http://www.ehow.com/how_6363280_kill-flying-carpenter-bees.html
I just figured out what they were and why they have been lingering around my neighbor's split rail fence in my back yard. I looked more than once but couldn't see a nest. I also figured out why he spent all that time clearing brush from his fence line last month but ignored that 10 foot section.... he figured out they were there and then didn't do anything about it because it wasn't anywhere near HIS back yard/garden/child's play area. I just found about 5 bore holes in the top rail on his side.
I also wondered why one (or more?) was lingering around the the corner of my kid's wooden swing set, so great, now I have to try to find the bore hole between 2 2x6's with a half inch gap.
I already have the sugar water trap set on his fence. Hope it works.
Flying carpenter bees - Gordo's Stinging Insect Infestation 2011
I'm not even sure I knew of their existence until you posted this today and as I came back from lunch guess what was buzzing around the door into our offices?
We have a huge wooden deck outside the front door.
We have a huge wooden deck outside the front door.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
My research tells me that the ones that buzz your head are the males and they are stingless/harmless. The females are the ones that sting but they don't even care about you and they just go back and forth between the nest and a pollen source.
Still contemplating my options if the sugar trap doesn't work. You can't just spray these because all you have is a 1/2" hole and the rest of the nest is in the wood and there is a right angle 1" into the tunnel so you can't spray into it. If I pull the top rail some evening and carry it to a bonfire the females are probably going to come out and attack me. If I wait for cold weather I am going to have a new generation to deal with, as the egg --> adult cycle lasts about 3 months, and then there's more next year.
I guess since it is my neighbor's fence on his property I can just tell him to deal with them, and go to the next township meeting to complain if he doesn't.
Still contemplating my options if the sugar trap doesn't work. You can't just spray these because all you have is a 1/2" hole and the rest of the nest is in the wood and there is a right angle 1" into the tunnel so you can't spray into it. If I pull the top rail some evening and carry it to a bonfire the females are probably going to come out and attack me. If I wait for cold weather I am going to have a new generation to deal with, as the egg --> adult cycle lasts about 3 months, and then there's more next year.
I guess since it is my neighbor's fence on his property I can just tell him to deal with them, and go to the next township meeting to complain if he doesn't.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
That's a thought. It did say, though, that if you sealed them up with live bees inside they will just bore out. Would have to hope the foam snagged them proper.TPRJones wrote:You could try filling the nest with that rapidly expanding insulating foam stuff. They probably couldn't get out of that. Then sand it flat and paint it and it's good as new.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
