Other than using a large fly swatter, any suggestions?
Little devils move quickly.
Water hose doesn't seem to affect them.
Got a can of Wasp & Hornet spray, but I might as well use the water hose.
Need to get better aim...........and an escape plan...........

Thanks,

A tub full of cheap beer will keep them busy. ;)

Mark

You'll need to spray down the nest several times over the course of a day or two with the wasp and hornet spray. Once you no longer see the bees on the nest, you can then get rid of the nest. Can't evict them if you don't know where their home is.

If you think they might be honeybees, a beekeeper might come remove them for free.

Edit: Some interesting results from a search: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_get_rid_of_bees

I think you could make a trap (http://www.biconet.com/traps/beeChamber.html), that's what I'm considering. A co-worker said his Parents had a home made one and it worked pretty good.

I did manage to catch & kill 7 of them Sat. with my trusty modified fine mesh net. But it makes you look kinda stupid to the neighbors when you're standing in the driveway swatting at them.

Find the nest....would these be the same as what we call paper or carpenter wasps in NZ..
We had a huge nest a few yrs back down the backyard...about 4 ' across and 3' deep.

located the entance holes...there are several, if u dont find them all u will be in serious trouble, so dress up and seal yourself..
Pour a heap of kero down the holes.
If a small nest on a fence or something, in the evening, late dusk, head out with a spray bottle of kero or petrol, spray and put a match to it.

Nitrous Oxide is very effective too!.....They'll freeze right in their tracks!

I think the pros use soap and water in a powerfull sprayer. This kills them. And is safe for other living things.

Find the nest....would these be the same as what we call paper or carpenter wasps in NZ..
We had a huge nest a few yrs back down the backyard...about 4 ' across and 3' deep.

located the entance holes...there are several, if u dont find them all u will be in serious trouble, so dress up and seal yourself..
Pour a heap of kero down the holes.
If a small nest on a fence or something, in the evening, late dusk, head out with a spray bottle of kero or petrol, spray and put a match to it.

These bees don't really have a nest in the traditional sense. They bore individual holes into the framing lumber or in some cases wooden siding. One hole=one bee. The probelm comes in when the pouplation multiplies to where you have hundreds of 1/2" holes in your house.

I work for a ntaural gas company and bee's wasp's and such are or were a big problem till I figured out what their kryptonite is PETROLEUM PRODUCTS ! take a can of WD-40 put the little red straw on it and take aim ! watch them fall to the ground ! any type of oil based material will keep them away , if you spray WD-40 on a corner of a house where they built a nest they will never build there again , if you put oil on an existing nest they will leave and never come back , any petroleum product has the same effect , oil , WD-40 , diesel , gasoline , kerosene , but the WD-40 is best because it is easy to spray where you want it to go ,,,

reading the above post's , if you want them to stay out of any wood surface the WD-40 will work on that too ,

Brake Klean with straw attachment.... works great in garage too :D

May not be the best idea on paint,stain,or siding.

Ya, Brakleen!!!!! That kills everything, I LOVE that stuff...until it ricochets off somethng and hits me in the eye...:mad:

For a little fun and exercise, use a badminton racket... It's lightweight, and no wind resistance, and you get a nice solid 'whap' when you pop them to the ground... (stomping on them afterwards delivers the killing blow).... Don't worry what the neighbors think.. *L*

For a little fun and exercise, use a badminton racket... It's lightweight, and no wind resistance, and you get a nice solid 'whap' when you pop them to the ground... (stomping on them afterwards delivers the killing blow).... Don't worry what the neighbors think.. *L*

Reminds me of a Whiffle ball bat and lightning bugs (fire flies) :D

For a little fun and exercise, use a badminton racket... It's lightweight, and no wind resistance, and you get a nice solid 'whap' when you pop them to the ground... (stomping on them afterwards delivers the killing blow).... Don't worry what the neighbors think.. *L*

Well, just so you don't look like a complete idiot, you could always get a boom box and play music so it would look like you are dancing to celebrate the arrival of spring.

:D

alan

Thanks, Guys! For a perfect round 1/2 inch hole, one couldn't get one better than them.
A lot of good suggestions here. I don't have to worry about looking stupid, all of us in the neighborhood have them.
WD40 with a straw, hmm, never thought of it, and I even use it to kill ants.........certainly ought to work on bees.
I do have a Redneck Entertainment System - bug zapper and cold refreshments - but they're not out at night......doesn't mean I won't hang it up and try it - I do have an outlet next to their nest in the gable board.
I'll have to borrow a badminton racket - good idea.

