Here's Exactly How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees

Laura Beck
·7 min read

Carpenter bee on a deck

If you've noticed large bees buzzing around your deck, siding or other wooden parts of your house, you're likely dealing with a carpenter bee infestation. While these bees may look intimidating and have you wondering how to kill them, they’re generally not aggressive and only sting if directly threatened. However, the damage they can cause to your home's wood structures is no laughing matter.

"It's very trendy right now to 'save the bees,'" says Emma Grace Crumbley, an entomologist at Mosquito Squad. "However, many people only care about honey bees when they think of essential pollinators. Though the holes they excavate can be annoying, carpenter bees are actually native pollinators within their ecosystems.” She adds that as an entomologist and insect advocate, she recommends leaving carpenter bees alone as much as possible, but sometimes, that’s not an option.

So what's a homeowner to do about these wood-boring pests? We spoke to experts to get the scoop on getting rid of carpenter bees (also known as "wood bees")—without harming them or your home.

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Are Carpenter Bees Dangerous?

According to Nicole Carpenter, the president at Black Pest Prevention, "Carpenter bees pose no harm to humans. While female carpenter bees can sting, they won't bother you if you don't bother them."

However, she notes that "carpenter bees can become a huge problem for homeowners because they carve out nests in human structures like side panels to homes. Very often, carpenter bees also bore holes in wooden decks and eaves, and this can pose a significant threat to a building's structure."

Crumbley adds, "Technically, yes, [carpenter bees are dangerous], but realistically, no. Carpenter bees are not aggressive and are less likely to sting you than other related insects like yellow jackets or even honey bees."

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Why Do Carpenter Bees Make Holes in the House?

Carpenter explains that while carpenter bees don't eat wood, “they make holes in dead wood to create nests and lay their eggs."

Carpenter bees typically target softer woods like pine, cedar and redwood.

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How Do I Stop Carpenter Bees from Drilling?

"To prevent carpenter bees from drilling holes in the wooden exterior parts of your home, choose hardwoods like oak or maple,” shares Carpenter. “Since carpenter bees prefer untreated wood, homeowners should also remember to paint and stain wooden surfaces. For this, I recommend using thick, oil-based products."

Should I Seal Carpenter Bee Holes?

All of the experts we talked to recommended sealing holes to both prevent reinfestation and wood from decay.

"However, it's crucial to ensure there are no bees and eggs inside before sealing holes,” says Carpenter. “You can check if there are any bees inside the hole just by watching. If there are no bees entering or leaving the hole, this indicates that the tunnel is not actively used and should be sealed. For sealing carpenter bees tunnels, I recommend using a filler material like wood putty or a wooden dowel coated with wood glue."

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How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees

1. Use Wind Chimes

"Many find using wind chimes helps drive the carpenter bees away," Carpenter says. "This is because of the vibrations and noise that disturb the bees."

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2. Add a "Bee Box" Trap

According to Crumbley, "If readers are dealing with carpenter bees flying about their homes, I suggest they leave them alone to continue pollinating and enriching their backyard biodiversity. However, if carpenter bees begin causing infrastructure damage in and around the home, there are a few ways to try and alleviate the issue. Add a 'bee box' trap near areas where carpenter bees are active. There are many different types you can order or build yourself, but the idea is to create a wood box with a hole in it, mimicking a potential nesting site, and add a funnel inside leading to a collection dish. Carpenter bees will enter looking to nest but won't be able to come out. This is an effective and non-toxic solution to carpenter bee issues."

Similarly, Carpenter recommends installing a carpenter bee trap which you can make yourself or buy in a home improvement store. She says these traps consist of two parts and look like a two-story house.

“The first part is a wooden box with a hole drilled into the sides, angled upward to mimic the entrance of a natural bee nest," she continues. "The second part is a clear plastic or glass container attached underneath the wooden box. When a carpenter bee enters a drilled hole, it can't find a way back out through the angled hole and falls into the container below, where it dies."

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3. Use Natural Repellants

According to Shannon Harlow-Ellis, an associate certified entomologist at Mosquito Joe, you can try remedies such as citrus peels and oils, essential oils, and garlic, which are believed to deter carpenter bees. She warns that the efficacy for these techniques may vary.

4. Plug Empty Holes

Crumbley also recommends plugging empty or unoccupied nest holes with wooden dowels or plugs to prevent carpenter bees from reusing old nest tunnels.

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5. Paint and Stain Wood

"Carpenter bees prefer not to tunnel in painted pieces of wood," says Crumbley. "Painting outdoor wooden house features may deter carpenter bees from drilling. Using pressure-treated wood for new home additions may also discourage carpenter bees and other wood-destroying organisms from drilling through wood."

Harlow-Ellis also recommends sealing and painting wood surfaces and staying on top of checking back regularly to stop new damage from occurring—the best intervention is prevention!

What Is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees?

Carpenter shares that the fastest way to get rid of carpenter bees is a comprehensive approach. “Although carpenter bees traps or the use of wind chimes can be effective, you'll not achieve a long-lasting effect with the help of just one thing,” she admits. “However, you can speed up the process by using natural repellents."

"Carpenter bees dislike the scent of citrus oils," she continues. "You can make a natural repellent by boiling citrus peels in water, letting the mixture cool, then straining it into a spray bottle. The mix of water and tea tree oil can also deter carpenter bees. Apply this to wood surfaces where bees are active. Reapply every few days or after rain."

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Do Carpenter Bees Go Away on Their Own?

Carpenter bees don't go away on their own as long as they find the conditions favorable for them.

“As fall approaches, the lifecycle of carpenter bees leads to the dying off of the current generation of adult bees but the newly developed adult bees remain, staying within the wood tunnels until spring arrives,” says Carpenter. “In spring, they emerge to start the cycle of mating and nesting again."

Getting rid of carpenter bees may take some effort, but with the right techniques, you can protect your home from their wood-boring damage. By using natural repellents, traps, sealing up holes, and other methods, you can keep these buzzing pests at bay without killing them or harming your property.

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