Carpenter Bee Removal Nassau County Long Island

Carpenter bees, which are also known as wood bees, are the largest bees native to the United States. Carpenter bees resemble bumblebees but typically have a hairless, shiny abdomen. Unlike honey bees and bumblebees, carpenter bees are not social insects and do not live in colonies. Carpenter bees are important pollinators of flowers and like to burrow and nest in wood. Using their strong jaws, they excavate precisely rounded galleries in wood, to rear their young. In the tunnel, a female carpenter bee will construct five or six cells for individual housing of eggs. These bees will leave behind piles of sawdust as they create perfectly round holes in wood, which are approximately 1/2” in diameter. Typical carpenter bee nesting sites at Nassau County Long Island residences include eaves, rafters, fence posts, fascia boards, siding, wooden shake roofs, decks, and outdoor wooden furniture. Carpenter bees will take up residence in weathered wood, generally softer varieties such as cedar, pine, redwood, and cypress. Significant damage can result when the same pieces of wood are infested with carpenter bees year after year. Woodpeckers are natural predators of carpenter bees and will drill holes along the tunnels, creating more extensive damage to feed on the carpenter bee larvae.

Carpenter bees have a life expectancy of three years and have four life stages: egg, larval, pupal, and adult stage. It takes approximately seven weeks for a carpenter bee to reach adulthood, but maturity duration may vary depending on the temperature and other environmental factors. Newly developed carpenter bee adults usually stay in their wood galleries for several weeks and exit their brood cells in April or May. The carpenter bees mate and will feed on pollen and nectar. The bees will return to their wood gallery nests in the fall, where they will hibernate and emerge the following spring. Female carpenter bees give rise to one generation of offspring on Long Island, but in southern states, they may have two or more generations per year.

Controlling carpenter bees can be difficult. Therefore, you should contact a New York State licensed pest control applicator at Nassau County Bee Removal for proper Long Island carpenter bee extermination. Our Nassau County bee removal experts have the knowledge and experience to locate the carpenter bee galleries and select the appropriate treatment method.

Following the carpenter bee removal, it is imperative to seal up their holes with wood putty or caulk. Failure to seal up the carpenter bee galleries will result in a carpenter bee infestation the following spring. These bees usually will not burrow into painted wood. Therefore, painting any unfinished wood will generally serve as a permanent solution to a carpenter bee issue. Wood stains and sealers are less reliable than painting but may afford some repellence as opposed to bare wood.

Carpenter Bee Removal Nassau County, Long Island