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Baxter Smith
05-05-2010, 9:17 PM
Thought this might be of interest to some. I know some take great delight in swatting these with tennis rackets. Can't say I have never done it myself!:) Just remember its only the males. The females are off doing their thing.

I cut up some old scrap cedar a week okay to make some backing blocks for crown molding. Found these bee larvae inside. Just left the piece sitting on my workbench. Yesterday I noticed one had molted. I took this picture about 6 this evening and was going to post it tonight.
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I had just finished roughing out a hollowform when my wife came into the shop at 9. Showed her the piece and I noticed things weren't quite the same!
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Jay Jolliffe
05-06-2010, 5:38 AM
They come back every year if you don't kill them. The larvae returns where they were born to bore new holes. I care took a house that had cedar trim & they peppered the trim all over the the house with 1/2" round holes. There was hundreds of them. I put up some new cedar trim on my house. I used lead as flashing, the bee did it just under the flashing before I folded it down. I folded it down & it covered the hole. The next day there was a 1/2" hole through the lead flashing. If you don't kill the larvae they come back. That's another story....

Rich Engelhardt
05-07-2010, 6:25 AM
Thought this might be of interest to some.
Bad timing...

Really, really, really - bad timing.

I had my eye on a Powermatic jointer since they were on a great sale.

Then - the carpenter bees stole that from me :mad:.

$1200.00 later to replace the facia & get rid of the bees......
All hopes of ever having a Powermatic just faded away...



If you don't kill the larvae they come back.
Brother do they ever!!!!
Nothing short of napalm - or one of those electric tennis racquets ;) - seems to bother them.
I dusted the holes, filled them, dusted, filled till I was half dead myself.
I swear there's a new strain of bees or something that uses poison as some sort of Viagra :D.
They came back in droves this year!

Lee Schierer
05-07-2010, 7:54 AM
Nothing short of napalm - or one of those electric tennis racquets ;) - seems to bother them.


I prefer a badminton racquet and a good backhand stroke. Takes them out every time and you have bit more reach than a tennis racquet. You can also wait until the bee goes into the hole and fill the holes with caulking. They go in but can't get out.........sort of like a home made roach motel.

Ted Calver
05-07-2010, 8:43 AM
dusting with seven works for me...and a racqetball racquet

Bonnie Campbell
05-07-2010, 10:25 AM
dusting with seven works for me...and a racqetball racquet

I was just going to add that Sevin has worked here too. You still get the holes to start with, but they haul the dust with them and it's a longer lasting approach to controlling the bees.

Tom Godley
05-07-2010, 12:20 PM
I had an invasion of them a few years ago -- They are tenacious.

I sprayed the holes with bee killer -- when I could hear them munching away. Some of the holes are really deep- and the chemicals don't get to them. I must have had 30 holes!

Finally -- I took some closed cell foam and filled all the holes -- that worked. This year I only have a few around.

Dave Wagner
05-07-2010, 12:42 PM
Yes, they can bore into the wood and cause major structual damage. I know neighbors that had them, thare a real pain in the butt.....