HELP Monster Bee (Hornet?) making home in brick/concrete!

Please help!!! We have this monster size bee (or, maybe a hornet?) that is coming and going from various holes in a brick/concrete outline of our garage. The holes are in the top part only. I don't know if it is just one creature right now that is perhaps building a nest? Maybe they all look the same and I only see one at a time? I should have asked earlier as I've seen this for at least a month or two. I've been in avoidance!

These things are BIG! I'd say at least an inch and a half in size and they are fat, too! DH wants to take care of the problem, but he hasn't done anything yet. There are about eight different holes that this bee thing will go into. I'm afraid they might be going up into our drywall in our closet.

I'm not sure if it's a nest that is just beginning or if there are already multiple creatures living there. I'm scared if DH tries to kill them, they might fly out of another exit and attack him.

Any ideas on how to rid ourselves of these scary creatures by ourselves?

You most likely are seeing carpenter bees. Here is a link. http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef611.htm


Edited to say. I don't try to get rid of them or kill them. They won't harm you. However, they will drill holes in soft untreated/unpainted wood.

This message was edited Wednesday, May 28th 8:46 PM

Thanks, Datdog ~ the picture on the link looks like the creatures I am describing.

Out of curiosity, why don't you try to rid your home of them? The link mentioned that they could do considerable damage. Just curious as I don't know what to do right now.

Thanks!

They are a bit of a nuisance here, too. They bore holes in the rafters in our overhangs. (Cuz of the size of the holes, folks refer to them bees by their nickname, "3/8ths").

Some days I watch them go in where they've bored, then run a coat hanger up their hole (sorry, hehehe...sounded pretty graphic, eh?) I figure if their friends show up they see the evidence and decide this ain't a good spot to hang out.

Some folks fill in the holes with putty, some spray foam filler, glue, or even paint in there.

A bad infestation has been known to make floor joists so damaged/weak they sag or break.

I'd suggest plugging up the holes so they have no way into the walls. Better safe than sorry!


This message was edited Thursday, May 29th 12:01 PM

Morph- I've not had damage done by them on the house. I did have them bore some holes in a old potting bench.
I noticed if we kept the house overhang painted, they didn't bother with it. So really, they didn't cause me any trouble. So no need to harm them, in my case.

I think I like your ideas for plugging up the holes, Shoe. They are on the house and lead (eventually) into our bedroom closet. I don't want to start having nightmares about being attacked by these huge things in the middle of the night. You'll see how scared I am of just the smallest bee at the RU ~ I'll be the one running for no apparent reason and I'm not kidding! LOL!

we always call em 'B-52's!

DF takes badmitten practice with them.

LOL, Violabird! If that stuns them enough, I'm definitely going to give it a try. It's just weird that I don't ever see a whole lot at one time. It just seems like there is one living in there, but I know that can't be true.

Shoe, you're awfully brave to stick a hanger in there! I didn't read this right last night & now that I've reread, I just can't believe you'd have the courage to aggravate this B-52!

Carpenter bees do pollinate plants. I was dismayed to see the recommendation of heavy duty pesticides in the otherwise interesting link provided! Let's not nuke the planet, especially when it isn't necessary. In the hopes of providing an alternative to the many carpenter bees in my yard, I recently got a "bee house" which resembles a small bird house with lots of bee sized holes drilled into it. It's hanging in the apricot tree where these bees tend to hang out. In a discussion at the Organic Gardening website, someone said that bees did nest in such houses.

Jenniferch, sounds like you have what's called a "mason bee" house, and those are DEFINITELY great pollinators! They play an integral role in nature and actually need protection (and homes) in many areas of the country. (Some places have to bring them in from outside sources or they will have no crops. Orchardist tend to rely on them so having your beehouse in your apricot tree is the perfect spot for it.)

I don't see many honey bees around here...but bumble bees...oh my! I've got loads of them. No pollination problems here...lol I think I had a carpenter bee drill a hole in the redwood on my house. I've got a small area that is redwood, the rest is brick. I figured that's what caused it. I'm really keeping an eye out for the other carpenters...the carpenter ants! So far, I don't think I've seen any really close to the house. I've got those tiny little black ants that seem to find their way into the house and I see them coming in and out of the bricks in some areas. I did a search for carpenter ants, and these look way too small to be carpenter ants...so I guess I'm ok. There really are a lot of ants around here though. I think I need to import an ant eater :) hehe