Do you need a carpenter bee repellent that is safe and effective?
Here are some homemade products that deter this species of bees.
If you have ever had your piece of wood or any of your furniture burrowed by carpenter bees, then you will agree with me that when they don’t stay outside in the forests or the garden, they are no longer beneficial.
Homemade Carpenter Bee Repellent Options
Carpenter bees are not social insects; they live solitarily. Some of their exciting characteristics are;
- They do’ sting. The males don’t even have stingers, but the females do. Yet they don’t sting unless they are threatened
- They don’t feed on the woods they burrow. They just do that to make nests that they can live inside the woods and raise their young ones
- They steal nectar from the flower without fertilizing it.
- They live in solitude; unlike honey bees, they are not social, so they don’t live in hives, and they build their nest to lay their eggs
- They produce sound waves with the flight muscles of their thorax. They then shake pollen from their bodies- this act is referred to as buzz pollination. This is an annoying kind of noise pollution
- They can also cause severe damage to the house structure. If carpenter bees live too long in a place, they can build a whole lot of tunnels through your home. Sadly, the beneficial bee turns into a monster pest that you need to eliminate
Natural Carpenter Bee Repellents
When the carpenter bees are now pests in your household, the next line of action is to take steps in eradicating them. Yet, the use of chemicals will likely cause more damage than the damage caused by the bees you are trying to eradicate.
This is why it is in your interest that you adopt a natural method of eradication to get rid of the carpenter bees in your environment.
Some of the following are very effective in eradicating an infestation of carpenter bees from your household. Instead of using chemicals, you can try any one of these natural solutions to repel the bees.
Garlic Powder
A lot of insects, bugs, mosquitoes, and even bees, including carpenter bees, are offended by the smell of garlic. Therefore, to discourage bees from your household, you can get some garlic powder and sprinkle it around their nest.
But you have to be careful with the powder, don’t pour it directly on them, it is deadly to them except you mean to kill them.
Peppermint
Another thing that will send them on their heels of your property is the peppermint. They hate the smell of peppermint.
So you can get the oil and spray it around their nest, but the plant is much more effective. If you plant it around their nest, it will keep them off.
Apart from this, if you love drinking tea every morning, you have a double advantage of planting peppermint around.
Cinnamon
This is a spice that carpenter bees hate the odor.
Cinnamon spice is beneficial in eradicating most pests, including pestering bees. If you sprinkle it very often, especially around the carpenter bees’ nest or wherever you have spotted them, it will send them off your property eventually
Distilled Vinegar
It is not advisable to use distilled vinegar in your garden because it will send away other pollinators. You don’t want to send bees away except they have become a pest.
So when bees like carpenter bees have turned into a pest, you can place an uncovered container of white distilled vinegar around the place where the bees are or near their nest in your home.
You can also use distilled vinegar to clean out your birdhouses and bird feeders after they might have been emptied.
For best results, you can soak some cloves of garlic into a bowl of cooking oil, then leave it for some days, five days will be enough. After five days, add some white vinegar into the garlic and oil, but you need to make sure that the white vinegar has become more acidic.
After that, you can pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray it around the carpenter bees’ nest, and around anywhere you think they may be within your household.
Check the tunnels or nests from time to time and keep using them whenever you spot any carpenter bee until they are completely eradicated.
Citronella Candles
Citronella will repel a wide range of insects, including bees.
To use this, you have to burn the citronella candle; it will then bring out some odor that will prevent the bees from perceiving the odors of the flowers that attract them.
For instance, if you don’t want the bees around the hummingbird feeder, you can burn some of the citronella candles, and they won’t be able to perceive the odor.
Soap Solution
Dish soap solution is another traditional method of getting rid of carpenter bees.
All you have to do is to add water and dish soap to a new spray bottle. Mix the solution then and adequately spray around their nest or wherever you might have spotted them.
For better effectiveness, it is best sprayed at night when the bees are less active.
Mothballs
The overpowering odor of mothball makes it an excellent carpenter bee repellent. It can also mask the scent of the flowers that attract the bees.
To use mothballs, you can put some of them in some clothes or available nylon and hang them around their nest. This will chase the carpenter bees and make them relocate mainly if the mothball will always be around their nest.
Plant Marigolds
You can plant this in a pot. The smell of this plant will send away a wide range of pests- mosquitoes, insects, bugs, bees, and even a lot of other bigger animals.
The smell of this plant is what send pest on their heels, and it is equally as effective on carpenter bees.
You can plant it in pots and keep them in the area where carpenter bees are nested, or you can get the leave and place it around their nest.
Citrus Spray
The smell of citrus will repel carpenter bees naturally.
You can make the spray by slicing the citrus fruit into a pot, add some water and boil it for a maximum of fifteen minutes, to release the juice.
After the water cools, you can pour it inside your spray bottle, and it is ready to be used. You can spray it around their nest and the house to ensure that while fleeing their nest, they will also be fleeing the entire household.
Boric Acid
Boric acid is very poisonous to carpenter bees, and you should use it when you are sure you want to exterminate the bee. All you have to do is get a boric acid, divide the content into two and empty it apart into the water in the spray bottle.
Mix the solution thoroughly and pour it into the entrance of the carpenter bee holes, within an hour, they will all be dead or gone.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are also very useful in getting rid of carpenter bees. The pests are susceptible to scents in their nest.
Essential oils like peppermint, lemon, and tea tree oil will make a living around your household hell for the carpenter bees that choose to nest in your woods or wooden structures.
Essential oils might not exterminate them, but they will surely make living in your household uncomfortable. And if you keep using it, again and again, they will eventually relocate because they will be able to bear the scent.
Some essential oils are more potent in getting rid of the carpenter bee, especially when they are mixed for greater effectiveness.
For instance, you can mix jojoba oil, tea tree oil, citronella, and some lavender in a container or bowl. Pour the mixture into your spray bottle and shake well. You can spray their nest and around your household.
You will be surprised a how effective the mixture can be. It does not harm anyone; neither do you need to leave your home or keep your pet away. It is highly safe, and it will repel carpenter bees.
Another oil you can use is almond oil. One of its properties is Benzaldehyde which is an active repellent agent.
This oil is potent for a very long period; it can last for at least three months. You can use it against the carpenter bees by pouring the oil into their nest and around their nest.
Conclusion
So after you have gotten rid of carpenter bees, the following are the ways to prevent another infestation;
You need to live in your home, and if you need to vacate it for a very long time, you should get a tenant to live in it for you.
Carpenter bees hate noise, so they love to stay in abandoned structures or very quiet structures. Just make enough noise to send a message to those pests that your home is a living place, and you are going to be making the kind of noise they hate to hear.
Most importantly, you need to paint any exposed wood around your home.
But before you paint, you need to seal any burrowed part of the wood. You should know that carpenter bees love to drill unpainted, untreated, and exposed wood to burrow into and make it into their home.
Choosing any of the natural repellents above to eradicate carpenter bees will help control them in a matter of days. Still, you need to be prepared and prevent your household from another round of infestation.