Honey Bees, Carpenter Bees, and Bumble Bees

• Bumble bees are large, slow fliers, with fuzzy yellow and black bodies. Carpenter bees are slightly smaller than the bumble bee and are less fuzzy with shiny and hairless abdomens (males are orange to yellow in color, but females are black.) Honey bees are even smaller, and they are also black and yellow, but they are not as hairy as a bumble bee.
• All bees collect nectar and pollen; though, it’s the honey bee that is capable of producing large amounts of honey for human consumption. Carpenter bees produce just enough honey to feed their own young.
• Nectar and pollen are a food source for bees, including the carpenter bee (not wood). When bees are feeding, pollen is collected onto their underbelly and legs and gets released in flight, resulting in cross-pollination for surrounding plant life.
• All bee types sting; however, the queen honey bee and most male bees do not. Instead, male carpenter bees are aggressive in flight to thwart off any danger near their nesting areas with “dive-bomb” like attacks. Bumble bees can sting multiple times and survive afterward. Female, worker honey bees will sting as well when provoked or while protecting their hive, but they will die afterward as their stinger remains embedded within its victim.
• Honey bees live in hives, bumble bees usually live underground, and carpenter bees make their nests in wood. Ideally, these nests are tucked away within nature, but they all can find comfort residing in your attic, wood siding, window trim, fascia boards, wall voids, decks, and outdoor furniture placing occupants and passersby at risk.
• Most bees swarm to find a new hive, except the carpenter bee. Carpenter bees are not social and are usually seen alone. They live solitary lives and dig their own, individual nests.
• It is important to be happy and comfortable on your own property, but it is also important to preserve valuable pollinators. Carpenter bees and honey bees are very beneficial to the environment, so only treat them if you need to.

Carpenter Bee Wood Damage

Carpenter bees make their nests in softwood trees such as redwood, cedar, cypress, and pine and because these woods are often used in home construction, bees find your wooden siding attractive to live in. The tunnels a carpenter bee builds can weaken the structure of your home itself overtime. Initially, homeowners may notice a bee or two hovering around the outside of their home, only to find soon that these bees are accompanied by several small, perfectly round holes in the siding, almost as if somebody had come by with a power drill and drilled holes into the home. While one carpenter bee hole is not that big of a problem, the larvae that hatch in the nest will begin expanding the tunnel structure the following year. This damage can be extremely significant as a single house can theoretically host dozens of carpenter bee nests.

The carpenter bee will begin a nest in the siding of a home by excavating an entry point in the wood with their powerful jaws. Unlike termites, carpenter bees do not eat the wood they excavate; the sawdust from excavated wood gets pushed out of the resulting hole. The hole will always be very close to 1/2 inch in diameter. The bee will dig straight back for about an inch and then suddenly turn at a 90-degree angle and continue drilling for several more inches. The end of this tunnel will serve as a chamber for the female carpenter bee to lay her eggs in (a single nest may contain 6 to 8 chambers). The construction of the nest at a 90-degree angle ensures that the egg chamber cannot be reached by birds or other predators sticking their noses into the nest opening. This also means that you cannot destroy the carpenter beehive by just jabbing around in the hole with a long object.

Carpenter Bee Treatment

The best preventative against carpenter bee infestations is simply to paint all exterior wood. For structures that are already infested, a carpenter bee treatment will be required. Each hole will need a covering of insecticidal dust capable of coating the interior walls of the tunnel. Carpenter bee holes sometimes need to be treated numerous times over a 1 – 2 week period. Only after each hole has been thoroughly treated with insecticidal dust is it safe to fill in the holes with pieces of dowel rod coated in wood glue. After managing existing tunnels, the surface should be painted to discourage further drilling. There are insecticide sprays that can be applied to untreated wood surfaces that will deter carpenter bees, though these need to be repeated usually twice per year, at least.

*It is essential that you do not try to plug carpenter bee holes before applying insecticide, as they are skilled diggers and this will only encourage them to dig out a new entry point.

Bee Stings and Allergies: Anaphylaxis, Allergic Reaction to Bee Venom

Any stinging insect can trigger an anaphylactic reaction in a human. Anaphylaxis is an acute hypersensitivity reaction brought on by the exposure to a certain allergen, in this case, an allergic reaction to the venom. It is difficult to determine if one is at risk or not since people can develop anaphylaxis over time. A person who was not allergic to bee and wasp stings as a youth may become so as they get older. Whenever you are stung by a wasp or bee, monitor your condition carefully and always be prepared to seek medical attention if circumstances warrant it. Signs of an anaphylactic reaction are hives, rashes on the skin, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, light-headedness, and sweating. If you think you have an anaphylactic reaction, seek medical attention immediately.

Bee Sting Treatment & Remedies

What should you do if you get stung by a bee or wasp, provided you are not allergic to them and there is no danger of anaphylaxis, follow these simple steps:

• Check to see if the stinger is still in your skin. If the stinger is still there, remove it with a pair of tweezers.
• Wash the sting site with water and soap.
• Cover the affected area with ice wrapped in a towel or a bag of frozen vegetables. Do not put ice directly on the skin, as this can cause an ice burn. Leave the ice in place for five minutes; this will reduce blood flow to the affected area and slow the defensive reaction of your body against the venom.
• Ibuprofen or acetaminophen helps reduce pain. Calamine lotion can be applied to the affected area throughout the day to reduce itching. It is important not to itch or scratch the affected area, as this will spread the venom and slow the healing process. Benadryl is also helpful, either taken orally or applied topically to the sting.
• One effective Native American remedy for bee stings is to simply apply mud to the affected area for about 15 minutes. The mud helps to draw the venom out of the skin.