Easy Trick to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees in Hudson Valley Yards

If carpenter bees are making holes in your fence and deck there's an easy way to get rid of them forever.

Our home has served as a buffet for carpenter bees for as long as we've lived there. You've most likely seen these enormous bees flying around your property in search of a home. The carpenter bees will seek out wooden structures like sheds, fences and decks and begin forming a perfectly round hole to nest in.

These nests can be difficult to spot because they're small and perfectly round, making them appear to be natural holes in the wood. In fact, the hole is actually the opening to a series of tunnels that, over time, can stretch up to 10 feet inside your deck.

I've tried shooting bee killer into the hole and filling up the cavities with wood putty but the bees always seem to come back every year. I've heard of people using a paper bag to try and fool the carpenter bees into thinking they're in danger, but many people say it's not very effective. The idea is to put air into a paper bag and tie it closed to resemble a wasp nest. You're supposed to hang the bag near your deck to make the carpenter bees think that they may be in danger of being attacked. This sounds like a stupid idea and most who've tried it say they just wound up with an ugly, wet bag hanging on their house with carpenter bees still chomping away at their fence.

Last week I happened to be shopping at the home improvement store when I came across a display of carpenter bee traps. These contraptions consist of a wooden box with carefully drilled holes that look just like the openings to carpenter bee tunnels. The holes lead to a clear plastic box. After entering the hole, the insects become attracted to the light from the box and enter it through a plastic tube. Once inside the box, the carpenter bees are unable to escape.

I decided to give it a try. After bringing the trap home I simply hung it on the deck and waited. To my surprise, the very next day I saw a carpenter bee sitting at the bottom of the trap. This is way easier than hunting down the bees and using chemicals to try and kill them. I simply removed the bee from the trap and rehung it on the deck in case any other bees decide to come visit.

So, if you have a carpenter bee problem you may want to consider one of these traps. It certainly looks better than hanging a paper bag on your house and, apparently, it's much more effective.