Problems with carpenter bees and woodpeckers in Virginia often go hand in hand. Woodpeckers are the main natural predators of carpenter bees and commonly bore into the wood of houses while hunting for them. Many homeowners are unsure whether to hire a pest control company to eliminate the carpenter bees or a wildlife control company to manage the woodpeckers. In most states, these services are separated because of licensing requirements.
Removing carpenter bees and controlling woodpeckers are two very different specialities. Pest Proof Pest Management is uniquely suited to handle both of these nuisances in Virginia. Keep reading to learn more about the problems that they can cause and how to manage them.
Problems With Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees are solitary insects, unlike most other bee species. A single female carpenter bee will chew a 1/2″ hole into a piece of wood and then deposit her eggs with food for the larvae to eat when they hatch. Many people in Virginia discover a lone carpenter bee hole on the side of their house and shrug it off as no big deal. The problem is that if one carpenter bee thinks it’s a suitable area to nest, then others will follow.
Another issue with ignoring this tiny, solitary carpenter bee hole is that she is leaving pheromones, which will lure other carpenter bees to your home in Virginia. With any species of pest or wildlife, prevention is the most cost effective and most ethical form of control, so now is the time to be aggressive; not when you have 30 of them buzzing around your home!
Many homeowners are most concerned with being stung by carpenter bees, which have a tendency to buzz around people’s heads. The vast majority of the time, carpenter bees that exhibit this behavior are males, which possess no stinger! The reason male carpenter bees like to buzz around you is that they have been drawn to the area in search of a female and are making territorial displays to one another. While they can be annoying, they are still beneficial pollinators which pose no threat, therefore there is no need to eliminate them.
Problems With Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers commonly show up shortly after a carpenter bee infestation is found in your home in Virginia. They will peck out each gallery in your wood to eat the carpenter bee eggs and larvae that have been stashed inside. The damage woodpeckers cause to your house while hunting for their prey is often readily visible. As long as there are carpenter bees in the area, woodpeckers will continue to wreak havoc on your home in search of them.
Sometimes, woodpeckers may like your house so much that they peck through your wood, stucco or siding to build a nest. Woodpeckers are a federally protected bird species, meaning that woodpecker control options are limited. Deterrents can be placed on your home but these might create an unwanted aesthetic. Beware that woodpeckers will also happily eat birdseed at a feeder, so hanging bird feeders directly from your home or deck can draw them in.
Control Strategy for Carpenter Bees & Woodpeckers
If carpenter bees have already created holes in your wood, it’s not too late to get rid of them before woodpeckers arrive. The bee holes in your house in Virginia can be treated to eliminate the carpenter bees, after which the holes can be filled with a sealant or wood filler.
A fresh coat of stain or paint is a good way to deter carpenter bees from nesting in your wood, but this DIY method is not foolproof. High gloss paints tend to prove the most effective at deterring carpenter bees. Aluminum can also be wrapped around wood as a means of carpenter bee prevention. This aluminum wrapping will also prevent woodpeckers from destroying your wood.
A grander and more extreme method of carpenter bee and woodpecker prevention is replacing wood siding with a fiber cement board that can be manufactured to look like wood. This will allow you to deter both the birds and the bees without detracting from the aesthetic of your home in Virginia.
Effective Carpenter Bee & Woodpecker Control in Northern Virginia
When Virginia homeowners are afflicted by a carpenter bee or woodpecker infestation, they’re generally eager for a quick, one-time fix. Unfortunately, such a definitive solution does not exist. After all, the woodpecker that visits your home in search of bee larvae today may not be the same one that visits tomorrow. That’s why Pest Proof Pest Management always starts off with an inspection to develop the perfect strategy for every client.
Carpenter bees and woodpeckers can both cause costly damage to your house if left unchecked. Contact Pest Proof today for the best carpenter bee and woodpecker control services in Northern Virginia!
