wtnhighlander Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 Friend of mine would like me to build some items for his soon-to-be screened porch. Under roof and no direct sun, but outdoor humidity. His biggest concern is carpenter bees. I know they love WRC, since my house is covered in it and is now full of bee tunnels. Anyone have suggestions for a decent looking species for outdoor us, that the bees don't care for? Helps if it is common to the southeastern US. Cypress, juniper / cedar, and white oak are the most common "rot resistant" species here, but something else would be better for bees? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 They love hickory shovel handles too ! They haven't touched my ground contact grade CCA treated 6 x 6 posts in my muscadine arbor in 26 years. No sign of them drilling into the new ACQ copper treated sections of my fence rebuild several years ago either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve B Anderson Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 I’ve had good success with pine and a good coat of paint. I have a lot of cedar on my property and the bees seem to love it. Not sure if the paint has anything to do with it but it’s worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 I'm afraid pressure treatment and paint are not going to meet this guy's standards. At this point, I'm leaning toward cypress or white oak. Same guy I built the 'robust' oak table for, my guess is he'll prefer oak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 32 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: I'm afraid pressure treatment and paint are not going to meet this guy's standards. At this point, I'm leaning toward cypress or white oak. Same guy I built the 'robust' oak table for, my guess is he'll prefer oak. Do you have a white oak source? If not let me know, I do have a source. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 I just did a little research on carpenter bees. They mostly tunnel in softwoods so hardwoods like white oak might help. Tell that to the one that set up camp in my shovel handle ! And paint or varnish is a deterrent. Steel wool and or Sevin dust helps prevent them from reusing an existing hole. I have drilled out & plugged holes with a dowel, cut flush, sand and paint. An osselating multi tool works great for that. They are the biggest American native bee and are great pollinators especially of native plants. I recently read that if you are lazy or patient and mow less often , like every 2 weeks or so, it is better for lots of small native bees which generally don't mess with us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 Steve, if I waited 2 weeks to mow right now, I'd have to follow up with a rake and a baler! Hot weather and just enough rain make this so-called "grass" grow fast enough to watch. The corn field across the road has grown about 4 feet in the past 2 weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 I had trouble with white oak outside. I live in a humid environment, Mold grew under the varnish. Twice I stripped it down and treated the wood. each time in about 2 years it was moldy again. It is now African Mahogany and no problem. I have not had any bee problem... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Thanks for that, @curlyoak . I've experienced the same mold issue on a white oak bench I made. But it was completely in the open, so I didn't know if being under roof would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Sorry to be so late finding this thread. My house is totally sided and trimmed in cedar and the carpenter bees love it. I have battled them for years. Last year I discovered carpenter bee traps and, while they don't work 100%, they have certainly slowed them down significantly (hard to quantify, but mayby 80-90%). I have hung 4-5 of them around the house. The bees will first look for existing holes to use (they are a little lazy). The traps take advantage of this and usually consist of a small box with a 1/2" hole or two drilled at an upward 45* angle. Where the holes are, the box walls should be thicker so that the hole tunnels are relatively long (I doubled up my 3/4" box sides). Then fasten a small plastic soft drink bottle to the bottom so that the mouth opens to the inside of the box (I drilled out the top of the cap and glued it in place so that the bottle can be removed easily for emptying). The idea is that the bee will find the hole and crawl in. Once she gets to the inside of the box she can't find her way out and goes toward the light (the bottle). Once she get into the bottle, it's all over. Some recommend starting with a section of 4"x4" post. Drill two 1/2" holes upward on two sides that intersect a larger hole up the center from the bottom. Then fasten a bottle or jar on the bottom. Like this : I tried to make mine a little more aesthetically pleasing by mostly covering the bottle within the box. Hope this helps 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 And then do you take them down the road and release them so they can continue to pollinate ? I know, damned if you do and damned if you don’t . I have purple Martin houses that sparrows like to rent on occasion. The two don’t get along. I have a sparrow trap and when I get a few in, I will take them to my office about 15 miles away and release them. My employees all say that they probably beat me back home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Sorry. There are many miles of fence rails and posts that they can use without harm. They need to leave my house alone. Considering that sparrows are an introduced invasive species and not in the least endangered, I'm not sure I would be so kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 19 hours ago, Wimayo said: Sorry. There are many miles of fence rails and posts that they can use without harm. They need to leave my house alone. Considering that sparrows are an introduced invasive species and not in the least endangered, I'm not sure I would be so kind. Do some research. Of three very common sparrow species, one is introduced and two are native. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 2 hours ago, Tpt life said: Do some research. Of three very common sparrow species, one is introduced and two are native. Thanks for the info. I haven't researched it, but I don't think any are endangered or threatened, however. Also, if my information is correct, it is the house sparrow (introduced) that damages and takes over nests of other birds. Not so much the native species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 The house sparrow, not unlike some folks, like to occupy space and simply not pay rent. The European starling on the other hand, decimates a purple Martin nest and is not tolerated around here. He’s trapped and dispatched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 This is off subject for the OP, but I'm curious as to how you trap them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Not too good at this but maybe it will fly, or die https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3W0U88hxnE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Good video. Thanks. I'm glad that carpenter bees don't require that much effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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