March 28, 2007
Carpenter Bees Buzzing
You know it’s spring at my house. Everything is coated with yellow green pollen and the carpenter bees are buzzing around my redwood siding and brick house.
I’ve managed to convince my daughter that they generally won’t bother her, and the dog seems fixated on trying to catch them.
Dr. Xing Ping Hu, an entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says the males do not have stingers and the females usually only sting if they are handled.
The males are more obvious to people as they hover and dart. They have a white spot on their face and will confront people and animals who enter their territory.
Hu says these bees are becoming important pollinators as wild honeybee populations decline. She says that as the bees forage for nectar and pollen in our gardens they are pollinating the flowers and vegetables.
Most people including my husband don’t like carpenter bees because the females bore tunnels into wood. They seem to really like our redwood siding, but Hu tells me the bees find bare, unpainted or weathered softwood all very attractive. 
Common control methods are injecting an insecticide into the tunnels or puffing dust insecticides into holes. Using an applicator like a hand duster can help ensure the products gets deeper into the tunnel.
You can get more information on controlling carpenters in this Alabama Cooperative Extension System publication.