Drione dust is supposed to be effective at eliminating the nest, but you have to find the entry hole first. It will most likely be on the underside of the wood somewhere.

Drione dust is basically silica and pyrethins. It is applied at the entrance on the hole and it sticks to the feet of the female as she tends to the nest resulting in the death of the entire population.

I haven't used it, just heard it is effective and since it is pyrethin based I have no doubt it will kill the bees. It kills lots of insects too, so apply it carefully to the bee hole and try to avoid getting it elsewhere best you can.

If you go this route you might want to buy a sprayer for it to blow it into the hole.

I had read something about using that, but I didn't think it was an organic solution. Am I wrong? Silica is highly toxic to humans and animals, right? I'm not familiar with pyrethins.

I should probably specify that I have 3 dogs and 1 small child all of whom like to put anything and everything in their mouth...thus part of the reason I want to be very careful with what products I chose to use.

Also, if the nests are in the joists of the shed, I'm not sure how I would go about accessing them.

Somethign tells me this is not an easy problem to deal with, huh?

Pyrethins are organic and safe for humans and pets, but the silica is not organic nor is it safe. It wouldn't be likely to cause problems for the kids or pets, but you as the applicator would need to be very careful to not inhale the fine dust.

It is a major lung irritant and can cause silicosis which is basically lesions in the lungs. The reason the Drione dust works is because the fine silica dust adheres to the female bee's legs as she goes about her business and spreads the pyrethins throughout the nest so the baby bees are killed by it.

Because the silica is a drying agent it remains effective even in high moisture envirnoments for a longer period of time than other dusts would.

So, it is kind of a mixed bag. The silica is what gets the pyrethins into the nest and as you noted, if the toxin doesn't get into the nest the problem doesn't go away. But, it is also not organic and is toxic to humans/pets if you/they breath it in.

They make dusters which can be used to 'blow' it into the nest as far as it will go, but ultimately you have to decide whether the risk is worth it to you.

I am generally a fan of choosing the least toxic means of *effectively* solving a problem. I certainly don't know of every method out there, but of those I know of the drione dust is the least toxic method I have confidence will work. Not non toxic, just the least toxic way I know of.

I have kids and a dog as well so I can certainly relate to your concern. A call you have to make.

Hello gardenfrog. I had this problem about the same time last year in the entire length of a wood fence that surrounds our property on two sides. I completely understand your desire for a safe solution. I did a lot of research and this is what I can remember, in an effort to share:

1. The bees are particularly bad this time of year March/April - June because they are tending to their nests inside the wood.
2. They drill holes in untreated wood. The best deterent for preventing more bees from drilling (assuming you want to keep the wood edifice!) is painting the wood. Wood stain will not work, I understand.
3. The bees rarely sting. I can't remember exactly, but one sex is not capable of stinging and the other just really doesn't, unless completely cornered. However, as you have witnessed, they can do a lot of damage.

Which brings me to my next point,--- last year, the first real summer in our new (newly acquired that is) house, we discovered carpenter bees and the 100s of holes they drilled/ occupied. Very long story short, this is what we did. My fiance used an air gun that you fill with dust, and in this case, we used Sevin dust. I, on the other hand, had a caulking gun with brown latex caulk which somewhat matched the color of our unpainted wood fence. We started at one end of the fence and he blew the Sevin into the holes with the tip of the gun while I caulked the hole closed. I think we had tried to use only the dust prior to this, but it seemed that the bees were unabated.

Again, I have to say I prefer not to use anything that may be poisonous to children, animals or the environment, but this was the best way we could control the dust (by plugging it up in the holes using the caulk) and the bees which were literally flying into my head sometimes as I was trying to plant/ garden next to fence. One flew into my sister-in-law while we were eating outside one day and I thought she was going to have a heart attack.

This year, we had not treated at all, and I do believe we do not have nearly the problem as last year. I can't say, empirically, if it had anything to do with last year's treatment, weather conditions, general insect life spans, etc. All I know is that I am happy that it is not as bad.

Hope this helps and good luck. I know what it's like--- very, very annoying.

I use a spray can of GUMOUT carb+choke cleaner with the straw small straw extension on the nozzle. Avoid spraying on painted surfaces.

Given that bees sometimes can be a bit of a problem that they are essential to our survival must also be recognized. Killing bees should not be an option, ever, and certainly not something brought up on an Integrated Pest Management forum.

Since Carpenter Bees prefer to burrow into untreated, and soft, wood the easiest method of control is to either paint or stain that wood. However, if they are burrowing in the wood may need to be replaces since old unprotected wood tends to not hold paint or stain very well.

kimmq is kimmsr

I love the last two comments. I'm having an issue with the carpenter bees on my back deck and killing them was never an option. I'm going to try the suggestion of using the essential oils, thanks. It seemed like every other post suggested killing the bees. I was happy to see a more humane option.

