Big Bees

There are alot of big bees flying around out there and people are confusing them with Bumble Bees. They are most likely Carpenter Bees. These bees are large and fly in a sometimes zig zag, crazy pattern and will often times dive bomb you as you get close to the area they are flying in. What happens is the female carpenter bee will be "drilling" out her gallery to nest in a place her egg in and the male protects the hole by flying aggressively around the area. The males lack stingers and won't sting, although they will act like they can by trying to scare you away. They often nest in wood eves of the house or wood fences. Really anything wood that is bare and outside can be used to nest in. You can notice "drippings" coming from the holes these bees drill and this is an indication of where to treat. You want to treat each gallery with a dust and seal the hole over with caulk. Pest control operators might powder spray the entire area. This will give good coverage and usually will control the bees for a while. After the effects of the pesticide has worn off other carpenter bees can re-infest the holes or start new ones. Sometimes painting bare wood with a heavy paint will deter them from drilling holes, but it doesn't always work. Even if you paint and treat it is not unusual for the bees to still be around as your neighbors may have them as well and they will still be evident. This job might be best suited for a pest control company and the jobs are usually expensive because of the time it takes to treat each area thoroughly.