblebee stinger is dangerous. Even more, it may be lethal in case the bite site is somewhere around the neck.

FAQ

Some frequently asked questions about bumble bees and carpenter bees.

Do carpenter bees sting or bite you?

Only female carpenter bees can sting you, male species just don’t have a sting. Even despite the fact that this bee type is friendly to people, be careful – a sting in the neck of the female carpenter bee may be lethal for you.

Do bumble bees make holes in wood?

No, they don’t. Bumble bees live and build their nests in abandoned burrows or in trees’ hollows. Only carpenter bees gnaw out tunnels in wood to make a hive.

Why do carpenter bees fly at you?

Carpenter bees are not aggressive and the majority of the population is unable to sting or bite. Most likely they are attracted by your smell or your colorful clothes. Also, it’s possible that they’re trying to defend the nest nearby.

Is it that hard to distinguish bumblebee and carpenter bee?

No, it’s easy. Follow the steps in the article to identify the type of the bee. Remember that bees are the peoples’ friends and sometimes it’s much better to leave them or let them fly away peacefully than trying to get rid of them in radical ways.

Have you ever had a bumble bees’ nest in your home yard? Maybe carpenter bees in the house? How did you cope with it? Share your experience in the comments below.

Also read:

• Best Bee Killer Spray
• How to Get Rid of Ground Bees
• How to Get Rid of Sweat Bees
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work
• How to Make a Carpenter Bee Trap
• Citrus Spray for Carpenter Bees
• Carpenter Bee Trap Bait

References

• Why You Shouldn’t Kill the Bees in Your Garden (Peter)
  https://www.mrpest.ca/why-you-shouldnt-kill-bees-in-your-garden/
• Moving Bees (The Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association)
  https://www.bedsbka.org.uk/membership/good-practice/moving-bees/
• Large Carpenter Bees (E.E. Grissell, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry; Malcolm T. Sanford (retired) and Thomas R. Fasulo (retired), University of Florida)
  https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bees/xylocopa.htm

Even despite the fact that bees very rarely sting people, a nest in the wall may be very dangerous for the house inhabitants. It’s extremely important to identify a hive in time and take appropriate measures.

However, getting rid of a beehive in house wall is not an easy task that includes a bunch of methods. In the article, we’ll tell you how to get rid of bees in wall and describe the most effective and widely used techniques.

Removing bees from the wall includes bee type identification, getting rid of the nest, and taking measures to prevent bees in the future. So, let’s dive into the “how to get rid of bee hive in wall” question.

Which Bees Build Their Hives in Walls and How to Identify Them

It’s very important to identify the bee type correctly and make sure that you are dealing exactly with bees but not wasps or hornets. However, it’s pretty hard to distinguish between domestic and wild bees, so we recommend catching a couple of insects in the special trap to make your investigation easier.

Domestic bees and wild bees

Frankly speaking, it’s pretty hard to distinguish these two bee types for an unprepared person. The main visual differences lie in coloring and body size.

Wild bees frequently have dull colors, moreover, sometimes they can be fully gray. Domestic bees are usually bigger. Wild bees are more aggressive and active, so be careful.

Wasps

• More contrast coloring. Stripes on a honeybee body are darker and have blurred edges.
• Body is visually smaller and tinier.
• Bees’ bodies are hairy and wasps’ ones are not.
• Bee paws are thicker.

Hornets

• Hornets are much bigger than wasps, honeybees or bumblebees.
• Have similarities in body structure with wasps.
• Red tones are presented in coloring

Remember that clearing up a wasp or, especially, hornet nest is very dangerous, so we’d recommend calling for professionals in this case.

How to Get Rid of Bees in Your Walls

After discovering a bee nest in the house, you have a couple of options to choose from:

• Moving the nest to the other place;
• Destroying the nest;
• Leaving the nest in the same place;

Also, if the bees are domestic, you may try to sell the nest to apiarists. The buyer will take care of the hive, and you’ll get a profit.

Bear in mind that these kinds of works are always best left to professionals.

Each of these methods has its own variations and requires special conditions to be applied. In the next paragraphs, we will take a closer look at each of these techniques.

Preparation

First of all, wear tight clothes that don’t leave unexposed areas on your body, including the face. If you have an opportunity, ask a beekeeper to give you a special anti-bite costume. Some winter clothes may be suitable, but nothing can replace professional equipment.

Identify the bees type to choose the time for operation correctly and make sure that you deal with bees but not with hornets or wasps. Wild bees are better to get rid of at the start of the spring.

There are fewer insects in the nest that season, so the chance you’ll be bitten is lower. In contrast, because of continuous cold, domestic bees are weak at the end of the winter. The best daytime for action is early morning or late evening.

Make sure that you’re not emitting any smells, which may anger the bees.

Don’t forget that the hive in the wall might be very heavy (up to 90 pounds!) because of the large amount of honey stored inside, so you should take a helper with you.

Getting Rid of Bees in Walls

Firstly, dissemble wall panels in the place where the beehive is to make further manipulations easier. It may be scary – when angry, the bee swarm will attack you instantly. Once you gain access to the nest, you have a couple of ways to follow.

1. Moving the nest to the other place

Bees play a huge role in the local ecosystem. They pollinate blooms and, basically, around 85% of plants with flowers, including fruit trees and vegetables.

The whole food chain would be destroyed without bees, so it’s highly not recommended to kill them or destroy beehives. So, the very first option is to move the nest with the whole swarm to a safer place.

The most widely adopted technique is smoking bees out. Professionals usually use a special device called a smoker, but regular people may use a small bonfire or burning sticks.

A smoke calms down bees in the nest. Also, you can use speakers. Turn on bird sounds at full volume and wait until the bees leave the nest on their own. After smoking out the hive is disconnected from the wall and transported as far as possible from the house.

Sometimes an evicted swarm returns to its original place. To prevent this, the nest is moved to the place where another swarm is already settled. Also, it’s highly recommended to seal all the gaps in the walls and in the roof with polyurethane foam.

2. Destroying the nest

How to kill bees in a wall? On some occasions, when bees from the nest are flying in the house or biting children, desperate measures must be taken.

The most popular and affordable method is to use gasoline or “White-spirit.” The solution is sprayed right into the nest. However, these kinds of chemicals may be dangerous for humans because of their high toxicity and flammability.

You may use a similar method to the “smoking out” technique. Bees are poisoned with the vapors of burning sulfur fuse.

Using toxic chemicals is the most unpleasant but possible method. Chemicals like “Smell Net” or dichlorvos are sprayed into the nest 2 times at intervals of 1 day. Don’t forget about safety measures while working with chemicals.

After all the bees are killed, the nest is burned off. Don’t forget that destroying the bee nest without good reason is a bad idea.

Some experts answering the “How to get rid of bees nest in wall cavity” suggest sealing all cracks and gaps in the wall making the hive inaccessible for bees.

However, in 90% of situations that is a bad idea: bees most likely will find another way to the nest. Moreover, this new way might be thrown at your house interior, so such a method may be dangerous for you and your family.

3. Leaving the nest in the same place

Sometimes, when the beehive is not a threat for house inhabitants, the nest can be left untouched. However, it’s a rare occasion when the nest sits in the wall.

Bees attack people only when defending themselves or the hive. Even more, bees die after biting. So, sometimes there is nothing critical about living close to the beehive.

How to Prevent Bees

It’s always better to prevent a nest formation as early as possible, so we present a suggestions list for preventing bees in your house.

1. Plant herbs like lemon balm, mint or basil. Bees don’t like its smell.
2. Seal all the gaps in the walls and in the roof with polyurethane foam.
3. Set up some bee traps around your house.
4. Set up a drinker for bees in the distance from the house.
5. Use an ultrasonic repeller.

Can I Get Rid of the Bee Nest by Myself?

Yes, you can. A correctly defined bee type, right method, good preparation, thoughtful action, and good return prevention will spare you from bees. However, if you are not sure of your abilities, it’s always best to leave the work for professionals.

Have you ever faced a problem with a bee nest in your house? How did you deal with it? Share your experience in the comments below.

Also read:

• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees
• How to Get Rid of Ground Bees
• How to Get Rid of Sweat Bees
• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Wd40
• Bumble Bee vs Carpenter Bee
• Citrus Spray for Carpenter Bees
• Carpenter Bee Trap Bait
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work

References

• Why bees are so important to the environment (Department for Environment and Water Comment Policy)
  https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/posts/2016/10/bees
• How to Make a Bee Trap From a 2 Liter Bottle (Danielle Smyth)
  https://homeguides.sfgate.com/how-to-make-a-bee-trap-from-a-2-liter-bottle-12442070.html
• Dichlorvos
  https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/dichlorvos.pdf

Carpenter bee traps are a fairly effective, humane, cheap, and safe way to control these pesky inerts, unlike the exterminator, because they don’t involve the use of harmful chemicals or high additional costs. But what is the best carpenter bee bait to use?

I want to share with you carpenter bee lures proven by my experience and how to make them at home.

Guide on What Attracts Carpenter Bees Into the Trap

Common situation: it’s a beautiful warm summer day, you go out and see uninvited guests. Carpenter bees (Xylocopa valga) live on every continent except Antarctica. They have a body length of 12 to 25 mm.

The color is black, greenish-black, and dark blue with a metallic sheen or purple tint. The wings of these insects are black with a blue-violet sheen.

They can be quite aggressive: females sting, while males may bite. But the most unpleasant thing is the damage they do to all untreated wooden surfaces as they feed on this material.

Traps are a fairly effective bee control tool for carpenters, whether you made them yourself or bought them ready-made. In addition, many of them work quite humanely and are completely safe for children, pets and the environment. The main question is how to attract carpenter bees and what are the best lures to make the most out of your traps.

The baits that you can buy in the store sometimes contain harmful substances and are quite expensive. These are the two most common reasons why you might decide to use a homemade lure.

First of all, it is worth understanding what attracts carpenter bees. These are any smells that are reminiscent of their natural habitat or food. Such smells include wood and everything that’s sweet.

All bees, including carpenters, eat a lot of sugar. Of course, not a refined one, but a more primitive version. Believe me, they’ve got sweet tooth just like we do. Nectar is also a type of sugar.

Bees ration 100% consists of sugar and includes three of its varieties, according to studies conducted in 2012 by the American Center for Biotechnology, 24% is glucose, 21% — fructose, 55% — sucrose. What does it give us? — Understanding that sugar can really attract carpenter bees and, accordingly, the basis of our bait should be sweet.

Here are some lures I’ve tried myself:

• The first bait option is fruit or fruit puree. Sweet berries will do too. The choice here is limited only by your imagination and the fruits available. The main recommendation is that fruits should be ripe and have a pronounced smell. Several varieties can be used. For example, I tried pineapple and strawberries. For maximum effectiveness, the fruit should be finely chopped or crushed before being placed in the trap.
• Sweet syrups and jams. Any sweet syrups and jams with a bright flavor will do. For example, cherry or strawberry syrup worked pretty well for me.
• Propolis. More precisely, propolis canvas. This is the fabric that beekeepers put in the hive, and the bees soak it with propolis. It can be purchased at farm shops. The application is quite simple: you need to cut off a small piece and put it in a trap. The advantage of this bait is that it lasts quite a long time compared to the rest.
• Honey or sugar syrup. My favorite and best-performing option. Here are the instructions for how to prepare it.

Step by Step Instructions:

Let’s start preparing our bait. By itself, sugar will not attract the attention of bees, because it has no smell. Care must be taken to ensure that insects can find the bait by smell.

Therefore, there are two options for the basis for the attractant. Each of them can be used separately, without adding any additional components, or mixed. Personally, I prefer the combination and frequently add a few more ingredients to enhance the effect, but more on that later.

1. The first and most common option is honey. It does not require any preliminary preparation, you can simply pour honey into the trap. It is important to keep it liquid, as it is more convenient to use and the smell is stronger, so the result will be better. If necessary, honey can be melted in a water bath.
2. The second option is sugar syrup. Preparing it is quite simple. Mix equal proportions of sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved. After that, let the syrup cool to room temperature. It is important not to store the syrup for a long time. It lasts up to a week if refrigerated. Unfortunately, after that, it can ferment, and such methods for extending storage as alcohol or lemon juice are not applicable, as they will scare away the bees. Therefore, it is better to prepare the syrup immediately before use.
3. Next, honey and syrup must be mixed in a ratio of 3 to 1. With this consistency, the application will be as economical and convenient as possible.
4. Now a little about what else can be added to our bait. For a more viscous consistency, and therefore economical use, liquid soap works well. Opt for unscented soaps, as any synthetic scents will repel insects, which we certainly don’t want. You can also use starch. A small amount will be enough, be guided by the consistency, it should not be too thick.
   You can also add royal jelly and sawdust of conifers, if any. The option is selective, bee carpenters.
5. For example, I bought the first one in a farm shop, and the second one I got from a neighbor who sawed firewood.
6. We mix all this and go to fill our traps.

Tips to Bait and Trap Carpenter Bees More Effectively:

• Use more than one trap. Apply as many traps as possible in areas where carpenter bees spawn.
• Pay particular attention to wooden objects, sunny areas, and soil near them.
• Use traps throughout the insect season. They tend to come back even a few times a season.
  Treat the entrances to the trap with bait. If you just pour lure into the trap, it will not work as effectively because the stronger the smell, the better the result.
• The trap must be clearly visible. Paint it, place it in a conspicuous place. It should be easy for the bees to find it.
• Make sure that children or pets do not touch the traps, this can scare away insects.
• Give the traps time. Don’t expect them to work right away. But, make sure they have fresh bait and remove dead bees regularly.
• For a faster result, fill gaps where the bees are already swarming. So, they will have to pay attention to traps in search of new housing and a source of food. You need to wait until they take off, and do not forget about safety.

FAQ

How do you exterminate carpenter bees?

Bees falling into a trap cannot get out of there and do not pose a danger because they die over time. Repeat the procedure until the complete destruction of the colony.

What to do with carpenter bees after you trap them?

Wait for the carpenter bees to die in the trap. Carefully open it and discard them, and pour fresh bait into the trap. Make sure that such bees do not stay in the trap for a long time, they scare away the rest, and the trap does not work as efficiently. Better to use gloves.

When should I spray for carpenter bees?

The spray is an effective method of repelling carpenter bees but not of fighting. Accordingly, its use is possible only a few days after the complete extermination of the colony and, preferably, the treatment of wooden surfaces.

DIY Carpenter Bee Trap Bait That Works

Carpenter bees can become a serious problem and ruin the idyll in the yard. In this article, I shared a recipe for bait that you can make at home and options for improving it.

It is based on simple and affordable ingredients, is harmless, and will effectively complement your carpenter’s bee traps. Have you tried carpenter’s bee traps yet? Prefer to buy bait or make your own? Share your experience in the comments.

Also read:

• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees
• How to Get Rid of Ground Bees
• How to Get Rid of Sweat Bees
• How to Keep Bees Away
• How to Keep Bees Away From Pool
• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Wd40
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work

References

• Wood Destroying Pest Study Guide (Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Division of Plant Industry)
  https://ag.utah.gov/documents/Wood%20DestroyingPestStudyGuide.pdf
• Baited Pitfall Traps (U.S. Department of Energy)
  https://www.science.gov/topicpages/b/baited+pitfall+traps
• Sample Pest Management Procedures for Specific Pests (Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health)
  https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/publications/guidelines-pest-stratagies-041216.pdf

Sweat bees are a common problem for many gardeners. Come summer, those small green insects will be flying all over your garden, and you’ll be wondering how to get rid of sweat bees for good. Here we’ll look into a complete guide on how to control and prevent sweat bees from infesting your garden, as well as the best products to get rid of them.

Top Pick

Repel Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent, Mosquito Repellent, Pump Spray, 4 Ounce, (Pack…

Mighty Mint Gallon (128 oz) Insect and Pest Control Peppermint Oil – Natural Spray for Spiders,…

RESCUE! VisiLure® TrapStik for Wasps, Mud Daubers, Carpenter Bees – 2 Pack

Pros

Deet-free natural repellent

Safe to use around pets, children

Very effectively traps sweat bees

Buy

Check Latest Price

Check Latest Price

Check Latest Price

My review

Read review

Read review

Read review

Top Pick

Repel Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent, Mosquito Repellent, Pump Spray, 4 Ounce, (Pack…

Pros

Deet-free natural repellent

Buy

Check Latest Price

My review

Read review

Mighty Mint Gallon (128 oz) Insect and Pest Control Peppermint Oil – Natural Spray for Spiders,…

Pros

Safe to use around pets, children

Buy

Check Latest Price

My review

Read review

RESCUE! VisiLure® TrapStik for Wasps, Mud Daubers, Carpenter Bees – 2 Pack

Pros

Very effectively traps sweat bees

Buy

Check Latest Price

My review

Read review

What are sweat bees?

Every summer gardeners face the problem of how to get rid of sweat bees: little green pests flying around with a heavy load of pollen on their back legs. From their name, you could guess that they are attracted to sweat, which, during a hot summer day in the garden, is difficult to avoid. Sweat bees become a real problem when they’re hovering in front of your face or landing on your arms and skin to drink your sweat. Do sweat bees sting? Yes, though thankfully it only leaves a small irritation.

But what are they exactly? Sweat bees are also called Halictid Bees and come from a large insect family with more than 120 species that are incredibly important for pollinating plants. While some bees are specific about the plants that they choose to pollinate, sweat bees will pollinate anything and everything in their way. With the current situation around honeybees, insects like sweat bees are important to keep your garden blooming.

Sweat bees infestation 101

When you have lots of sweat bees nests you’re risking being swarmed by them in your every outing. Let’s look at the quick guide on how to identify sweat bees infestation and what risks it poses.

Quick sweat bees identification

It’s relatively easy to tell sweat bees apart from regular honey bees.

• Most of them have a green metallic to dull black sheen, their abdomen is purple or blue and their legs are furry.
• They are also smaller compared to regular bees, about ½ inch in size, and are very slender.
• Sweat bees, unlike honey bees, are often solitary and nest in the bare ground or deadwood.

Common sweat bees species (brief description)

Halictid bees are a family that includes many types of bees. Among them are Small Miner Bees, Green Metallic Bees, Halictid Bees, Alkali Bees, Cuckoo Halictid Bees, and Sweat Bees.

Metallic sweat bees

They’re very easy to spot because of their bright metallic green color. Some of the metallic sweat bees are fully green in color, but some have brown and white stripes on their abdomen. These bees can be active all year round if it’s warm enough and are common to the South, specifically Florida.

Agapostemon

Those bees are mostly solitary ground nesters, though some might be making nests very close to one another. Females are iridescent green, but males have yellow and black stripes on their legs and abdomen.

Halictus

Like many others, halictus are small bees attracted to human perspiration. These bees can be solitary, communal, or social. In warmer climates, they have social ground nests, and in cool climates – solitary nests.

Cuckoo Halictid Bees

If every family has one annoying member, then this is the annoying cousin of the Halictid family. These bees, being cuckoos, don’t have their own nests and lay their eggs in the nests of other bees. They take over the cell of another bee, destroy its eggs and lay their own instead. While they go foraging for nectar, they don’t actually have any structures that let them collect pollen.

What attracts sweat bees?

If you keep asking yourself ‘why do sweat bees keep landing on me?’ in summer, the answer is quite simple. As you can guess from the name, human perspiration is a major attractor for these bees. They’re particularly attracted to the salt in human sweat that they don’t find in the pollen of flowers. However, they’re also attracted to a large variety of flowers. You name the flower – they’ll collect its pollen. The majority of the flowers that bloom in the gardens, meadows, and even pots attract these bees in summer, and they indiscriminately pollinate a variety of plants.

Sweat bees dangers

Generally speaking, sweat bees aren’t very dangerous but are incredibly annoying to humans. Do sweat bees bite? Only females of the species are able to sting. Sweat bees aren’t aggressive, but they can sting if they’re disturbed, which happens when humans try to fan them off and accidentally touch them.

