When it gets warmer outside, more bees emerge around area homes. While many people believe the larger bees seen around their home are harmless, this isn’t always the case. If a homeowner notices bees with hairless, shiny, black bodies that are gathering close to wood structures around the home, it may be a more serious problem.
While there are some bees that are completely harmless and provide an array of benefits, carpenter bees can cause quite a bit of structural damage as they build their nests. The nests they create require them to drill tunnels and holes in wood to lay their eggs. Getting to know more about these bees and when Carpenter Bee Extermination in Pittsburgh is needed is a good idea.
What will Attract Carpenter Bees?
Carpenter bees are attracted to old, unpainted, weathered, or bare softwoods. The bees target these areas as their nesting sites. They tend to favor pine, cypress, cedar, and redwood, and these bees usually make their holes in sheds, decks, home siding, window trim, fascias, and eaves.
Treated hardwoods and other materials are much less attractive to these bees, which makes those materials less likely to be attacked. Most female bees are actively searching for a place to nest and lay eggs in the months of April and May after they have mated. A homeowner can identify the bees’ holes because they will be round and have a diameter that’s approximately the size of a person’s finger.
Signs Carpenter Bees are Present
If a person wants to know for sure if they need Carpenter Bee Extermination in Pittsburgh they need to know the signs of a problem. This includes piles of fresh sawdust outside the holes, stains on the holes, and scratching sounds from the inside of the wood. If there are only a few holes, there’s no need to panic, as this is not an infestation.
If carpenter bees are a problem, it’s a good idea to call the professionals for an evaluation. More information about carpenter bees and when help is needed can be found by contacting The-Beeman.