Carpenter or Wood Bees

We have a massive collection of wood bees dining on our morning glory and Chitlapa flowers. These are not just bees, they are B-52's, only outsized by the June bugs. Visitors gasp when they see them. We have never minded them except for the need to duck a great deal, they supposedly don't bite unless severely provoked, but I did wonder if this is a problem I should be addressing. I did some research on them, discovered they don't hive but drill private individual homes in dead wood, and I should look for holes about their size about the house, wood pile and garden. Nary a hole have I found. Maybe they live next door and come here to feast?

Anyway, does anyone have any ideas, should I be more persistant in looking? Will the house fall one day?

Carpenter bees are drilling holes in the underside of facia boards around the outside of my mothers home.
Exterminator sprayed holes to eliminate females. Said to take a tennis racket followed by boot heel for males. This cost me $75. Please feel free to use this info as I wont feel so robbed.

Yikes. Now all I have to do is to find those holes!!! Thank you, Sugar, if more with the same problem read this thread it will be a well spent $75.

Did he happen to mention how to tell the diff between the guys and gals, lololol?

Yes lady Anne, the females are the ones in the holes, and the ones buzzin around the hole are the males. LOL

Hey Anne,
you leave those sweet old carpenter bees alone! You old meany! LOL
Seriously, I have many, they nest in my woodpile, never bothering my house. We have lived here 19 years & they have been here the whole time, and have never caused a bit of problem. They are very gentle and non agressive. The males cannot sting and the females rarely do. You can tell them apart because the females are solid black, whereas the males are gold. I am including a good link about the ones in our area. There are many species.
I know what you mean about the B52, that I what I always compared them to also. What a sound. And when they start getting comfortable with you, they will come right up into your face & just study you. They are just curious. Then they will fly away. I just love these bees.
Donna

here is the link & under REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES, we are #3.
http://www.mipca.org/Carpenter%20Bee.htm

and here is a good shot I got of a female:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/451243/

Lol, Donna. I am not a meany, I love these guys, too. When I heard they drill in wood, my heart sunk. I have this vision of the house crumbling one day. They have taught me not to fear bees (highly allergic, go straight to the hospital, do not pass go) so now my heart doesn't thump when a honey bee comes near me which attracts then all the more. I have never seen a gold one, so I guess I have all females? They love my morning glory, and since they can't fit inside the flower, they sit on the top (and the flower sinks down under their weight) and drill a hole to get at the center. Hilarious. Nah....when I signed up for bee hummer and flutterby gardening, they are part of the deal. Well, as long as the house doesn't go kaboom! (Thanks for the links, too!)

Truce folks, I wouldn't have bothered either if I weren't trying to sell mother's house. The holes they have drilled have specs around them simular to those flies leave. I am just trying to settle the estate.

Ah Sugarweed, I wasn't meaning anything at you, I was just giving my neighbor Anne a razzin. :~)

Speaking of razzing, come get a bunny? We now have ANOTHER. Sigh....... (pleeeease??)

Sugarweed???? ROFL!!

Ya'll might want to view this thread concerning these bees!

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/426733/


(Hah! Loved PudgyMudpies post in the link above, April 22, 4:23 pm!)

Oh Shoe,
I have an easy dozen this summer! And while they still intimidate the beejeezers out of me, lol, I have really grown to love them. Probably because they are my main source of pollination. ;~)
And I have to say, I have had more fun watching them try to get inside the corkscrew vine flowers, until the ants swarm & sting them repeatedly & force them to leave... They keep trying though. They know that anything that smells that good has got to be yummy for their tummy. Oh, and instinctively, preying mantis know to leave them alone. Sure would have loved to witness THAT lesson. LOL
And you would be so proud of me, I have my chair in a shady spot under my Crape Myrtle, and it is blooming right now & the carpenters love them. They come so close to my head and face that I can feel the wind from their wings & I manage to stay in my chair! Huh? Pretty brave or WHAT! ;~)
Donna

HAH!....what a site you describe! I bet that is quite a thrill!

'Tis true, they love to come stare at ya, hovering about!

You given any of them names yet? "Bomber". "Zip". "Heli". (Short for helicopter!)

Naming them? LOLOLOL, no, had not even thought of that one! I will start working on that tomorrow, but I think I may need to band them so I can tell them apart. But that should not be too hard.....HARHARHAR

;>)

Donna, after you band (and name) yours, wanna come help me do mine? Then we could do the plain fish (most of them are named already), oh and the hummers!! I am proud of you! I am terrified of bees and these guys have helped me be near them and not freak out.

Are we the only ones not playing bee bat, and should we bee?

I imagine the first time one of us gets stung, we will beeeeee! LOL
I think Banjo is trying to say something. hehehehe

I had one that looked like ping named after me. I was flattered. Great fish and great picture. Sidney

ROFL!! Banjo is saying "Hungie, hungie!" Ping, well, Ping is simply whaling around as usual. Sidney, are you spotted??? (thanks, been trying to get good pics of these guys for a long time!)

Well when I was young I had "Angel Kisses", and now I'm getting the spots one starts getting after almost 60 yrs. So I guess I am spotted. Sidney was the most unusual fish in the pond, as I have been. LOL

I wasn't looking forward to 'spots' in the very near future, BUT, I WILL be in excellent company.