When starting a building project in Medina County, Ohio or Summit County, Ohio, you might need a carpenter to come help you out, but make sure that carpenter isn’t a carpenter bee! (The two are distinctly different!) A carpenter should show up to your home, number one…invited by the homeowner. Said carpenter usually will have tape measure in hand and a pencil behind the ear. This is usually a good indication that yes, in fact, the species in front of you is a carpenter. Now, beware of the following carpenter, this carpenter is disguised as a bee, usually large with black and yellow stripes (could be a Steelers fan), often shows up uninvited, and is found hovering around the eaves of your home or around weathered bare wood decks and porches, often leaving little round tunnels in the wood.  If the second carpenter should show up to your Stark County, Ohio home you could be looking at repair expenses due to home damage from carpenter bees.  It’s time to invite the insect and pest control specialists from Bond Exterminating of Portage County, Ohio to help you get rid of carpenter bees.

While Nancy, owner of Bond Exterminating, says that in general, home damage from carpenter bees is usually insignificant, they can cause serious damage to already weakened wood structures. Thankfully, carpenter bees rarely sting, but can be a nuisance to your property. Luckily, with a little planning on your part and maybe from the part of an ACTUAL carpenter from the Medina County area, you can prevent carpenter bees from being attracted to your property with some easy cautionary steps.

First, when choosing a wood for your deck or other home project in Summit County, stay away from soft woods such as cedar, cypress, fir, pine, and redwood. Carpenter bees prefer this type of wood because it is softer and easier to bore tunnels in. For your project, choose a wood that is a hardwood, especially a treated piece of hardwood. This is the first step to deterring the pesky little bugs! Next, take the pieces of pre-treated wood and paint them (or if treating an existing structure, paint all of the exposed wood)! There are some paints in the Stark County and surrounding areas that do contain small amounts of insecticide—ask your paint provider for a list of paints. If you are using paint with insecticide, the insecticide is usually only good for one season and will have to be reapplied yearly. Also, make sure any openings in the wood are filled with putty or caulking and are sealed. An open hole is like an open invitation into your home!

If you find that carpenter bees have already invaded your property, it is important to close up shop on their tunnels. Send them packing by sealing up the existing tunnels. An active tunnel on your Portage County deck or other structure is easy to spot! Look for traces of sawdust or yellow or brown excrement staining on the wood. Once you find it, seal it with putty, caulk…even aluminum foil can be balled up and shoved into the hole. Next, apply two layers of primer and apply a finishing coat.  If you’re unable to take care of an infestation on your own, the insect and pest control specialists at Bond Exterminating will be happy to help you get rid of carpenter bees.

Finally, Bond Exterminating would like to remind you, that carpenter bees, while large and scary in appearance…are virtually harmless to humans and do a lot of good for the environment. They pollinate numerous plants that live in and around Portage County, Ohio and Summit County, Ohio! So, if you do not find home damage from carpenter bees around your Stark County, Ohio or Medina County, Ohio property, it is best to leave them alone. However, if they are becoming a nuisance to your home and the above ideas have not helped, give Bond Exterminating a call and they will “bee” there in a flash! Call 330-678-0100 to reach your local insect and pest removal specialists and get rid of carpenter bees.