How to Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees? How to Kill Carpenter Bees at Home?

How to Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees?: Those half an inch holes in unfinished wood work and furnishing can beat the daylights out of any home owner. Yes, they indicate that your home is infested with carpenter bees. Though these bees are far from aggressive, they can make your home a breeding ground and destroy your garden, home and peace of mind. If you are wondering as to how to get rid of carpenter bees, then you have hit the right page!

In case of an infestation, you need to start acting right away or else your house will be in the line of danger, as the bees will start drilling in the wood so that they are able to lay eggs. However, with a few home remedies, getting rid of carpenter bees/wood bees will be as easy as child’s play!

10 Home Remedies to Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees

1. Vacuum Cleaner

The simplest and perhaps the most effective home remedy to get rid of carpenter bees is to use your vacuum cleaner. This remedy works best when the nest is new. Use the smallest nozzle of your vacuum cleaner and simply suck the bees out! A vacuum cleaner works better than most chemical carpenter bee sprays.

Also read: Home Remedies to Get Rid of House Flies

2. Citrus Spray

Citrus sprays too work very well in curbing a carpenter bee infestation. Like most other insects and bugs, carpenter bees have a natural abhorrence towards anything citric.

Boil some water in a pot. Cut up citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons and add it to the pot of water. Boil it until it is reduced to one-third of its volume. Fill the liquid in a spray bottle, and spray it into the holes in the wood. This will keep carpenter bees miles away from your home.

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3. Almond Oil

You can use this oil to get rid of carpenter bees naturally and yes, effectively! Since bees cannot stand almond oil, they do not enter the area that the oil is sprayed onto. It also discourages them from returning to their nests.

Take a small quantity of almond oil and apply it in and around the holes and nests where the bees are mostly seen. Later, with the help of a torch, look into the holes and make sure the bees have evacuated the place.

Also read: Best Fruit Flies Repellent

4. Gasoline

This is yet another tried and tested method to chase carpenter bees away. Gasoline is a pesticide in itself and hence, helps to kill and destroy the pesky bees. However, it is highly flammable and should be handled with care by using proper protective gloves and eye gear. Fill a spray bottle or spray can with diesel or petrol. Squirt it in the burrows where the bees reside.

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5. Paint

Bees attack all types of wooden surfaces, but they especially go after untreated wood; this is why painting your wooden items will ensure that bees do not mess with it.

Use a good quality exterior primer to paint unfinished wood or pieces of furniture. Make sure to apply at least two coats of the primer for enhanced protection. You can use oil based paints to acquire the same desired effect.

Also read: How to Get Rid Of Termites with Home Remedies?

6. Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is also an effective home remedy to get rid of carpenter bees. It contains fossilized remains of diatoms which will drive away carpenter bees. Diatomaceous Earth is usually used as an insecticide in gardening and contains particles with sharp microscopic edges which get into the exoskeleton of the bees and kill them.

Simply take a small quantity of the powder (using gloves) and apply it inside the holes and nests that the bees have drilled into.

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7. Boric Acid Powder

Boric Acid Powder is poisonous and hence can kill carpenter bees. Sprinkling the powder into the holes of the carpenter bees will also destroy their larvae before they hatch. Hence, another population of bees is swiftly prevented from hatching and growing!

Apply boric acid powder around the affected areas and the holes where the bees have marked their territory.

Also read: 10 Natural Remedies for Spider Bite

8. Vinyl Siding

Did you know that you can get rid of carpenter bees naturally by using vinyl siding? Vinyl siding has a non-wooden surface, which is why the bees cannot drill into these items. Thus, it protects your home’s wooden artifacts from bee damage.

Install vinyl siding in your home. You can also use aluminum siding for the same purpose.

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9. Natural Spray Repellent

You can also make a natural repellent to get rid of carpenter bees at your very home. This tonic is easy to make and highly effective in chasing carpenter bees away.

Blend 1/8 ounce each of jojobal oil, tea tree oil, pennyroyal oil, ½ ounce citronella oil and quarter ounce lavender oil. Pour these essential oils into a dark glass bottle. Add 16 ounces of pure vodka into the bottle and mix it well. Cap the bottle with a spray nozzle and squirt the liquid into the holes to kill the bees.

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10. Pyrethrum spray

Also known as Tanacetum, Pyrethrum is a flowering plant with natural insecticidal properties. This can be put to use in the form of a spray to kill carpenter bees.

Crush and powder some pyrethrum flowers into a bottle. Add some water and shake well. Spray this liquid in areas infected by the bees. It is prudent that you wear gloves, protective clothing, goggles and if possible a respirator to avoid the insecticidal dust from entering your eyes and to protect yourself from bee stings.

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How to Keep Carpenter Bees Away From Your Home?

• Though carpenter bees can drill into wood items, they cannot dig into steel wool. Hence, plug the holes with steel wool, once the bees are exterminated.
• Make sure to wear masks and protective clothing to prevent bee stings while using the above home remedies.
• Most carpenter bees will try to gain access to the holes they made the previous season, so make sure that vulnerable areas and all other holes are properly sealed once the bees have left it. To block the holes, make use of wood dowels or wood putty.

Also read: How To Get Rid Of Fleas?

Getting rid of carpenter bees naturally is no herculean task. Armed with these remedies and a little bit of patience you will soon be rid of these pesky insects. Try them today.