How to Identify Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees are large bees that are often mistaken for bumblebees. Bumblebees usually have fuzzy abdomens, while carpenter bees typically have smooth, shiny black abdomens. They create nearly perfect round holes in wood and tunnel inside to build their nesting galleries.

Male carpenter bees may hover near people and act aggressively, but they cannot sting. Female carpenter bees can sting, although they are generally less aggressive and usually sting only when handled or threatened.

Why Carpenter Bees Should Be Treated

A single carpenter bee hole may not look serious, but bees often return to the same area year after year and may reuse or expand existing galleries. Over time, repeated nesting can weaken and stain wood. Woodpeckers may also cause additional damage while searching for carpenter bee larvae inside the tunnels.

Our Carpenter Bee Treatment

Knight Pest Control carefully inspects the property to locate every active carpenter bee hole and nesting gallery. We apply professional products directly into the active galleries and treat the affected wood surfaces to eliminate the carpenter bee infestation, prevent further damage, and help discourage future nesting.

We usually recommend waiting until fall, after carpenter bee activity has stopped, to fill and seal the holes. Filling the holes too soon can trap bees inside the galleries, and they may chew their way out and create new holes. Sealing the holes in the fall helps prevent bees from reusing the galleries the following year. Painting or sealing exposed wood can also make it less attractive to carpenter bees.