Carpenter Bees Are Dominating Michigan: How To Keep Them OUT

The weather this year has been anything but normal. An unseasonably warm winter led to record-low snowfall in the Upper Peninsula. The early spring has also impacted insects this year, as ticks have been terrible already this year and spongy moths have been ravaging trees around the state.

But another insect has benefitted from the early warm weather and it could be drilling through your deck.

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Carpenter Bee vs Bumblebee

Bumblebees and carpenter bees have a lot in common, with one important distinction between the two. They look alike with that iconic yellow and black look, but while bumblebees (below) are fuzzy, carpenter bees (above) have harder exteriors and are hairless. They have similar diets and collect pollen, but where they burrow differentiates these bees.

What makes carpenter bees a potential nuisance is where they make their homes. Bumblebees live in colonies in "existing cavities underground", while carpenter bees burrow into wood to lay their eggs. The carpenter bees tunnel perfect circles into soft wood and lay their eggs inside. This YouTube video shows how the bees tunnel.

How to remove Carpenter Bees

There are various traps you can make to remove carpenter bees and our friend Boris over at 101.5 WPDH recently shared the success he had with a simple carpenter bee that has proven to be quite effective. The trap features a wood block that has holes that look like carpenter bee tunnels. The bees enter the holes thinking it is a potential home, and the bees then fall into a plastic container, unable to escape. The traps can be bought pre-built or constructed easily.

Carpenter bees, while not as destructive as termites, can eventually cause major damage to wooden beams if you let the bees have their way. Save yourself future pain and manage the bees before they're a problem.