Usually, the sting isn’t too dangerous, however, you should seek medical treatment if you have multiple stings, trouble breathing, or have a known bee allergy.

Sweat bees infestation signs

Because sweat bees nest in the ground or in the old wood, it’s possible to find the nest entrances in the ground or wood. It might be an excavated area around their cells and clusters of cells. The cells themselves might be lined with a wax-like substance.

A couple of sweat bees might not be a problem, however, if you see them in your yard in large numbers, it’s important to know how to get rid of sweat bees before they make your and your family’s life a nuisance.

How to Get Rid of Sweat Bees: Easy Extermination Guide

The main ways of getting rid of sweat bees are natural and chemical-based insecticides, repellants, and bees traps. However, sweat bees are very important natural pollinators, so as much as that is possible, you should look into ways of preventing their infestations and other ways of repelling them without necessarily killing sweat bees.

Inspect

Carefully inspect your property for the signs of sweat bees. You might identify the type of sweat bee by its color.

Female sweat bees carry pollen on their hind legs that have special hairs for attaching pollen. Males resemble females in a lot of ways, except they don’t have the hairs on their hind legs and sometimes have yellow-black striped abdomens.

Inspecting the species of the bees is very important to make sure they’re not endangered and whether you should obtain a permit to extinguish them.

Find their habitat

The majority of sweat bees nest in the ground in dry bare dirt, also often in rotting wood. Depending on the type, sweat bees could live alone or in colonies.

Begin by inspecting heaps of deadwood inside the soil, as those are the most common nesting places.

Prepare protective clothing

Do sweat bees sting and do you need to wear protective clothing? Although they rarely sting, unless they’re provoked, if you’re getting rid of their nests it’s important to wear proper protection.

It doesn’t mean that you should wear a full bee suit, but you should wear some long clothing that will protect your arms and legs, and a net that will protect your face. You could also use a bee repellent for protection.

Treat

The fastest way to get rid of the sweat bees is to use treatment.

Insecticides

If you are planning on killing sweat bees that have infested your garden plants, you should look for organic options. There are many organic sprays with natural ingredients. What kills sweat bees? Mint is the most important ingredient in the majority of organic sweat bees insecticides.

Set Bee Traps

Bee traps are an excellent way to get rid of sweat bees. Those can be purchased ready or made on your own. The way it works is quite simple: you put something sweet inside the trap that will attract the bees, and once they get in – they can’t get out of the small funnel-like opening.

Repellents

Protecting your skin from sweat bees is also important. This is a good option for not killing sweat bees but pushing them away from your proximity. Like many insect repellents, those exist in the form of sprays and ointments.

How to Prevent Sweat Bees?

We already know what sweat bees like: salt in our sweat, open, well-lit ground, old wood, flowers, humidity. What they don’t like: mint, essential oils, proper ventilation.

This tells us not only how to kill sweat bees but how to prevent them from ever causing a problem.

• Mint is your best friend in sweat bees prevention. From growing it in pots to using mint rubs and oils/sprays – it can be a natural deterrent both for skin and surfaces.
• Plants and ground cover: if there is no open ground that they can use as a nesting spot, sweat bees won’t settle in your yard. Planting plants like sunflowers, honeysuckle, wisteria, and others, as well as using mulch and pebbles to cover your ground will prevent the sweat bees from infesting your property.
• Proper ventilation and personal hygiene: as far as it’s possible you should try to prevent humidity and perspiration that will attract the sweat bees.

Top 3 Best Sweat Bees Treatments

There are different ways of how to kill sweat bees and several products that will do so quickly and safely for you. Let’s look at my top picks of products.

1. Repel Plant-Based Insect Repellent

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Repel Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect…

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This spray insect repellent is made with essential oil of lemon and eucalyptus. It protects your skin if you’re outside for up to 6 hours. It’s deet-free and can be used on children. REPEL is a company that specializes in insect repellants, from mosquitoes to other insects.

What I like about this repellant is, first and foremost, a pleasant smell. Bug sprays always smell horrible, and most of the time by the time you’re finished applying it, you’re coughing and scrunching your nose away from it. This spray has a nice refreshing scent of natural oils. It also doesn’t leave greasy sticky skin afterward.

Natural ingredient-based repellents are rarely effective, but I’ve used this one over the years and found it really effective in protecting from sweat bees, though it does need to be reapplied on a particularly hot and humid summer day. It also comes in a pack of 2, so saves you a lot of money.

2. Mighty Mint Gallon Peppermint Oil

Mighty Mint Gallon (128 oz) Insect and Pest…

Check Latest Price

An excellent nontoxic natural spray that is particularly effective against sweat bees. Its main ingredient is highly concentrated mint oil, as well as other plant-based ingredients, so it’s not only effective but also doesn’t harm other plants.

Mighty Mint is known for its organic products for pest and insect control that they make with US-farmed peppermint.

The formula is incredibly concentrated and comes in a large 128 oz gallon, that you can pour in to make sprays and rubs for surfaces.

From all the products that I’ve used, this one got instant effects when I needed treatment for sweat bees. The fact that it’s 100% organic is excellent because it’s pet and child-safe.

3. RESCUE! TrapStik for Bees

RESCUE! VisiLure® TrapStik for Wasps, Mud…

Check Latest Price

This bee trap uses a VisiLure technology that lures bees with appealing colors and multi-dimensional patterns. Once they’re attracted, they get stuck to the sticky surface. It doesn’t have agents that are killing sweat bees, instead, it lures them to the trap.

I like that it’s very effective in killing sweat bees. Even when I had large infestations of them, it dealt with them perfectly. I also like that this trap has been designed in order to protect birds, bats, and other small animals as well as the fact that this is a US-made product with a long history of safely finding ways of how to get rid of sweat bees and other pests.

Conclusion: what kills sweat bees?

There are many effective ways of how to get rid of sweat bees: bee traps, repellents, and natural and chemical insecticides. Sweat bees are not aggressive by nature, but in large quantities, they can make your life and the life of your family unbearable in summer. The best way to deal with the problem is to prevent it, so use different plants that cover the soil and don’t let sweat bees build nests, as well as things like pebbles, mulch, and try to get rid of the old wood on your property.

Write about how you dealt with sweat bees in the comments and share your tips!

References

• Wisconsin Bee Identification Guide (Patrick Liesch, Christy Stewart, and Christine Wen)
  https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/files/2016/08/WI-BEE-IDENTIFICATION-GUIDE.pdf
• Sweat or Halictid Bees (University of Florida)
  https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bees/halictid_bees.htm#dist

We all know that bees are good for the environment, but let’s admit it: it doesn’t make them more welcome in our backyard, not to mention in the kitchen.

