Assumption Parish - Huge wood boring bees - (house, live)

[AyeAyeCapn]

Starting a second year in the bayou, house and shed is a meeting place for large, half yellow, half black (back end) bees. Wood boring wasps are here too be easier to ZAP. What can be done about the bees? I expected hardware store to have specific products but find nothing. Was thinking about a tungsten wire-strung tennis racket connected to 240V and have a go at it. They hover in one place long enough to really whack 'em. Never been stung but large nasty bugs swarming in the warmer weather nearly has me going postal. Flame throwers?

[rawrockills]

I was told once that those bees cannot sting. Not sure if it is true or not. We would hit them with tennis rackets as kids.

[AyeAyeCapn]

Originally Posted by rawrockills

I was told once that those bees cannot sting. Not sure if it is true or not. We would hit them with tennis rackets as kids.

Thanks, heard exactly that a couple times, including the tennis racket! Problem might be "barn wood" shed near the house. Might paint it. Still would like to find a way to trap or get them gone with perhaps, napalm?

[suzy_q2010]

They are not a danger sting wise. You would probably have to catch a female in your hands to get stung. They are useful pollinators, so please don't kill them.

Carpenter Bees – How to Control Carpenter Bees

[AyeAyeCapn]

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

They are not a danger sting wise. You would probably have to catch a female in your hands to get stung. They are useful pollinators, so please don't kill them.

Carpenter Bees – How to Control Carpenter Bees

Several hundred of them swarming around your carport, your head, and your dog won't go outside are not use pollinators; they're extras in a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by AyeAyeCapn

Several hundred of them swarming around your carport, your head, and your dog won't go outside are not use pollinators; they're extras in a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Wow! I've never seen more than about three at once here at my house.

I guess you need to get a big can of putty and start sealing up their nests.

Or you could use my brother's method.

He's sitting on the porch at his house, enjoying a beer with a friend who came by to visit a spell. A carpenter bee appears and hovers near the porch. He says to his friend, "Watch this," picks up a handgun from the table, fires, and the bee drops out of the air. He puts the gun down, sips his beer, and continues the conversation with his somewhat incredulous companion. A short while later, another bee pops up. His buddy looks at the handgun, looks at my brother, and says, "I bet you can't do that again." Brother picks up the gun, fires, and another dead bee results. Then he looks at his friend, takes a sip of beer, and says, "Rat shot."*

True story. By the way, my brother lives in a log cabin in the country with no nearby neighbors to be disturbed by his firearm activities.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat-shot

[Restrain]

My uncle used to shoot them with a .22. Sitting duck target. Harmless, but a nuisance.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by Restrain

My uncle used to shoot them with a .22. Sitting duck target. Harmless, but a nuisance.