Bee season is upon us!

[Wingshooter]

I smacked a carpenter bee with a tennis racquet today. The crazy thing skipped off the concrete and kept on flying. Tough little critters.

[xd shooter]

Yes they are tough buy they cant withstand a blast from a .357 loaded with crushed walnut shells.

[dralarms]

Yes they are tough buy they cant withstand a blast from a .357 loaded with crushed walnut shells.

 

 

So true.

[Jonnin]

the trick is to swing hard enough that the strings cut the bee in half.  If it is not cut by the strings, it will be stunned for 10 or so seconds and then fly off unhurt.  You can step on the survivors if you are quick.

 

They are ultra dumb, and will hover near their hole or selected hole location, a little patience and you get a kill.  

 

Their stupidity is half the problem, they won't re-use a hole, but cut more until there is nothing left of the structure.  I have seen boards that were nearly hollow after a decade of the things.   I have taken to filling the holes with wood glue.  

[Dennis1209]

the trick is to swing hard enough that the strings cut the bee in half.  If it is not cut by the strings, it will be stunned for 10 or so seconds and then fly off unhurt.  You can step on the survivors if you are quick.

 

They are ultra dumb, and will hover near their hole or selected hole location, a little patience and you get a kill.  

 

Their stupidity is half the problem, they won't re-use a hole, but cut more until there is nothing left of the structure.  I have seen boards that were nearly hollow after a decade of the things.   I have taken to filling the holes with wood glue.  

 

You are a seasoned Carpenter Bee hunter Jonnin! I'm here to tell ya, my pole barn is Swiss cheese. With bad shoulders I can't swing as hard as Jimmy Connors anymore but...

 

I hit them so hard they hit the sheet metal in the barn you'd think it was a .22LR. Then I hobble over there fast and stomp them and twist my feet to ground them into dust in the dirt floor and hunt for another one. Fifteen - thirty seconds later I hear this bizz, bizz, bizz and look over to where I just crushed that bee, lo and behold, it rises from the dirt and starts flying again. I've never seen an insect so tough to kill...

[enfield]

I was advised to fill the old holes with a ball of aluminum foil.  Keeps them from boring out the plug, I'm told.

 

I've had a fence rail nearly destroyed by a woodpecker going after the grub inside the rail!

 

PS - got 1 today (so far).  Cool weather seems to slow down their activity.

Edited April 12, 2013 by enfield

[Tempest455]

the trick is to swing hard enough that the strings cut the bee in half.  If it is not cut by the strings, it will be stunned for 10 or so seconds and then fly off unhurt.  You can step on the survivors if you are quick.

 

They are ultra dumb, and will hover near their hole or selected hole location, a little patience and you get a kill.  

 

Their stupidity is half the problem, they won't re-use a hole, but cut more until there is nothing left of the structure.  I have seen boards that were nearly hollow after a decade of the things.   I have taken to filling the holes with wood glue.  

 

I used PL400 on my deck and worked great. They did not come back.