This article explores how to keep bees away without going to extremes. Learn how you can stay humane and still expel the striped guests you simply don’t want on your property. A list of natural remedies is included as well as an overview of other popular solutions.

Keeping Bees Away: A Concise Guide

The key to never a bee-free home is to eliminate as many potential bee attractions as possible, including sweet-smelling stuff, confined shady spaces, and open saltwater sources.

To enhance your protection even more, try using humane repellents such as those based on pungent-smelling essential oils like rosemary, cloves, peppermint, citronella, or lemongrass.

Can You Prevent Bees from Entering House Interiors and Patios?

Just like any other animal, beasts come to visit our homes for a reason. What exactly brings them to this or that space might vary depending on a number of factors, such as the type of bees that they belong to (see below if have trouble differentiating between those), time of the year, and the particulars of your property. Identifying the main bee attraction will help you a lot in putting a stop to the invasion.

Like any other living being, the bee is constantly searching for food, water, and shelter. These three constituents of bees’ comfort are also the key reasons why they keep hanging out near or even inside your house as well as hovering over your swimming pool.

When we say food, it includes whatever you prefer to snack on as well as flowers. This is because flowers produce pollen, which is central to the production of honey (bees, in turn, contribute to the environment’s wellbeing by pollinating flowers).

From lavender to crocuses to lilac with a lot in between, plant species that are capable of attracting bees are numerous. That is, the chances that you’ll see some on your territory sooner or later are quite high.

If you live in an area that’s abuzz with bees (pun not intended), you’ll have trouble keeping bee presence at a zero level, especially outdoors.

However, steps like removing potential nesting areas and fragrant things which attract bees will likely help keep it in check. Let’s zoom in on the bee invasion problem to make sure you understand what remedies will work best in your case.

Which Species Are You Dealing With?

This might be new information to you, but not all bees are the same. There are about 20,000 bee species across the globe, of which as many as 4,000 are native to the United States.

Being able to identify what type of bees you are dealing with can help you a lot in warding off the visitors. Probably the most important takeaway should be understanding the probability of aggressive behavior. There are species notorious for their bad temper, while others can be characterized as comparatively meek.

The “Good” Bees

About half an inch long (the queen tends to have a much larger body), honey bees boast yellowish orange and black stripes. They prefer outdoor locations with a lot of flowering plants around but might choose your chimney or a similar nook for nesting purposes during the hot months. Honey bees don’t usually show aggression unless threatened. This is arguably the most common variety.

Although a little bigger, carpenter bees aren’t prone to aggression either. Their nests are often found in deckings and other wooden structures as well as trees.

Finally, there are rather languid and unaggressive bumblebees that tend to nest in the ground with occasional cases of finding residence in tall grass.

The Bad Guys

Colloquially known as killer bees, these are probably the most dangerous of all due to their highly aggressive behavior. Their appearance is quite similar to that of honey bees, which makes identification difficult. Notably, Africanized honey bees prefer to arrange hives in the open air.

What Keeps Bees Away from Your House?

The most probable answer to how you keep bees away is by removing everything that could create a welcoming environment for them. Make sure that your home doesn’t have any creaks and corners where the insects could make a nest.

It doesn’t apply when dealing with bumblebees, which are generally harmless, or the much-feared Africanized honey bees as these species don’t typically use man-made structures for nesting purposes. With honey and carpenter bees, however, chances are high that your house needs a good sealing session if you’ve been seeing a lot of striped visitors.

Inspect your house to spot any holes larger than half an inch. One simple way of preventing bees from entering those and using the area inside for nesting is to use a metal screen.

Be prepared in case you see a nest already formed inside a structure. In this case, don’t try to close it off with a screen; the only humane way of getting rid of a bee family that’s already taken residence in your house is to call a professional beekeeper.

When you have made sure there are no major holes or openings, it’s time to take a tour around the house and check for loose siding. Caulk any gaps in it as well as around the foundation.

Next, get rid of any appliances or furniture that you haven’t used in ages as these will likely be full of cozy creaks that attract bees. This, taken together, is how to prevent bees from entering your house.

Repelling Bees Outdoors

Keeping things neat is the answer to how to deter bees from your patio. Large pieces of junk such as an age-old chest of drawers in your backyard are powerful bee attractions, and so are piles of dry leaves, brush, and twigs.

Try to get rid of those before it’s too late and you have a bee nest on your property. This is one case when prevention is way easier than treatment.

Another element of your patio that is likely to cause an inflow of bees is a pool, especially if it’s a saltwater one. It turns out bees have a strong preference for water that has a high salt content as well as chlorinated water, which often leads them to gather near people’s pools, ruining their summertime parties.

If you don’t always take away leftovers from yesterday’s supper or like to leave an open bottle of juice here and there, this might make matters much worse.

It’s never a bad idea to cover your pool when you are not using it. Also, make sure there aren’t any leaking tubes or joints around. Carry out such inspections on a regular basis to prevent unwanted guests from hovering over the place you expect to give you peace and tranquility.

Additionally, avoid any semblance to flowers as well as having a flower garden that’s too exuberant and too close to areas where you like to hang out. It’s no secret that bees are attracted to flowers.

Unfortunately, they can’t always tell the difference between real and painted ones, so I don’t recommend using furniture with flowery patterns on it on your patio. The same applies to sweet-smelling perfume. Try to avoid it when outdoors during the warmer months of the year, or be prepared to use active defense.

Fragrance at Your Service

Bees have an outstandingly sharp sense of smell, which makes it relatively easy to ward the guests by using pungent-smelling substances. These don’t have to be toxic compounds that will harm the insects as well as the environment.

In fact, there are a number of plants that bees perceive as highly unattractive due to their smell. You can rely on essential oils made from these plants to keep bees at bay on a sunny afternoon.

Cloves are notorious for their pungent smell that deters not only bees but many other insects. Rosemary is another effective bee repellent that can also set a special mood for a while if you mix the oil with water and spray around the areas where bees tend to gather. Other possible essential oils include citronella and lemongrass.

Alternatively, you can plant some peppermint around your house. Bees are typically repelled by its smell, while most humans don’t feel uncomfortable around it.

Keeping It Humane

You might come across tips that suggest you should use insecticide to get rid of bees, but remember: these little striped creatures matter the world to our environment.

Bees are the worlds’ most efficient pollinators, which means they are responsible for preserving a number of plant species that we rely on heavily for food. Believe me, bees are literally worth the buzz, so please stick to the gentler options above.

Bee Removal FAQ

Here’s a little collection of questions that I’ve been asked a lot in the context of fighting off bees’ invasion. These are only answered in a nutshell, so make sure you also check the main body of this article for more details.

What smells do bees hate?