You can't drill any prettier hole than they can make! I want to say 7/16" in dia!

pdq67

A real "redneck" would't ask he would have already used his trusty flame thrower

Dish soap, water, hudson sprayer. The water carrys the soap, the soap coats the bees. bees suffocate in the soap.. done issue.

A real "redneck" would't ask he would have already used his trusty flame thrower

Ha, Ha, Ha!!!! Or a torch on a stick like I have, killing weeds and bugs was never so much fun...even though I have to put out the occassional accidental fire.

You can't drill any prettier hole than they can make! I want to say 7/16" in dia!

pdq67


I think they might be bigger and fatter down here in the south. More like 1/2" for sure. :) We should pull out our calipers. :yes:

The verminators used silica jell pulverized into a powder. Something about it sticking to their armor plates and drying them out.

These bees don't really have a nest in the traditional sense. They bore individual holes into the framing lumber or in some cases wooden siding. One hole=one bee. The probelm comes in when the pouplation multiplies to where you have hundreds of 1/2" holes in your house.

Damn....dont have anything like that here...not even termites...

A badmitton racket makes a very satisfying "ping" sound when you hit one of those bee's :D

I've been known to simply follow the bee into the hole with a shot of caulk.

Bad thing is, you usually won't realize the extent of their damage until the following winter's snowfall. I've got yet another beam on my carport to replace :mad:

Everett, ive got a log house in the mountains of nc you talk about carpenter bee's i hate this time of year..thank god it only last a month or two.. I went to home depot and got bee spary that is safe for my house and wont stain ..i treat all the sofetts and corners and edges and so forth...it does keep them away from what ever i spary but i can spray my whole house...brake cleaner does work good too!!

Had the same problem in my previous home. I had never noticed these destructive little
b******s until a few years ago. Had to replace several posts on my deck. Had a exterminator come out, and he packed some cotton type material soaked in a chemical of some kind. It seems they lay their eggs in the bored holes they make. That summer I moved,and told the guy that bought it to keep an eye on it. Seems to be a problem here in the midwest. Also try one of those badmitton rackets with the battery for swatting them. Smokes em pretty good!

John

Also try one of those badmitton rackets with the battery for swatting them. Smokes em pretty good! JohnThat's right! Harbour Freight has those for $3 - I gave one to my buddy for last Christmas.

Seven Dust, sprayed in the hole. The dust tends to stay around longer than the liquids. Do it at night when they are inactive. Other bees will get it on them when they go in and out of the hole and will take it to the Queen who lives in one of those holes.

I plug the holes with small block head bolts (fit perfectly) after the bee goes into the hole. Not pretty, but effective.

Do they make honey?

Seven Dust, sprayed in the hole. The dust tends to stay around longer than the liquids. Do it at night when they are inactive. Other bees will get it on them when they go in and out of the hole and will take it to the Queen who lives in one of those holes.

I don't think they are what is known as social bees, meaning they are solitary and do not live in a colony with a queen. Someone else asked if they make honey, and the answer is no. I often have to break out the badminton raquet when my girls are on the wooden swingset and ones starts buzzing around menacingly. They can be aggressive too - I had the $hit stung out of me one time when I was in college while getting a beer out of the keg. Little bastid was just sitting on my leg going to town - made me spill my beer. It was a seek & destroy mission after that - no critter gets away with making me waste the nectar of the gods! My leg swelled up to about twice its normal size the next day. Nice!

BTW, somewhat along the same thing - I have carpenter ants in my pole barn. Bug man is coming on Monday to spray. I hear those little buggers can do more damage than termites.

Do they make honey?

No, they produce sawdust...and lots of it :D

Tom you are correct, I should have said female instead of queen. This thread reminded me that I need to treat around a fascia board that I had a problem with Carpenter Bees last year. It is about time for them to emerge from their holes.

I had these things making holes in the garage I built last summer until we got the metal on it. I hunted them down individually and smacked them down out of the air. We had handsaws up there at the time (no electricity yet), so that was my choice of weapon. I bet I killed 8-10 of them before we were done.

Alright, let me come out of the closet. I admit it...I have a hive. Its a pretty cool hobby, I think. Heres a few pics of my wife working on the Bees and the hive itself.

I admit it...I have a hive. Its a pretty cool hobby, One of my wife's fellow employees has a few hives and he sells his honey as extra income. Lots better than using sugar in your coffee.

I could never do it.

Guy up the street has a few bee hives for his fruit trees.... Japanese somethings ? and said they don't sting.... I wasn't taking chances :noway: