Control Carpenter Bees

Posted by Jamie McIntosh Jun 24, 2008

Whenever my children observe a new insect in the garden, they turn to me and ask, “How does that bug help us, mommy?” From a young age, children want to categorize the things in their world into good and bad, helpful and harmful. In a child’s eyes, flies and wasps are always bad, while butterflies and ladybugs are welcome visitors.

It’s up to us to point out the nuances of the insect world to our children. Yes, wasps can sting or behave aggressively, but they also feast on destructive caterpillars. Carpenter bees are another insect whose merits go unrecognized. It’s easy to condemn these plump bees with their shiny black abdomens, who hover menacingly in front of our faces when we wander into their territory. They drill unsightly holes into our decks and roof eaves, leaving a telltale pile of sawdust beneath their excavations.

However, according to the Ohio State Extension Service, carpenter bees are an important pollinator of trees and flowers. You may also be surprised to learn that, in spite of their unnerving appearance, aggressive-acting males lack a stinger. Furthermore, they don’t feed on wood, and the damage they cause is cosmetic, not structural. In light of the current bee colony collapse crisis, organic gardeners would do well to encourage all beneficial bee species, even when they cause a nuisance.

If carpenter bees plague you, repel them by painting all wood surfaces with oil-based paint. When you observe a bee excavating a new hole, fill it immediately with wood putty to discourage the drilling activity.