Carpenter Bee Control in Columbus, OH

Carpenter bees in a deck or fascia: how to tell it is them

Carpenter bees are big, shiny black and yellow bees that hover near wood in spring. Unlike bumble bees, the top of the abdomen is bare and glossy instead of fuzzy. You often notice them before you notice the damage.

• A perfectly round hole about half an inch wide in a deck board, rail, post, eave or fascia
• A small pile of coarse sawdust on the ground or on the surface below the hole
• A yellow-brown streak running down the wood from the hole
• A buzzing or scratching sound inside the board
• Large bees hovering and darting at you near the eaves

Bees drilling holes in wood: why your deck and why every spring

A female carpenter bee chews a hole, then turns and tunnels along the grain to make a gallery with small chambers. She stocks each one with pollen, lays an egg and seals it in. The sawdust you see is the wood she removed.

Bare, weathered or thinly painted softwood is her favorite, which describes plenty of Columbus decks, pergolas and older porch trim. Bees reuse and extend old tunnels year after year, so a small problem this spring can become a bigger one by the third summer.

Carpenter bee treatment in Ohio: what works and what does not

Most jobs combine the first and third steps, then refinish the wood. Products are applied per the label, and the label gives the re-entry time. We also ask about pets, kids and allergies and plan around the answers.

How much damage can carpenter bees do?

One tunnel is cosmetic. Many tunnels in the same board, year after year, weaken it. Fascia, deck rails, support posts and the ends of rafters are the places worth watching, because a weakened board in the wrong spot is a repair bill.

Damage is usually slow, which gives you time to act in the right window. If you have never had a bee problem, check the underside of rails and the ends of boards each April, because bees often pick out the same few spots.

How long can a carpenter bee tunnel get?

Ohio State University Extension reports that a gallery can reach about ten feet as generations add to it. The entrance stays a clean, round hole a little under half an inch wide, so the real damage hides inside the board. Yellow-brown staining under a hole is a sign that tunnels run out of sight.

Why is a woodpecker tearing up my fascia?

Woodpeckers and flickers can riddle wood with holes while hunting carpenter bee larvae and overwintering adults, according to Ohio State. If the holes are ragged and large instead of round and neat, bees may be the cause and the birds the symptom. Treat the bees and the birds usually lose interest.

What does a carpenter bee visit look like, step by step?

1. You show us the holesPoint out the holes and the sawdust, and tell us how long this has been going on. We count the entry points.
2. We confirm they are carpenter beesRound holes with sawdust point to carpenter bees. Other wood damage points to different insects, and we say so.
3. We treat each tunnelLabeled product goes into every active hole, and exposed surfaces are treated as the plan calls for.
4. We tell you when to sealOnce activity stops, the holes can be plugged. We explain the timing and the materials.
5. We plan the follow-upA return visit is part of the plan when new holes or late bees show up.

Timing the season: treat, wait, then seal

Adults come out of old tunnels in April and May to mate and nest. A second wave of young adults appears in late summer, feeds on pollen and heads back into tunnels to spend the winter. Spring treatment catches the nesting adults. Late summer or early fall treatment catches the new generation.

Sealing belongs at the end of the sequence. If you plug a hole while a bee or larva is still inside, the adult can chew a new exit right beside the old one. Our carpenter bee holes in your deck guide explains how to time it and what to use.

Why dusk, and why wait a few days before plugging?

Ohio State advises treating at dusk or after dark on cool evenings, when the adults are inside the tunnels. A pyrethroid dust goes deep into each hole and onto the nearby wood. Then you wait a few days so bees moving through the gallery spread the dust and take a full dose before the holes are plugged.

Paint, stain or vinyl: what keeps carpenter bees from coming back?

Ohio State University Extension says bees avoid well-painted wood and wood covered with bark, and prefer straight-grained softwoods such as cedar, pine and fir. It suggests polyurethane or oil-based paint, inspected on a schedule, because a weathered coat exposes bare wood. Stain does not prevent damage.

Surface insecticide on bare wood, put on in early spring, gives short-term protection and has to be repeated. For a rail or fascia that keeps getting hit, the lasting fix may be material. Aluminum, vinyl and similar trim are not damaged by these bees.

The trade-off is cost and look. Repainting is cheap compared with swapping trim, and a board that is badly weakened should be replaced instead of treated. Ohio State says to replace wood once bee damage reduces the strength of posts, rails or other structural members.

How much does carpenter bee control cost?

We price carpenter bee work by the number of holes, the structure and how hard it is to reach. A single deck rail is a short visit. Fascia and rooflines at height take longer.

You hear the price before work starts. Past customers describe the pricing as fair. Replacing badly damaged boards is carpentry, and we will tell you if a board looks too far gone to treat.

Dusting carpenter bee holes in Ohio: Ohio State's method and the label rule

Ohio State University Extension names a pyrethroid dust, injected deep into each entrance hole and onto adjacent wood, as the usually most effective control. It advises doing it at dusk or after dark in protective clothing. Each dust is an EPA-registered product, and under EPA rules the label sets where it may go and how long to keep people and pets away.

If you hire the work, Ohio requires the company to hold an ODA Pesticide Business License, which ODA's public business search lets you check by name. Ask which product goes in the holes, whether the plan includes a return look and when the holes may be plugged.