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jovol
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# Posted: 5 May 2022 09:17
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I recently bought a 20 year old white pine cabin and had it delivered to my property. The cabin can prebored with hundreds of carpenter bee holes. Now that the warmth has arrived, it's time to deal with them. I eliminated hundreds of them the past couple evenings with Spectracides aerosol foaming carpenter bee killer. There are definitely still a bunch that survived, but the population was severely reduced.
As for my steps forward, I want to make solve three things: 1. make sure the larvae are killed, 2. fill and seal the holes, 3. apply something to help prevent new infestations. For number 1, I found a post from 2011 (https://www.small-cabin.com/forum/2_1078_0.html#msg13038) that instructed to use Drione dust and a small hand duster to inject the dust into the holes. Wondering if anyone has feedback on this, or if solutions have evolved since 2011?
Part 2 of filling, I've found suggestions online to pack steel wool into the hole, and then patch the hole with a wood dowel smeared in wood glue (titebond, etc). Fill any gaps with wood putty. Maybe I'll use hardwood dowels and they'll be less inclined to rebore them?
Part 3, prevention: I'm wondering if there's a finish I should apply to the white pine? I enjoy the look and feel of the wood, I don't want to apply a plastic polyurethane or something like that. But if you have suggestions on something effective that has a natural appearance, I'm all ears. I will be fascia boards as they've really been eaten up, and would like to apply the finish before hanging them up. In addition to applying a finish, the same post from 2011 recommended an insecticide with cypermethrin, spray it about once a month during the spring. Anyone have good fortune with that?
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Brettny
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# Posted: 5 May 2022 10:54
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That wood looks prety dry to begin with. I would use a good oil based stain like TWP. Generaly I havent had any bee problems with oil stained wood...eventhough next to it I will.
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FishHog
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# Posted: 7 May 2022 07:53
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Those holes look like the holes pine Beetles make in live pine trees around here. Wonder if that is beetle killed pine and the bees are just taking advantage of the existing holes
Probably doesn’t matter either way but like Brettny said I’d go with an oil stain. Most boring bugs won’t like that and will move on
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 7 May 2022 10:22
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Get a large syringe from the farm store and inject each hole with insecticide? Then wad some newspaper in a hole to take up space and cover with a patch?
Might check around to find out what 'log home fixit guys' use for exterior patching. Think Id like something that comes in caulking tubes.
How to match the colors might be a prob.
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spencerin
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# Posted: 8 May 2022 09:03 - Edited by: spencerin
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I have plenty of experience with carpenter bees! Here's what I did -
Take a stiff but flexible piece of wire (12-gauge insulated, for example) and push it into the hole. If there's a bee in there, that'll make it mad, and I'll start exiting the hole. Right when it's about to exit, spray it with PB Blaster or WD-40. For some reason, that stuff kills them really quick. Then, push the wire back into the hole and ream the hole out with it - you'll be destroying any chambers and larvae that may be in there.
I filled the holes with expanding foam/spray bottle insulation, then patched over it with wood filler. My cabin was painted, so when I painted over it you couldn't ever tell there was a hole there.
As far as prevention, I bought several traps. They look like small birdhouses with a bottle attached to the bottom. Carpenter bees enter the trap thinking it's a nest, realize it isn't, then fly into the bottle in an effort to escape. For some reason they don't fly out the hole they flew into. I've caught 30+ bees in one trap over the course of a couple weeks before.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 8 May 2022 09:15
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Spray ether for engine starting knocks insects down Quick!, think it pretty much freezes em.
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