No problem Sandy. Always happy to share :) Do let us know how you get on

It is now July of 2015, and we are hearing buzzing inside our walls -- carpenter bees or wasps? Is the citrus/tea tree oil combo still the best organic way?

Most of the products listed in the "How to get rid of carpenter bees" above are pyrethroids, synthetic pyrethrins, poisons.

If you are hearing buzzing in the walls of your house the best thing to do is get a reputable bee keeper out to assess what you have.

kimmq is kimmsr

Since Carpenter Bees like old soft wood, and are very beneficial, for those who have the room, why not put up a decoy wooden structure, like a garden sculpture, of unpainted soft old wood, to draw the bees away from the house and into something they like. Then treat and paint the house, shed, garage or whatever structure they're damaging.

I too love carpenter bees and have purposely keep a small old shed for them to use, and built a new one that they don't use, as it's partly plastic and also well painted.

Carpenter Bees are docile gentle creatures that so rarely sting that in 40 years of gardening, I've never heard of anyone being stung by them. They do a lot of pollinating and are just fun to watch. I would never kill them.

H i Sylvi635,

Sorry for the late reply have been on holidays :)

Yes, go natural so to speak - Citri Fresh Bee Stop is a 100% natural with no pyrethroids, synthetic pyrethrins or poisons with great results!

I totally agree with Kimmq get the bees properly checked out before making any decision on treatment. As advised by BarbJP CA 15-16/9B, once removed paint all exposed wood areas, making sure you fill all holes prior.

Carpenter Bees are very docile creatures and do alot for your garden with regards to pollination, so be kind and try to avoid harming them where possible.

Good luck & keep us posted :)

From How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees.com

Just heard on local Louisville radio about THE best most natural way to get rid of carpenter bees...

Make a a fake wasp nest out of craft paper and string. This is kind of like placing a fake snake in your garden to rid of birds from eating your vegetables.

I haven't tried this personally but it was a recommendation from the host of a Home radio show: http://m.55krc.com/onair/gary-sullivan-18272/making-a-fake-wasp-nest-to-14712977/

Hope this helps. I'll be making one today myself.

I've been using the Best Bee Trap from Best Bee Brothers - www.bestbeebrothers.com - and find they work great without harmful chemicals.

That "Best Bee Trap" looks like just another way to kill, or as the sellers say "get rid" of bees. That it works without harmful chemicals, to kill bees, is not something in favor of it.

The fake wasps nest sounds like a much more environmentally sound means of causing bees to relocate, which is much more preferable than killing them off.

kimmq is kimmsr

There is an old tree in the front yard of the house we just purchased that has several round holes and 2 bees that I assume are carpenter bees. Yesterday was the first time I saw the second bee, normally I only see one bee flying around occasionally. While trimming some bushes in front of the tree I did notice I was getting buzzed by one of them. I have two small children so I don't want anything to happen, would you recommend having the bees removed? I'm torn because if it is just the two bees and they mind their own business then they won't bother me but I'm worried that since the tree has other holes there may be more bees that I haven't seen and I'd hate to get to a point where I'm dealing with a costly infestation.

Find a bee keeper that will come out and remove that hive.

Normally, and contrary to what many people seem to believe, bees will not sting you or the children. Bees are out and about for one reason, to collect pollen from plants and make honey. The only reason a bee might sting anyone is because they feel threatened and once a bee stings that bee dies, so there is no incentive for any bee to sting.

I have worked out in the garden with tons of bees working the blossoms with no problem. The one time I was stung by a bee I was no where near any flower, the bee was traveling somewhere and flew into the shop door I had just opened and was knocked down onto my arm where the wee bugger stung me, and died.

In my experience, most everyone that has been stung by a "bee" has actually been stung by a Yellow Jacket, a wasp that looks a bit like a bee to people that do not know the difference.

kimmq is kimmsr

I only just found out these bugs existed.

Is it true what I read that these bees don't drill deep enough to cause serious damage? I have about a dozen of them around an unpainted pergola. I'm screening it it anyway so I thought I'd just leave them alone and we could just share. The screening process had to cover up some of their holes so I used a Fostner bit to drill half-inch holes nearby.

But I'd like to be able to anticipate how bad they can get. thank you.

Pagan

Best, you are not allowed to spam in the GardenWeb. You can delete your post, if you wish, before the administrators do. You and your brother Mike (from the earlier post) are not playing fair.

Fakechuchi, in large enough numbers, carpenter bees can do substantial structural damage. You might want to consider a strategy of some sort.

Thank you, Rhizo. They appeared to have disappeared from the pergola area, probably spooked or killed by the pressure-treated wood that I used to install the screens.

These bees are beneficial & good pollinators for vegetables. If you use an insecticide/pesticide you will harm other insects not just the bees & these chemicals may be carcinogenic for humans too. It is recommended to use oil-based paint on the wood to deter the bees & have an alternative nesting area for them to use such as pieces of untreated scrap wood or build a bee house.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-63_pollinators-_carpenter_bees.htm