Carpenter Bee Dive Bomb at Homeowners Husband in Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ
Challenge
Recently, I went on a service call for one of our Home Protection Clients (HPP) in Avon-By-The-Sea, NJ. HPP clients receive three inspections and preventative treatments annually, and they can call us at any time for covered pests for free. The plans are a great way for homeowners to budget pest control and have peace of mind that their home will stay pest-free.
The client noticed from carpenter bees nesting around her home and dive bombing at her husbands head! As soon as I arrived I saw carpenter bees flying around on the left side of the house near the backyard. I thoroughly inspected the rest of the house to see if any activity was present elsewhere. Fortunately, I didn't find any. Like carpenter ants, carpenter bees can cause significant property damage, as the female bees drill perfectly circular ½-inch diameter holes into fascia boards, porches, decks, siding, sheds, and other wooden structures. While the female creates a tunnel to nest, the male acts as a sentry protecting the female and nest. The males are the ones that dive bomb at you, but they can't really do anything since they have no stinger. The females can sting but do so if threatened.
At this particular location, the bees were nesting in the soffits. One of the easiest ways to identify a carpenter bee infestation is, once a carpenter bees make a nest inside a home, they defecate and stain the wood. Talk about poo hitting the wall!
Solution
For treatment, I used direct-contact residual dust that is attached to a "bee pole," which is an extendable pole that makes it much easier to treat high places. This residual directly targets the carpenter bees and eliminates any returning bees as well as any newly-hatched carpenter bees leaving the gallery. I treated directly underneath the soffits where I can see them flying in and out and where the staining was visible.
As a precaution, I also treated the rest of the soffits on that side of the house. Since it was a nice day out and they were so active while I was treating, I could see what I used to treat flying off of their wings as they flew out. In no time at all the carpenter bees will be eliminated and the client’s husband will no longer live in fear of bees dive bombing at his head.
