How to get rid of them? They have invaded my porch.
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Boring bumblebees
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 brainfix |
Boring bumblebees |
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(06/12/08 12:52 AM) |
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oldhippie01930 |
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(06/12/08 04:43 AM) Administrator |
These are called "carpenter bees" and are very non-aggressive as bees go. They are solitary, and bore almost perfectly round holes in wood about
3/8" in diameter. I have seen the eves of a few houses inundated with these things. Once they enter their bores, hornet and wasp sprays seem to do the
trick, but I would know how to keep them away in the first place.
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Evelyn |
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(06/12/08 07:25 AM) Administrator |
We had them on the underside of a porch railing and did as you suggest, OH.....sprayed repeatedly into the hole with the killer stuff and then plugged the
holes with some of that foam insulation spray. Seemed to work. I'm amazed at how perfectly they drill a nice round hole, too. I have no idea how much
structural damage they might do or whether they burrow into tunnels or just a hole. ???
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leftwingnut |
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(06/12/08 07:45 AM) |
Did you know if you just leave them alone they don't drill more holes, but if you kill 'em another usually moves in and that's when you get more
and more holes? They won't reuse the holes if you spray into 'em and kill the larvae -- they make new holes.
The males are territorial, and hover around keeping other males away from the holes. They're self-limiting that way. I get a kick out of walking up to them, having them go into surveillance mode, veer around to check me out, and then realize I'mnot another male carpenter bee and just ignore me. They're perfectly harmless, unless you molest them, and don't generally do much damage if you just leave 'em alone. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.-Theodore Roosevelt, The Kansas City Star, May 7, 1918 |
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t |
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(06/12/08 08:13 AM) |
Have to disagree on the level of damage, they can make quite a mess. As averse to spraying chemicals as I am, they do have to go
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Evelyn |
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(06/12/08 09:13 AM) Administrator |
Interesting info, LWN. Thanks. I think ours will be free to do as they please from now on.
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BackShore |
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(06/12/08 09:42 AM) |
leftwingnut wrote:That's very interesting. I think I'll leave my resident bee alone then.
"I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can." - Babe
Ruth
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o Realist o |
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(06/12/08 10:26 AM) |
I have tons of them buzzing around, also...figured that sooner or later they'd move on. Noticed that they have thinned out a lot over the past week. Thanks
for info, LWN.
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Frosty |
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(06/12/08 10:42 AM) |
I believe Lefty is right. A couple years ago we were invaded. At first we plugged the holes but they either unplugged them or made new ones. So I researched
and discovered that they are harmless (it would take 400 years for them to damage a deck seriously), the males have no stingers and their sole job is to
protect the nest by buzzing about, and if you leave the hole the next generation will reuse it the following year rather than bore new holes. So we've been
leaving the holes open - and no new holes have been bored the following years.
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Damon |
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(06/12/08 03:56 PM) |
I have always had those 3/8 drill bees around. They are not really a problem. They sure are big though!
Damon |
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Par Putt |
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(06/12/08 04:03 PM) |
fill the holes with tinfoil, they cant bite through it, my porch is filled with tinfoil, lol
"Golf is a game that is played on a 5 inch course - the distance between your ears." Bobby Jones
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 Zannylicious |
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(06/12/08 05:34 PM) |
I thought this was going to be about non-entertaining Bumble Bees...
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AlteredAnnie |
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(06/12/08 05:43 PM) |
I read somewhere that they always burrow/drill their hole to the right.
My dad used to stick a golf tee in the holes - perfect fit. |
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oldhippie01930 |
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(06/12/08 05:57 PM) Administrator |
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brainfix |
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(06/12/08 06:15 PM) |
Thanks for the great info. Now I know to just leave 'em alone. The holes they make are remarkably similar to a drill hole.
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Martin Del Vecchio |
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(06/12/08 08:20 PM) |
To prevent them from boring in the first place, paint the wood. The bees don't bore through paint.
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brainfix |
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(06/12/08 08:22 PM) |
My wood is painted. Go figure. Paint-resistant carpenter bees.
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elliegal |
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(06/12/08 08:26 PM) |
Nice pic, Marty, love it!
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brainfix |
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(06/12/08 08:30 PM) |
So we all need paint so we won't get bored?
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star squiggle |
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(06/12/08 08:35 PM) |
that picture is priceless, Martin
wouldn't it be fun if we all had a childhood picture as our avatar.... Martin...a little bird told me you don't have quite that much hair now-a-days
I'd rather laugh with
the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun... |
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elliegal |
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(06/12/08 08:39 PM) |
Sheesh, Squig. No wonder you don't want anyone to know who you are...
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