Carpenter Bee Control in Gaithersburg, MD

Are carpenter bees dangerous?

The University of Maryland Extension describes them as not aggressive, and as pollinators. The hovering around a deck is territorial display rather than attack. The real issue is the wood: accumulated galleries weaken boards and let water in, and that is the basis on which treatment is decided.

Because they are pollinators, the Extension's advice is to treat only if they are damaging wood. That is the standard this page works to, and it is worth asking any contractor to apply the same test rather than treating every bee that appears near a deck.

If a sting allergy is a concern in the household, say so when you book, and keep clear of the area while work is carried out.

When do carpenter bees look for nest sites here?

The University of Maryland Extension says females seek nest sites in April and May, and that they favour bare or weathered wood. That makes spring the point at which you notice them and late summer or autumn the sensible window for filling and finishing wood before the next season.

The sequence that actually breaks the cycle is: treat the galleries, wait until the bees have passed through, fill the holes, then get a proper finish on the timber. Doing the finish work is the half people skip, and it is the half that lasts.

No other month claims appear on this page, because only the April and May nest-seeking window was sourced for this area. The climate here is humid Mid-Atlantic with four seasons, which is enough to weather an unfinished deck rail steadily.

Why does the wood have to be filled and finished?

Because bare and weathered wood is what they select. Treating the galleries deals with the current nests; filling the holes and getting paint or stain onto the timber removes the reason the boards were chosen. Untreated, unfinished wood will be used again the following April or May.

Fill the holes properly rather than cosmetically, and finish the undersides as well as the top faces. The underside of a deck rail or a joist is the surface most often left bare, and it is the surface most often bored.

Where boards are already heavily riddled, replacement is sometimes the honest answer, and that is carpentry rather than pest work. It should be quoted separately, in the same way that repairs are kept separate on the carpenter ant control page.

• Treat galleries first and leave the holes open until the bees have passed through
• Fill holes with a suitable wood filler, not just caulk on the surface
• Paint or stain all faces, including undersides of rails and joists
• Replace boards that are extensively riddled or structurally weakened
• Check the same boards in early spring, when nest-seeking starts
• Keep an eye on any face that weathers back to bare wood

Why are there birds pecking at the holes?

Because the galleries and their contents are worth getting at. Woodpecker damage following carpenter bee activity turns a line of neat round holes into a torn-open board, and it is often the point at which a homeowner first realises how much wood is affected.

This is a good reason not to leave structural damage running for several seasons. The bee galleries are small; what follows them can be much larger.

This page names no bird or wildlife species, because none were sourced for this area. If something is getting into the structure rather than pecking at it, the crawl space and attic exclusion page covers sealing work.

What moves the price of carpenter bee work?

How many galleries there are and how spread out, the height and access, whether decks, fascia and outbuildings are all included, and whether filling and finishing are part of the job or done separately. Replacement of damaged boards is carpentry and separate. The price is confirmed on site.

Access again does most of the work. A deck rail at ground level is quick; a fascia run at the top of a three-storey elevation needs ladders or a lift, and the finishing afterwards has the same problem.

No dollar figures appear anywhere on this site, because no sourced local figure exists. Ask specifically whether the quote covers filling and finishing, since treatment alone will not stop them returning.