While bees are generally attracted by sweet smells, pungent essential oils such as that of cloves can ward them off for a long time. The list of plants that bees won’t likely put up with is quite long.

Apart from cloves, which produce eugenol, the little stingers are repelled by peppermint, rosemary, cedarwood, a number of citrus fruits, and more. Citronella, which is one of the most common ingredients in plant-based mosquito repellents, can scare away bees as well.

What attracts bees to my house?

Most obviously, bees can’t resist a good honey garden. There’s a wide range of plants that bees find attractive, which means you’ll have to open your doors to these golden-striped visitors if you have those in your patio.

Apart from that, bees will likely hang out next to your picnicking location if you have a habit of leaving sugary foods around. Be prepared to see working bees around if you have a saltwater pool. These insects need water to keep temperature comfortable in their hives, and salty water is their favorite.

Finally, bees tend to look for shelter when swarming, which might well bring them to that cozy nook in your house.

Is there a spray to keep bees away?

Yes, the market is rife with sprays that promise to ward off the unwelcome guests. When it comes to bees, most of these are made with essential oils to avoid harming the bees, which means you can also make your own. Try mixing three parts of water with one part of an essential oil like rosemary or peppermint to keep bees away from your house and/or patio for a while.

The problem with such sprays is that the highly volatile essential oils will evaporate soon. That is, it’s not the most long-lasting solution. Check the sections above for more information on potential alternatives.

Bee-Free Summer? Mission Possible

Bees can get really obnoxious, especially when swarming by your pool on an extra sunny day or interfering with your breakfast of cake and lemonade al fresco. Luckily, there are safe and humane ways in which you can keep them away.

Make sure you don’t showcase bee attractions such as particular plant species next to your home, get rid of welcoming nooks and containers with water. Add a few drops of an essential oil-based spray as needed, and you are good.

Can you think of a time when bees ruined your plans? Let’s share our stories in the comments!

Also read:

• Best Carpenter Bee Trap
• Best Bee Killer Spray
• How to Get Rid of Ground Bees
• How to Keep Bees Away From Pool
• How to Get Rid of Bees in Wall
• How to Keep Bees Away
• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Wd40
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work

References

• Why Honey Bees Need Water and How You Can Provide It (Caitlin Knudsen)
  https://www.beepods.com/honey-bees-need-water/
• Attracting Beneficial Bees (Attracting Beneficial Bees)
  https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/attracting-beneficial-bees/5024.html
• Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing (Marta Ferreira Maia & Sarah J Moore)
  https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2875-10-S1-S11
• What Smells Do Bees Hate? (Jaco Stander)
  https://beekeepingtrove.com/what-smells-do-bees-hate/
• How many species of native bees are in the United States? (U.S. Department of the Interior)
  https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-species-native-bees-are-united-states

Importunate small buzzing insects frequently become a problem for the pool owners. Bees flying around the pool scaring and sometimes even biting people are not the ones you want to see on your plot.

So, in this article I will describe the most effective and easiest solutions for how to keep bees away from the pool. Moreover, we’ll dive into the bees’ life to find out the reasons why these insects are so concerned about areas with water.

Bees Near Pool: Why are bees attracted to pools?

Bees rarely attack people, but sometimes pool owners want to peacefully get rid of them.

There are a bunch of major reasons and solutions that can be found for all of them. Look through the list, define your case or cases and check the solution that fits you best.

1. Water

The simplest explanation of why swarms of bees flock to the pool or decorative pond is that they want to cool off during warm days and bring some water to the nest. Bees need water to make honey, to hydrate the younger generation and just to drink.

Solution

Obviously, you can’t remove water from the pool, but how to stop bees from coming to it? You can give an alternative water supply for bees – make a bee waterer.

First of all, find the direction of where bees are nesting and place a couple of bowls or plates with water in that direction. Setting up a small fountain may be a more aesthetic but expensive solution.

Second way is to isolate a plot with a pool with a high solid fence, but it’s not the easiest method.
If you found a nest in your house or plot, check out an appropriate paragraph. It’s highly not recommended to destroy bees’ nests, so we don’t suggest it.

2. Flowers

Majority of all bees spend their lives flying and collecting nectar from flowers. Nectar is vital for bees’ lives, because it’s the main source of energy for them and raw material for honey. The process of pollination is vital for flowers, so if you have flowers near the pool, I’d recommend replanting them in other places.

Solution

Removing flowering is the obvious option, but also you can plant some herbs like lemon balm, mint, wormwood or lavender – bees don’t like the smell of these plants. The method may significantly reduce the amount of bees flying around the pool or even completely remove them.

3. Food

Sweet food may be a point of attraction for bees and other insects. Nutrients always attract all types of living creatures, and bees are not the exception. Sweets like honey, chocolate, and sugar drinks are better not to leave in open space, especially near water.

Solution

Every smell that is pleasant for humans is pleasant for bees too, so the solution is to remove foods’ smell. You should bring all the food into the house or cover it with some kind of pot, saucepan or special cloche for dishes to keep sweat bees out of the pool.

4. Apiary on a neighbor plot

If you have a neighbor-beekeeper, most likely he didn’t care about beekeeping standards like minimum fence height and the number of hives while building an apiary. So now huge bee swarms fly around the nearest territory and terrorize people, especially, near places like pool.

Solution

Obviously, the most effective solution here is to make your neighbor take care of his bees and his apiary, which most likely is placed incorrectly.

However, you may try out some or all methods in this article to repel bees from swimming pool and make it unattractive for them.

5. Nest in your house

Sometimes bees choose peoples’ houses as the best place for making a nest. Inspect the house, especially the attic, walls and space under the roof. Also, the nest may be placed on a tree or on the fence corner If you found one, there are a couple of ways you may follow.

Solutions

Honey bees are very useful and important to the whole ecosystem of the area, so it’s highly not recommended to destroy their nests. Transferring the nest is widely practiced instead to get bees away from the pool.

However, situations when bees in the house may be dangerous for people sometimes occur, and there is no way except evicting, poisoning or even destroying the nest.

The most popular option is to smoke out the insects using a simple bonfire or a special device called a smoker. Bees would calm down hiding in the nest and then you can bring the nest wherever you want without problems.

The second one is to set up loudspeakers with bird singing. Bees don’t like that kind of sound, so they’ll abandon the nest after some time. However, bees have a trait to return to their ”homeland”, so you should be on the alert.

Chemicals like dichlorvos are used only in extreme cases, when the nest has to be removed immediately.
Never try to get rid of a nest without special protection equipment! Even more, you’d better leave such kind of work for professionals.

6. Colorful clothes or building

Flowers attract bees not only via smell but also viacolor. Bees have a slightly different eye system from the human one. Yellow and blue tones are the favorite ones for bees. In contrast, insects don’t like and are even afraid of dark colors like gray, brown, black etc.

