Carpenter Bee Control
Carpenter Bee Control for Detroit Metro Homes.
Carpenter bees bore into wood year after year, causing damage that compounds over time. RIDD treats active nests and protects your home from future drilling.
The problem
The Damage Carpenter Bees Do
Carpenter bees drill perfectly round holes, about half an inch across, into bare or weathered wood on the outside of your home. Decks, fascia boards, porch railings, eaves, and siding are the most common targets. Each hole opens into a tunnel where the female lays her eggs.
Carpenter bees come back to the same wood year after year, and the tunnels deepen and branch with each season. Over time that weakens the wood, invites moisture and rot, and attracts woodpeckers that tear the wood apart looking for larvae, which compounds the damage.
The solution
How RIDD Treats Carpenter Bees
We apply residual products directly into active tunnels to reach the bees and larvae inside, then treat the surrounding wood to deter new drilling. For homes that see them every year, we recommend a preventive treatment in early spring, before nesting season begins.
After treatment, sealing the old tunnels with wood filler or caulk keeps future bees from reusing them. We will advise on the best approach for your materials and situation.
Local species
What to Know About Carpenter Bees in Michigan
Carpenter bees look alarming and do real damage, but the threat is to your wood, not to you. Here is what matters in Michigan.
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Eastern Carpenter Bee
The eastern carpenter bee is the only carpenter bee common in Michigan. It is large, close to an inch long, and looks like a bumblebee, but its abdomen is shiny black rather than fuzzy. The males are territorial and may hover right at you, yet they have no stinger. Females can sting and almost never do unless they are handled.
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Where They Drill
Carpenter bees strongly prefer bare, weathered, or soft wood. They bore into decks, porch railings, fascia, eaves, and siding, then tunnel along the grain to lay eggs. A solid coat of paint makes wood much less attractive to them, while bare and weathered boards are the ones they target.
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The Woodpecker Problem
Once tunnels are established, woodpeckers, especially downy and hairy woodpeckers, tear into the same boards to eat the larvae. That woodpecker damage to siding and trim can be far more extensive and expensive than the bees themselves. Clearing the bees protects the wood from this second round of damage.
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Damage That Compounds
Carpenter bees return to the same wood season after season, and the tunnels branch and deepen each year. Left alone, that weakens the board, lets in moisture and rot, and keeps drawing the woodpeckers. Catching it early keeps a cosmetic problem from turning into a structural one.
Plans
How Carpenter Bee Control Is Priced
Carpenter bee control is a seasonal, targeted service rather than something bundled into a monthly plan. We treat active tunnels and protect vulnerable wood, and pricing depends on how widespread the activity is and which areas are involved.
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Pest 4
Starting at $ 49 /mo
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Pest 6
RecommendedStarting at $ 69 /mo
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RIDD Package 4
Starting at $ 89 /mo
The plans below are our recurring general pest control options, separate from carpenter bee treatment. Call us and we'll quote the carpenter bee work for your home.
Coverage
Where We Offer Carpenter Bee Control
We treat carpenter bees across every community in our Detroit metro service area. Find your city below, or call us if you're not sure we cover you. We probably do.
Common questions
Carpenter Bee FAQs
Are carpenter bees dangerous?
Male carpenter bees look aggressive but cannot sting. Females can sting and are not typically aggressive, stinging only if handled. The real damage is to your home: the tunnels weaken exterior wood over time, especially once woodpeckers get involved.
When should I treat for carpenter bees?
Early spring, before nesting activity begins. In Michigan, carpenter bees usually become active in April or May as temperatures warm. Treating before they drill is significantly more effective than treating after the tunnels are in.
Will painting my wood stop carpenter bees?
Paint helps a lot. Carpenter bees strongly prefer bare and weathered wood, and a solid coat of paint, ideally oil-based, makes a surface much less attractive. Stain and clear sealers do not reliably stop them, and no finish replaces treatment once a board is already being used. Keeping exterior wood painted is good prevention, not a cure for an active infestation.
Do carpenter bees reuse their tunnels?
Yes. Both the original bees and new ones return to existing tunnels and expand them. An old tunnel left untreated will almost certainly be reoccupied the following spring, so sealing it after treatment is what prevents the cycle from repeating.
Ready when you are
Seeing Carpenter Bee Damage?
Book a service for your home, or call us now.
