In summary i ve seen them nest in virtually any kind of wood including pressure treated lumber cedar painted with duron paint and even railroad ties.
Do carpenter bees eat cedar wood. You can prevent carpenter bees from nesting in the first place by painting or varnishing your home s exterior. They spit it back out leaving a pile of wood dust below the entrance to the nest. If you are having a problem with carpenter bees it is best to get rid of them as soon as possible. Wood boring carpenter bees resemble bumble bees but these large bees excavate tunnels in wood to make a nest whereas bumble bees nest in soil.
Eastern species will target pine redwood fir and cedar. Carpenter bees prefer to excavate untreated unfinished wood. The bee bores holes in trees including redwood and cedar trees. Carpenter bees don t eat wood they only drill holes through them to build their nests and lay eggs.
Carpenter bees live throughout the united states though the western species of carpenter bees prefer to nest in oak eucalyptus and redwood. Your best defense is a good offense. But by taking these steps and staying alert to new activity you can keep damage to a minimum. Since carpenter bees don t actually eat wood treating it doesn t do much good.
If an infestation has occurred you will need to use an insecticide to eliminate the carpenter bees. They find it easier to make holes in unpolished or unpainted wooden objects such as doors window sills and railings. Eastern carpenter bee the only insect that can attack cedar wood is the eastern carpenter bee a bee that looks similar to a bumblebee. Carpenter bees do not eat the wood that they burrow into.
Eastern carpenter bees live in eastern and east central united states and southern ontario canada. This nest building can damage wood trim doors and so forth. Fourth if there is an abundant supply of bees nearby nesting in a somewhat limited amount of cellulose the odds of them moving to your pavilion will increase. While wood boring carpenter bee damage is usually minor it should still be repaired as soon as possible to prevent water.
There s no way to completely prevent or eliminate carpenter bees. Carpenter bees do not really eat wood but they chew out holes and makes nests inside where eggs hatch and create more carpenter bees increasing the destruction.