I've been waging war against carpenter bees for several years now. They seem immune to spray. My latest weapon is an electrified tennis racket looking thing I found at Lowes.
Bumblebees nest in the ground. Carpenter bees nest in wood - they seem to like decks. They don't eat the wood so if you plug their holes over night, they won't be able to escape. However, I used duct tape over a hole last year and wouldn't you know it - someone staged a rescue and bored into the tape from the outside!
Carpenter bees are very aggressive but they don't sting. So you can get up face to face with them and whack them with a tennis racket. Their main defense is that they look like bumble bees. I've also read that they don't contribute much to pollination. So whack away!
Female carpenter bees have a painful sting, but are rarely agressive. The males are usually the ones that dive bomb you and are very curious. They don’t have a stinger. If anyone wants to know the difference, bumble bees have a hairy abdomen, carpenter bees have a shiny hairless black one.
I’m not sure if any male bees sting, I don’t think so.
Freegards
Up to 96 for the spring. Hope to hit 100 today.
We are restaining the logs and putting a glossy clear coat over them. Carpenter bees need to latch on to something, and now it is impossible. Love it.