How Long To Carpenter Bees Hang Around

Large carpenter bees in the Xylocopa genus chew tunnels in solid wood and since it takes so much time to dig a good tunnel they reuse nesting homes.

How long to carpenter bees hang around. On average about one year. If the same tunnel is used by multiple carpenter bees over multiple years it can stretch up to 10 feet long severely weakening the wood. In this case youll want to fill the holes as soon as theyve left.

Nests may contain several eggs. Eggs are laid late spring to early summer in nests drilled out in dead wood. Some hole-nesting bees like to drill their own holes and these are called carpenter bees.

Woodpeckers also like to feed on carpenter bee larvae and will cause further damage by tearing into the wood to get at the nests. Here is the expected life cycle from start to finish. They are black and metallic blue with yellow hairs on their thorax abdomen and legs.

However rather than yellow markings on their abdomens they are smooth and shiny. In order to survive the winter weather carpenter bees will stay in their galleries until spring. For this step its smart to use a foaming spray made especially for carpenter bees.

To get rid of carpenter bees with vinegar mix up a strong solution of vinegar and water and spray it directly into the bees holes. After twenty-four hours post-treatment all tunnel entrances should be plugged with a wooden dowel coated with wood glue or steel wool covered with caulk to prevent re-colonization by other nesting bees. These bees grow anywhere from 12 to 25 millimeters long.

There are several species of carpenter bee in the United States but the most common one is the Virginia carpenter bee Xylocopa virginicaThese bugs are found throughout the Southeast but range as far as Connecticut to the north and Texas in the west. Before long this takes its toll on the pests and kills them within a short time. You might see holes and think it is an old nest but when the weather is warmer in April and May the carpenter bees can become active again and emerge from abandoned nests where they have spent the winter.