Wood Carpet Bees

The most common signs of a carpenter bee infestation are the round smooth holes that carpenter bees bore into wood.

Wood carpet bees.

Signs of an infestation. Carpenter bees are species in the genus xylocopa of the subfamily xylocopinae the genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. Painted wood is slightly better at discouraging infestation than stained wood but the difference is effectively marginal. And unlike honey or bumble bees carpenter bees nest in wood rather than in the ground matts says so they leave behind round drill like holes.

The common name carpenter bee derives from their nesting behavior. Plug existing holes to prevent a future worker bee infestation. Although carpenter bees can attack all wood surfaces they tend to prefer untreated wood. Get rid of carpenter bees yourself in just two steps.

They don t actually eat wood though. The holes carpenter bees create may seem small on the outside but the galleries are much bigger and more damaging than meets the eye. To identify early damage to buildings homeowners should regularly inspect the perimeter of the home and surrounding property for the presence of these holes and hovering bees. Paint or stain with varnish any untreated wooden surfaces outside that may attract carpenter bees.

Use a carpenter bee spray to kill active wood boring bees combined with an insecticide dust application in the holes.