Solution

Avoid using bright colors around the pool. Using darker colors may help you.
Ways to keep bees away from your pool
Here’s a short check-list of some prophylactic measures that may help you avoid problems with bees.

1. Check adjacent territory for bee nests. If some are found, take appropriate measures.
2. Avoid planting flowers near the pool.
3. Set up drinking bowls for bees in the nearest territory.
4. Plant some herbs like lemon balm or mint around the pool.
5. Do not leave food in open space.
6. Avoid wearing bright-colored clothes.

FAQ

Some popular questions about bees and water.

What are the tiny bees in my pool?

Most likely you saw hoverflies or sweat bees around pool. Hoverfly is a type of fly similar to bee and sweat bees are species smaller in size. Both of the insects are widely spread across the US.

How do I keep bees out of my saltwater pool?

Saltwater pools have low salinity levels, and bees like it. However, measures are pretty the same as for a regular pool – check the territory for nests, keep food covered, do not plant flowers, avoid using bright colors.

Why do bees drown in pools?

Sometimes bees accidentally touch a water surface while drinking. Wings get wet, so bees can’t stay in the air and fall. There’s only a small chance that bees will manage to get out of water.

So, what should I do to deter bees from pool?

Find out why the bees showed up at your pool and what you can do about it. In 90% cases the problem is not critical and you’ll easily find out the right solution. Also, don’t forget that bees pollinate flowers and play a massive role in our ecosystem, so killing them is a huge mistake.

Have you had similar problems with bees near the pool? How did you cope with them? Share your experience in the comments below.

Also read:

• Best Bee Killer Spray
• Best Carpenter Bee Trap
• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees
• How to Get Rid of Bees in Wall
• How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Wd40
• Bumble Bee vs Carpenter Bee
• Carpenter Bee Trap Bait
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work

References

• What colors are bees attracted to in the garden? (New York Botanical Garden) https://libanswers.nybg.org/faq/222585
• Beekeeping Laws & Regulations (American Beekeeping Federation)
  https://www.abfnet.org/page/laws-regs

Carpenter bees frequently become a problem for householders. These insects make large tiny tunnels in dry wood slightly weakening it. After a couple of years of constant digging, damage for wood doors, walls, ceiling and furnishing may be significant.

However, carpenter bees hardly ever attack people – only the female bees have stings. Nevertheless, the “how to get rid of carpenter bees WD40” question is getting more and more popular: lubricants like WD40 are an affordable and pretty effective solution for the problem of carpenter bees.

Coping with Carpenter Bees

Even despite the fact that carpenter bees are pretty friendly for people and are very useful for the local ecosystem, these insects hardly spoil wood parts of the house. Using a WD is a good way to get rid of the carpenter bees.

What is WD40?

WD is a lubricant that has been manufactured by a self-titled company for over 60 years. It’s widely used among automobile workshop users for getting rid of rust. However, WD-40 doesn’t provide a long-term effect.

So, what is the main purpose of WD-40? While working with screws, nuts, joints and other fastenings a rust may become a big problem – it blocks movements of the detail making it impossible to operate.

WD-40 call is to dissolve rust as fast as possible to allow specialists to work with old parts of the auto with ease. Obviously, WD-40 is used not only in the auto repairing sphere and is frequently in home toolboxes of regular American people.

Can it kill carpenter bees and why?

Does WD40 kill carpenter bees? Yes, it does. Moreover, WD-40 can kill nearly all bees’ types, but we don’t recommend doing it – try out other, more friendly, methods before applying extreme ones.

Chemical composition of the solution is half consist of “White-Spirit”. This is a popular petroleum-derived degreaser and solvent used in many spheres including building, painting etc. Toxic petrol vapors make bees drop dead.

It’s not safe to use a clear petrol for getting rid of bees because of its flammability and toxicity. That is the reason why some professionals prefer to use WD40 for carpenter bees rebellion.

How to get rid of carpenter bees using WD40?

It’s much easier and less dangerous to get rid of carpenter bees than from regular bees or wasps. We present the list of steps that you should follow to successfully destroy the nest.

1. First of all, choose the right time for the action and prepare for it. Be ready for the operation in early morning or late at night, when the largest number of carpenter bees is in the nest and they are less active.
2. Despite the fact that the majority of carpenter bees are not a danger for the people, bees will try to attack and scare you, so an anti-bee protection costume is recommended. If you don’t have one, wear thick clothes that cover all your body.
3. Find all entrances to the nest. The entrance to the tunnel system is easily recognizable – a long yellow stain is an unmistakable sign. In some cases, carpenter bees’ nests may have up to 5-10 entrances.
4. Take a WB40 spray gun and put a spray stick as deep as you can into the hole. Spay the lubricant in small doses. Repeat for each entrance.
5. If the tunnel system is big enough, most likely a large amount of bees will survive, so repeat a procedure every day until all bees are gone.
6. Sometimes petroleum-derived chemicals like WD40 or White-Spirit don’t destroy the whole nest. In that case “hard artillery” is applied. Pesticide is what kills carpenter bees on contact and is a 100% solution for these cases. But remember that such kinds of chemicals are extremely toxic, so don’t forget about safety measures.
7. After all bees are killed you have to make sure that carpenter bees won’t settle down in the same place again. Seal all the nest entrances with plaster or polyurethane foam.
8. To prevent the appearance of carpenter bees in future, treat the wood in your house with anti-insect solutions. Also, carpenter bees don’t like painted wood and places where Melissa, lemon balm, basil etc. grow.

WD40 and carpenter bees are two incompatible things, so following these steps should help you to rebel bees and prevent them in future. However, if you are not sure in your abilities, it’s always better to leave such work to professionals.

FAQ

Some frequently asked questions about the topic of how to kill wood bees or prevent them.

What is the best way to get rid of carpenter bees?

The most effective and fast method is to use pesticides or lubricants. However, it’s better not to kill bees and try planting unpleasant herbs for bees like basil or lemon balm.

Also, carpenters don’t like loud music and vibrations, so you may try to make bees leave by setting up working speakers in front of the nest.

What smells do carpenter bees hate?

All bees don’t like the smells of lemon balm, mint, basil, Melissa, sagebrush, lavender. Smoke and chemical vapors also drive away carpenter bees.

What attracts carpenter bees?

Bees serve as effective pollinators for plants, so carpenter bees are highly attracted by flowers, sweet smells and bright colors. These bees make their nests in untreated wood, so painted materials are unpleasant for them.

So, Will WD40 Kill Carpenter Bees?

Using WD40 is an effective and affordable method. Because of its petrol-derived basis WD40 is a lethal solution for all kinds of bees. Follow the guide to successfully get rid of carpenter bees for good. In some cases, when the nest is already very large, toxic pesticides are used.

