Slamfire
Veteran Member
They don't seem much put off by the arsenic in the treated lumber my porch is built out of. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Carpenter Bees
- Thread starter jdeerestl
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Richard
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I've got a log house and we get "our share".
We treated the logs with Penetreat . Although I can't/won't "shill" for them, what I CAN attest to is, my wifes uncle, who lives a whopping next door, has SWARMS of these around his log house also. I mean swarms. We get "several" per year and I'll walk over to his house and they are EVERYWHERE.
Not sure if the Penetreat did it, the stain we used or perhaps my body oder /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif... I'm just offering something that we did. My understanding is Penetreat contains "Borates" or something like that (Boric Acid I seem to once recall??)
Anyway, we did it because we were TOLD to do it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I can attest that the two houses are very close to each other and he has a factor of 10 more carpenter bees, than we do.
Ahh..just read the active ingredient is Disodium Octaborate tetrahydrate. "A refined form of the natural mineral borax".
We treated the logs with Penetreat . Although I can't/won't "shill" for them, what I CAN attest to is, my wifes uncle, who lives a whopping next door, has SWARMS of these around his log house also. I mean swarms. We get "several" per year and I'll walk over to his house and they are EVERYWHERE.
Not sure if the Penetreat did it, the stain we used or perhaps my body oder /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif... I'm just offering something that we did. My understanding is Penetreat contains "Borates" or something like that (Boric Acid I seem to once recall??)
Anyway, we did it because we were TOLD to do it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I can attest that the two houses are very close to each other and he has a factor of 10 more carpenter bees, than we do.
Ahh..just read the active ingredient is Disodium Octaborate tetrahydrate. "A refined form of the natural mineral borax".
I used penetreat before I stained the first time. I suppose the problem could be worse, as of today I've had only six drillers this year, killed about four more in flight. It may just be a part of living in a log home in the woods. I'm going to look into mixing a pesticide in to the stain. By the way what stain are you using? I've been using TWP with halfway decent results.
Richard
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- International 1066 Full sized JCB Loader/Backhoe and a John Deere 430 to mow with
Hmm..what stain... as I recall, it came from Sherwin Williams and if memory serves me, was/is called Woodscape(s). The color we used...I'll affectionately call battleship gray. I think Sherwin Williams has a different name for it. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif (Wife says is called Blue Shadow)
SPIKER
Elite Member
Yep what others said about the borax is correct, best thing to keep them form attacking a log home, lots of log home manufactures will soak the logs in it, prior to shipping them as it also kills midue and mold spores as well as several other wood boring insects such as ants and termites!.
the thing I've heard about is using the 20 mule team laundry soap. mixing it into a water solution and pressure washing the house with it yearly. this CLEANS the house logs as well as protects it from the critters. I've been reading log home books & mags for about 10 yrs, the retirement home I want is going to be lod made by either maple log homes upper mich or one similar. I took about 20 boxes of that mule team stuff and use it in the base of the pole barn for prevention. it is inert in the dirt to US and to pets. it kills the insects becasue it desolved their ex-o-skeliton, (which is made from a wax like substance!) also stops the wood boring ones due to bad taste as well as killing... we wash cloths in it since like 1800's so it seems pretty OK to people and can be found in most stores... can't get much better cleaner for the price either.
depending on the consentrate level it MAY leave a bit of white residue on the logs untill rain desperses it some? this o don't know for sure. it does dissappear in the dirt pretty fast as well on the lawn... I used 2 boxes on the womans house for termites and ants. helps but we called terminex for them too... every little thing I can do to kill them is worth it to me... few bucks of soap is cheap insurance.
here is one link for some goo dinfo on critters of this type also for control of just about every kind of critter on 2, 4 6+ legs as well as wings!
http://www.bugspray.com/
Mark M
the thing I've heard about is using the 20 mule team laundry soap. mixing it into a water solution and pressure washing the house with it yearly. this CLEANS the house logs as well as protects it from the critters. I've been reading log home books & mags for about 10 yrs, the retirement home I want is going to be lod made by either maple log homes upper mich or one similar. I took about 20 boxes of that mule team stuff and use it in the base of the pole barn for prevention. it is inert in the dirt to US and to pets. it kills the insects becasue it desolved their ex-o-skeliton, (which is made from a wax like substance!) also stops the wood boring ones due to bad taste as well as killing... we wash cloths in it since like 1800's so it seems pretty OK to people and can be found in most stores... can't get much better cleaner for the price either.
depending on the consentrate level it MAY leave a bit of white residue on the logs untill rain desperses it some? this o don't know for sure. it does dissappear in the dirt pretty fast as well on the lawn... I used 2 boxes on the womans house for termites and ants. helps but we called terminex for them too... every little thing I can do to kill them is worth it to me... few bucks of soap is cheap insurance.
here is one link for some goo dinfo on critters of this type also for control of just about every kind of critter on 2, 4 6+ legs as well as wings!
http://www.bugspray.com/
Mark M
pd444
Member
In our part of the woods, it's not so much the bees as it is the woodpeckers that tear up the boards getting at the bee larvae.
Soon as my godson is old enough I'm offering a buck a bee...must be dead.
If you got kids to spare, send `em on down to Florida for the Grand Carpenter Bee Eradication Program.
Soon as my godson is old enough I'm offering a buck a bee...must be dead.
If you got kids to spare, send `em on down to Florida for the Grand Carpenter Bee Eradication Program.
ljh2
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At a buck a bee around our place this spring I'd be flat broke in no time. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
I sprayed some of the exposed wood with termite killer and there seems to be a LOT less bees around now. I do think I will try the borax solution as it is a lot safer than the other stuff I have.
I sprayed some of the exposed wood with termite killer and there seems to be a LOT less bees around now. I do think I will try the borax solution as it is a lot safer than the other stuff I have.