bumble bees?

[drobertson]

Tried to find the thread, these things are all over, never seen them before, until the post on them, could not find the post, 

  

 
Just wondering if these are the critters that plague the southern boys down south?

[yukon cornelius]

we had those suckers at our farm in northern mo. they would bore into all kinds of wood but preferred pine it seemed. they are hard to get rid of completely.

[beenthere]

You-all might be talking two different bees.. Bumble bees and carpenter bees.
Bumble bees don't eat out the wood for a nest. Usually nest in the ground or in a wall in a colony.

http://insects.about.com/od/antsbeeswasps/a/How-To-Control-Carpenter-Bees.htm

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef611.asp

[Autocar]

Yep your giving bumble bees a bad rap  :D. You have wood bees get yourself a swater and set back and start swinging when thet come in !

[Chuck White]

I was out in the garage sharpening bands a little earlier tonight (before dark) and had maybe 4-5 of them buzz through, up in the rafters!

Didn't seem to bother anything, but wonder why they were up in the rafters, they're usually a ground dweller!

[dgdrls]

Carpenter bee.  generally harmless to people, they love cedar fascia boards,

look for the perfect hole where its covered and rain will not enter.

DGDrls

[wolf nemeth]

    Those are carpenter bees, and will do untold damage to your outside rafters and/or fascia.  I have tried to gouge them out with flexible wire; their hold will go back several inches.  These are 1/2"holes, so if you have several in one area you will have structural damage;
   In the past i have bought an insect spray specifically for carpenter bees, but this year I have not found it. Hard to swat when they're up in the rafters.

[drobertson]

Thanks for the link beenthere!  they are for sure around this year, back again today.  Very persistent for sure. It's nice to know they most likely will not sting, but after last years encounter with a bumble bee, I just stay clear.
Amazing how they bore into the trusses.  I have never seen them before this year at the shed.

[LaneC]

Yes sir, you are a proud owner of carpenter bees. They will destroy anything wood that you do not want destroyed. I have torn down entire sheds that were totally devastated by these little scum bags. If you only have a few be thankful and try to kill them with a vengeance. I am not a violent person but I am giving you some good advice by telling you have no mercy!! Kill every one you see and if you see them go in a hole I tried to kill them while they were in the hole and do what ever you have to, and make sure their little offspring are killed while in there. There are a lot of ways to do it but be very vigilant in the total destruction of them. If they ever get infested then they are even harder to get rid of because they will keep coming back. I cannot stress enough to kill them asap with no mercy and hopefully they will not come back. Good luck and I would take them very serious.

[LeeB]

The carpenter bees have the black dot on their back. Bumble bees do not.

[Al_Smith]

I have a brick house with flitch cut cedar for the gable ends and cedar trim .When I repainted the wood several years ago I got wood pecker resistant paint from  Sherwin -Williams which not only reduced the wood pecker damage but also the carpenter bees .

[Chuck White]

Question!  Are these carpenter bees about half the size of a bumble be, and at a glance, look like bumble bees!

If so, I've seen a few around, but haven't seen any damage!

Good info though, I've never heard of carpenter bees!

[WDH]

The ones here are as big as bumble bees. 

[beenthere]

I have a brick house with flitch cut cedar for the gable ends and cedar trim .When I repainted the wood several years ago I got wood pecker resistant paint from  Sherwin -Williams which not only reduced the wood pecker damage but also the carpenter bees .

Tell us more about that paint, pls.

[Billbob]

Last week I noticed a bee like that around my old barn.  Like drobertson I have never seen them before. 

[beenthere]

Another thread from earlier this year on the bee... carpenter bee that is.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=73902.0

[SwampDonkey]

We have more than one bumble bee here. One is a bigger bee, but neither bother wood.

[beenthere]

SD
Sure that you didn't grow up in TX ?   ;D

[isawlogs]

 BT, them  Acadian's also have a one Star Flag, just saying! ;)

[Wick]

The ones we have are bigger than bumble bees and have a shiny black abdomen instead of being fuzzy   looking like a bumble bee. The males also have a dot between their eyes.
They can't sting. If you're fast enough you can catch them in your hand. No stinger. The males that is.
Make sure they have the dot before you try catching one. 

[drobertson]

Well just killed another one, trying to make a hole in my slide door, I think I am getting an upper hand?

[Al_Smith]

I tried to find a link on line for that paint .Although it was mentioned nothing came up .I'm not certain if the additive made the paint harder or if it just tasted bad but it worked .No bees and no peckerwoods .Actually on that cedar it was a solid stain and not really a paint .

[LaneC]

That is good drobertson. I hope you keep the upper hand. Kill every one you see. I know it sounds bad to some people but have no mercy on them. Maybe it is global warming moving them up yalls way :D :D :D. I hope you can keep them at bay. Those that see it as cruel or something have never seen the destruction they can do and have not had the destruction they do happen to them or they would kill every one they saw also. Good luck.

[Shane G]

Youtube carpenter bee trap.   I have made four and placed them on the four post that support my lean to on my shop.   They work.

Reading on a gun forum I learned that some of these guys make their own ground walnut shell loads for a little bee blasting entertainment.

And, if you want a little exercise,  an old tennis racket and some carpenter bees will do the trick. 

[beenthere]

Did that, and also found a vid of the internal "nest" structure found in a dissected branch that had a carpenter bee inside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-TGT0Y22vQ