Have you ever had wood bees in your house? How did you handle it? Share your story in the comments below.

Also read:

• How to Get Rid of Bees
• Best Carpenter Bee Trap
• Best Bee Killer Spray
• Bumble Bee vs Carpenter Bee
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work
• Carpenter Bee Trap Bait
• How to Keep Bees Away

References

• Pesticide Safety Tips (United State Environmental Protection Agency) https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-incidents/pesticide-safety-tips#:~:text=Use%20protective%20measures%20when%20handling,hands%20immediately%20after%20applying%20pesticides.
• Safety Data Sheet (California CARB Compliant)
  https://files.wd40.com/pdf/sds/mup/wd-40-multi-use-product-aerosol-low-voc-sds-us-ghs.pdf

Here’s my story over citrus spray for carpenter bees. Once returning from a family vacation, we noticed interesting “neighbors.” These were unusual dark-colored insects, similar either to large flies or to bumblebees.

They lived directly inside the canvas of our front door. There were several holes, which these insects periodically flew out and into. They’ve obviously set up there and had no plans to leave! I clearly recognized carpenter bees.

Such tenants can cause significant damage to new buildings and wooden surfaces. Moreover, their bites can be quite painful and dangerous, especially for those with allergies. What are these insects and how to deal with them? Here is the natural way to go — citrus spray for carpenter bees.

Guide on Citrus Carpenter Bee Repellent Spray

Carpenter bees can become a real nuisance for country house owners. They often build nests close to humans: in front doors, decking, porches, cornices, stair railings, garden furniture, wooden fence posts and so on. Every year they cause massive damage by tunneling wooden structures in various designs.

The insects could also be quite invasive. It is males who show the greatest aggressiveness, but they are not able to attack since they do not have a sting. Females, however, can sting, but only if seriously provoked. In particular, you shouldn’t swing your arms too much, catch bees or press them hard, it’s better to just ignore their buzzing and flying over your head.

The best defense against carpenter bees is, as in many cases, prevention. Wood such as pine, fir, cypress, oak, and mahogany, especially if the wood is not barked, stained, or treated, are the most common to be damaged.

You can suspect having such unusual neighbors by the following signs:

• even rounded holes with yellow spots in the wood;
• heaps of sawdust;
• “swarming” of bees around;
• insects enter their burrows or fly out of them.

So what shall you do with it? Further are given step-by-step instructions. Carpenter bee traps do not always work, and the solution must be environmentally friendly, humane and safe. This option is just what you need.

DIY Citrus Carpenter Bee Repellent

Why carpenter bees don’t like strong smells, and what smells do carpenter bees hate?

Insects do not tolerate strong and pungent odors, this is especially true for carpenter bees that feed on wood and have no need in odors as a guide to collect pollen.

Such smells are a signal of danger and, respectively, repel the bees. Garlic, cinnamon, almond, geranium, tomato, alcohol, gasoline, and vinegar work effectively. The most effective and safe, as practice shows, is a citrus oil spray for carpenter bees.

How to make and use it:

1. First, let’s prepare everything necessary. We will need water and citrus fruits (lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, kumquat) and salt. Yes, your slice of lemon lying around in the fridge will do. You may as well use only one kind of fruit, but I prefer to mix. As you can see, the ingredients are very simple and natural. They can be found everywhere, and the remedy will not cause harm to others. The quantity is determined at our discretion or according to the possibilities. The more concentrated the remedy we prepare, the more effectively it will work.
2. Citrus fruits should be washed in cold water and cut for convenience.
3. Next, carefully squeeze the juice into a separate bowl. We will add it later to our spray.
4. Now we should cut the peel and pulp, or rather its remains, as finely as possible (so the fruit will release more essential oils). Then put it all in a saucepan filled with cold salty water. You can also add a few cloves of garlic if you like.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 15 minutes.
6. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid and let it cool completely.
7. In the meantime, add essential oils (optional) of citronella, geranium, lemongrass, and mint to the juice. Сitrus oil for carpenter bees is really a strong repellent, so it’s highly recommended to include them too. Here you can also use only 1 essential oil or a combination. Even a few drops are enough.
8. When our broth has cooled, you need to strain it. This way it will be more convenient to spray the product during processing. Waste can then be composted and also used effectively as fertilizer.
9. Mix juice with oils and broth. Pour it into a spray bottle. Voila! We are ready to fight uninvited guests in the garden.

Now let’s talk about the processing itself. You need to properly prepare for it. The most efficient time for processing is during the daytime since the carpenter bees are usually not in the nest during this period. Watch the nest. Pick up the moment when the insects flew out.

Thoroughly treat all wooden surfaces and the surrounding area, such as the lawn. While spraying, pay special attention to cracks in the wood sheet, if any. Carpenter bees look for cracks that will make their entrances less visible to woodpeckers, so they prefer to populate such wood.

Insects may return, so treatment should be carried out every year at least several times during the active season.

N.B. A little about safety.

• When preparing the spray, keep in mind that odors are quite strong, and if you cannot tolerate them, take care of good ventilation in the room. Do not use the product or any of its ingredients if you are allergic.
• The tool is safe and environmentally friendly, but make sure that it does not fall into the hands of children.
• In pets, the product may cause discomfort, although it is safe.

FAQ

Does orange oil repel carpenter bees?

Yes, it only repels but causes no harm. Any strong odors for these insects are an indicator of danger. Accordingly, bees avoid such places and objects for safety reasons.

What smell attracts carpenter bees?

Earthy, wooden smells and sweat. These are smells reminiscent of their natural habitat or food source. They signal that carpenter bees could feel comfortable here and attract insects.

Is orange oil safe for bees?

Yes, it isn’t harmful. Citrus oils do not cause discomfort or problems for bees because they are a natural component. Due to its pungent odor, the components of the spray only repel insects.

How to Safely Deal With Carpenter Bees

I shared the safe way to solve a problem that is quite relevant in the warm season. Insects often coexist with people in the modern world. Unfortunately, this is not always comfortable and leads to certain difficulties.

Our main task is to minimize the harm from such coexistence for both parties. Besides, the pleasant smell of citrus is not so bad, don’t you think? Would it be interesting for you to try such spray?

Also read:

• How to Get Rid of Bees
• How to Get Rid of Bumble Bees
• How to Get Rid of Ground Bees
• Carpenter Bee Trap Bait
• How to Keep Bees Away
• Bumble Bee vs Carpenter Bee
• How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work

References:

• Carpenter Bees (United States Department of Agriculture)
  https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/carpenter_bees.shtml
• Get Rid of Carpenter Bees? Yes, Please! (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University)
  https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/43827/carpenter-bees-FS-NYSIPM.pdf?sequence=1
• Carpenter Bees (NC State University)
  https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/carpenter-bees