I have a couple of projects where I need to repair/replace siding and fascia that borer bees have taken a liking to. What kind of wood can I use that they won’t like to eat? I am replacing pine and cedar.
Thanks!
“Objects in mirror appear closer than they are.”
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio
Replies
Apparently they will not eat into painted wood.
My unfinished garage now has swiss cheese trim.
...karl
Bryan-
In the search function type in 'carpenter bees'. There's a load of info there in those old threads.
I'm currently working on a house that had cedar shakes placed over old clapboards years back with redwood 2x6s for corner trim.
The bees have never touched the cedar shakes at all. But the redwood corner pieces had multiple holes and active. After spraying the boards were cut for the fireplace and when split the boards had a labyrinth of tunnels throughout the whole length and the suckin' bees were still crawling around drugged tho' it was days later.
I used an Orthro knockdown can spray sprayed directly in the holes and later removed the redwood and replaced with cedar, to be coated with Malathion(?spell) per advice of another poster here and will coat with a transparent light stain oil.
One poster mentioned a genetic imprint the bees carry for their location. I killed all bees seen by leaving one old 2x6 redwood board leaning near where the greatest concentration was and played badminton with the survivors as they returned to their old haunt.
Unfortunately I have failed to find a surefire cure for the things. They even ate into CCA pressure treated boards here.
The cedar corner replacement boards were secured with screws in the event aluminum covering is necessary in the future.
Forget luck, it's war.
Edited 5/10/2004 11:14 pm ET by rez
Thanks, rez, for helping me to look under the right wording.
I read through those posts, and now wonder if trex would work in my situation.
Here is what I will be doing: I need to replace the fascia on one end of a house that has rough-sawn vertical board & batten siding. Will trex work in this situation? And how will it stain? I have never used the material before.
Also, some of the vertical boards need to be replaced. Is there a possibility of the bees going all the way through the siding and into the walls and attic? Or, do they just excavate a hole for shelter/nesting site? Should I install aluminum or galvanized sheet behind the siding?
Thanks!"Objects in mirror appear closer than they are."
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio
Will trex work in this situation? And how will it stain? I have never used the material before.
Boy, I don't know. I'd hope for some data from a seasoned pro if I didn't know the material.
What I can tell you is to eliminate the bees or they will be back.
I talked to the owner today and recommended leaving the main nesting redwood board which was removed and de-beed, leaning near it's original place for a while in the event any bees find their way there again.
I surmise they would return to this favored board and one could isolate the infestation and know what is going on. So far no bees have been seen.
Forget luck, it's war.
Those bees will tunnel up and down inside that board a foot away from their entry hole.
Entry all the way into the house sounds iffy to me, especially is a felt paper is underneath the siding(which I would think would be enough without a metal barrier underneath), but hey strange stuff happens.
I've heard Trex type materials have had some problems with browning and spotting as it aged.. Try the search function again for 'Trex'. I know the material has been addressed in a goodly number of posts in the past.
Be a bee
A possible repair is wrapping the infested wood with aluminum coil stock. We did this on a farm I worked on because the bees were eating the soffits. Hardi plank is a deterrent too. I am going to install vinyl ( horror!) vented soffit on my shed, then the only exposed wood will be the fascia. If they eay that I will wrap it.
Frank DuVal
Yep, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
the most effective chemical for Carp. bees is Sevin..unfortunatly, there will be friendlies (honey bees) killed too..
sevin dust witha bulb duster in the chunnels is the most humane way to get them, but not near as much fun as a racket.
probly one of the most difficult critters to control.
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
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you been playin in the same sandbox as Gunner?
yar...
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I dont know what brand carpenter bees u got but ours will sting!! And its not like a yellow jacket or wasp sting its deeper ....intra -musclular.They may not have the agressiveness of these other bees but they can get riled up.Actually the sale of a 400K log cabin I did is being mucked up while the buyer and seller agree on who and how to rid of the lil boogers.Im under an unofficial gag order not to talk to the buyer but i would tell them not to worry too much about the bees..they dont go in the house...its the cluster flies in aug/sept that will put them over the edge.then the lady bugs................ .
ya, they will sting , but ya gottta really pizz em off..lol
I once grabbed a door knob and one of them big japanese hornets was on it..got me real good, my whole arm swelled up..
I live in a log home and man I know about ladybugs first hand..they BITE...right now it's the stinking wasps and mud daubers messing my place up..musta took out 50lbs. of mud nests from under my roof..had to shovel it into buckets.
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Little bastards are eating up a cedar arched beam that supports the roof rafters over a section of my deck. The only thing that they could do to make me madder would be to bite me- I'm proud of that damned beam! They've chewed up a few of the rafters too. A woodpecker flew in and polished off a few of them, and I took care of the rest with a can of good old WD40. Doesn't kill 'em, but makes 'em uncomfortable enough that they come out of their holes, one by one. The nearby barbeque burger-flipper took care of each of them as they emerged from the hole. Worked pretty good as a fly swatter too (no racquets in my house!).
But it's a yearly recurring problem. Last year I plugged up their holes with dowels and Titebond, but this year they came back and dug new ones. I'll take your advice and dust their little lairs with Sevin this time. I'm not much of a "chemical warfare" fan, but since they started eating my arched beam, now it's personal!
Watch them if they start nesting (that's what they are doing ,drilling a nest..) near or above a window..the lubricant /exudate from the sawdust dropping ( usually a yellow liquid) can actually adhere so well to glass that it can etch it permanently...
it is a good thing they dont sting..or bite..or I'd be really after them too...they got in my shop and started on my lumber rack wood..ruined a sweet pc. of sugar pine I was saving..bastids.
go for the chem. warfare...lol
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
No luck with paint. I painted the overhangs on my shed two weeks ago, caulked the existing bee holes, and the bees are boring new holes through the coat of paint. They also bore into the cca treated deck wood. I use a combination of spray, when they are standing still, and a badmitten racket when they are flying! What else can I do?
Frank DuVal
Well, you could take up fly fishing and practice as another poster did in the other threads.
I think the secret might lie in that genetic imprint mapping deal mentioned earlier. Warrants more study.
Edited 5/10/2004 11:20 pm ET by rez