Why Do I Have Carpenter Bees? (And How To Get Rid Of Them)

As soon as spring arrives and brings colorful and fragrant flowers along with it, the buzz of bees is sure to follow. While bees are great pollinators, carpenter bees drill holes into your wood. In some cases, there can be hundreds of these bees flying around, often right next to your head. If your yard has been overrun by carpenter bees, you’ll want to find a way to figure out how to fix the problem.

Carpenter bees like flowers, untreated wood, soft wood, and rotten wood. If you have an untreated deck or a wood fence, this can attract carpenter bees, as can wood piles and softwood trees. To get rid of these bees, paint your wood, seal up holes, and get rid of old nests. You can also use wind chimes and citrus or almond essential oils to deter them naturally.

Carpenter bees love to feed on pollen found in all your flowers, which also helps pollinate your garden. But they can also damage your wooden structures, and be a major nuisance. If you have noticed a huge influx of carpenter bees on your property lately, you’ll want to figure out what is attracting them to your yard and how to make your property less appealing to them.

Six Reasons Why Carpenter Bees Are Attracted To Your Yard

1. You Have Untreated Wood In Your Yard

Carpenter bees make nests in wood, and they like wood that’s easy to drill into. Untreated wood happens to be one of their favorite types of wood for building their nests. If you have a deck or unstained fence made of wood, then that’s a lot of surface area that carpenter bees can turn into a home.

2. Your Yard Has Trees With Soft Wood

If you have trees in your yard, then they might be the reason you have so many carpenter bees nearby. These bees make nests not only in dead wood, but also in the live wood of soft trees. If you have cedar, pine, or other softwood trees in your yard, then your yard is appealing to these buzzing insects.

3. There Are Lots Of Flowers Around

While carpenter bees make their homes in wood, they spend much of their time feeding off the pollen of flowers. These bees will usually try to nest near a food source. If your home has a lot of spring flowers in its landscaping, then you might be unknowingly inviting these stinging insects into your yard.

4. You Have Wood Siding On Your Home

If you have wood siding, then your home is a sitting target for carpenter bees. These insects love wood siding, especially if it is older and unpainted. The bees can easily drill holes in your home, and then return to these nests year after year.

If you notice carpenter bees at your windows, or if they sneak in when you open the outside door, they may have made a nest in your home’s wood siding.

5. The Region You Live In Is Prone To Carpenter Bees

It’s important to note that not every region has lots of carpenter bees. You can have wood siding, wooden fences, and softwood trees in your yard and never see one of these pests. These bees are, however, very common in places like Kentucky. Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and other wooded regions.

6. There’s Rotten Wood Nearby

In addition to soft wood, carpenter bees love rotting wood. Rotting wood is essentially the softest wood there is, which makes it very easy to drill into and make a home out of. If you have a rotting tree or a woodpile with rotting logs, you have a higher chance of attracting carpenter bees.

Are Carpenter Bees Good Or Bad For My Yard?

If you have noticed an influx of carpenter bees in your yard, you might be wondering if this is a good or bad thing. The answer is a little bit of both. On one hand, these bees can damage wood, especially untreated decks and fences. They can also cause a nuisance in your outdoor spaces.

On the other hand, carpenter bees are excellent pollinators. If your garden needs more pollinators, then you will want to keep these bees around. They love all sorts of flowers, making them very effective and diverse pollinators.

Sure, carpenter bees can potentially sting you, which is a problem if you have a bee allergy. They only sting when provoked, and they are large and easy to notice, so stings are unlikely. But if you have an unmanageable amount of them in your yard, then you’ll want to remove these bees from your property.

Keep in mind, however, these bees are precious pollinators. While there are insecticides and traps that can kill bees and remove them quickly, there are less harmful ways as well. Bees, after all, are important pollinators. Instead of killing them, you can find ways to make your yard less appealing to them.

Eight Ways To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees Naturally

1. Paint Your Wood

One way to get rid of carpenter bees while giving your home more curb appeal at the same time is to paint your untreated wood. These bees love untreated wood because it’s easy to drill into. If you paint it, however, then it becomes nearly impossible for the bees to make a nest in the wood.

When you paint your outdoor wood, use a sealant, primer, and a few layers of paint. This will make the paint job look great and last longer. It will also be nearly impossible for the insects to drill through. 

2. Stop Using Untreated Wood

If you have tons of carpenter bees on your property, then you should stop bringing untreated wood into your yard. If you want to install a pergola or a simple rocking chair, ensure it is painted or made of materials other than wood. The fewer pieces of untreated wood you have, the less appealing your yard is to these insects.

3. Get Rid Of Old Nests

Carpenter bees come back every spring like clockwork. They are known for returning to their old nests or building on any old nest they can find. If you had carpenter bees last year, take some time to look for their nests in the winter and seal them up. When you have no old nests for the bees to build on, your property becomes less appealing to them.

4. Fill Holes In Your Wood

In addition to nests, you should seek out any holes in your wood and patch them up. Holes in wood can lead to decay as well, so filling them not only helps keep carpenter bees away, but it can also help your wood last longer. In the late fall or very early spring, inspect all your exterior wood and see what holes you can fill.

5. Dispose Of Rotten Wood

Rotten wood serves no purpose on your property. It can breed harmful fungus and other diseases, and it also attracts carpenter bees. If you have rotting trees, cut them down. If you find moldy logs, get rid of them promptly.

6. Cover Your Wood Piles

If you have piles of wood you use in your fireplace, it’s best to keep them covered. Not only will this keep your wood dry, but it will also prevent carpenter bees from making a home in the woodpile. Woodpiles can become homes for several outdoor pests, so covering them is always a good idea.

7. Use Almond And Citrus Oils

If you have certain areas that attract carpenter bees, you can use a natural spray to help deter them. These bees hate citrus and almond oils. Make a spray using these two essential oils and water, and spray it on any wooded areas where you’ve seen carpenter bees. This will encourage them to move elsewhere.

8. Add Wind Chimes

The sounds and vibrations that wind chimes (metal wood chimes in particular) make can startle carpenter bees. Wind chimes not only add ambience and scare off birds, but they can also help keep carpenter bees away from your home and outdoor patio.

Summing Up What Attracts Carpenter Bees And How To Get Rid Of Them

Carpenter bees aren’t the worst insect to have in your yard. They are fantastic pollinators, and they only sting when they are defending themselves and their nests. Unfortunately, they will drill holes in wood, which can mean damage to your patio, fence, or even your home. 

To get rid of these insects naturally, treat or paint your outdoor wood, and get rid of any rotten wood on your property. Cover wood piles, and use almond and citrus oils to repel the bees. Get rid of old nests, and fill holes that they can use as future nests.

Related Guides:

• How To Get A Bee Out Of Your House (Quickly & Easily!)
• How To Remove A Beehive From Your Home Safely
• How To Get Rid Of Wasps