Ok, so what are these and how do I get rid of them?

BigWaylon

BigWaylon

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Have these flying all over a stack of firewood. Wood has been there for many years and I’ve never seen them.

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Firewood is under the deck, so I’m getting swarmed by them while I’m up top on the grill.
 
Kinda looks like a carpenter ants or bees, kinda hard to see. If they are ants, I've been told they can grow wings when looking for a new home
 
Looks like carpenter bees..... They are about the size and appearance of a bumble bee. They will bore small holes (slightly smaller than a dime) to make their nest about this time of year (you will see a small pile of fine sawdust under them). They are very defensive over the nest but can't sting you...... however they will get on your nerves. For entertainment....... get a tennis racket and swat away.
 
My dad got one if those tennis racquets with the bug zapper thingy in it. That is good fun, especially when you add beer to the mix
 
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BowWow said:
Looks like carpenter bees..... They are about the size and appearance of a bumble bee. They will bore small holes (slightly smaller than a dime) to make their nest about this time of year (you will see a small pile of fine sawdust under them). They are very defensive over the nest but can't sting you...... however they will get on your nerves. For entertainment....... get a tennis racket and swat away.
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There’s been holes and sawdust in the firewood for years, I’ve just never seen a single bee flying around it. Come out today and there are dozens.

Quick search shows the males don’t even have stingers. Females do, but generally won’t mess with you if you’re not swatting at them.

Yes I have a big bowl. But that’s a lot of wood to get through! And I’d hate to waste it. I’ll just let ‘em be (no pun intended) and keep burning the wood in the winter.

Any decent solution to spray on the firewood that wouldn’t cause issues when burning it inside?
 
heavydoc said:
My got one if those tennis racquets with the bug zapper thingy in it. That is good fun, especially when you add beer to the mix
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Don’t have one of those, but do have a bug-a-salt.
 
Yep that a wood or carpenter bee. Your lucky I get hornets, yellow jackets and bees. Just waiting for the tracker jackers to show up now
 
BowWow said:
Looks like carpenter bees..... They are about the size and appearance of a bumble bee. They will bore small holes (slightly smaller than a dime) to make their nest about this time of year (you will see a small pile of fine sawdust under them). They are very defensive over the nest but can't sting you...... however they will get on your nerves. For entertainment....... get a tennis racket and swat away.
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If they are carpenter bees and just so @BigWaylon doesn't roll in and attack too confidently the males do not sting but are very defensive/territorial. However, the females, while rare, can sting and can do it as many times as they see fit.

EDIT: Damn I type slow....
 
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BigWaylon said:
There’s been holes and sawdust in the firewood for years, I’ve just never seen a single bee flying around it. Come out today and there are dozens.

Quick search shows the males don’t even have stingers. Females do, but generally won’t mess with you if you’re not swatting at them.

Yes I have a big bowl. But that’s a lot of wood to get through! And I’d hate to waste it. I’ll just let ‘em be (no pun intended) and keep burning the wood in the winter.

Any decent solution to spray on the firewood that wouldn’t cause issues when burning it inside?
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In the winter time, they're dormant. If they survive the winter, they come out in the spring to breed.

So long as you're not storing them in the house, you should be fine as is. Keep a stack outside the door and bring in what you need to toss on the fire and you should be OK without spraying anything.
 
BlackGun said:
Might want to move the wood from around the house. They like boring in structures under siding where other critters get in later. Firewood attacks ear wigs, stink bugs, spiders, and definitely termites as it ages. Mulch is even worse.
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Assuming attacks = attracts, probably something to consider. It’s been there in one form or another, for probably 20 years.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
In the winter time, they're dormant. If they survive the winter, they come out in the spring to breed.

So long as you're not storing them in the house, you should be fine as is. Keep a stack outside the door and bring in what you need to toss on the fire and you should be OK without spraying anything.
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Yep, that’s all we do. The big stack stays under the deck. Small little rack at the back door. None inside unless it’s in the fireplace.
 
Looks like mason bees. If so they’re pollinators just like honey bees. Why not just leave them alone? They won’t sting you unless you pick them up and squeeze the shit out of them. With pollinating bees in the decline, why the hell does everyone want to get rid of everything they see. Worry about mosquitoes instead.
 
Burt Gummer said:
Looks like mason bees. If so they’re pollinators just like honey bees. Why not just leave them alone?
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There we go! Live and let live.

However, if the bastards happen to sting you, game on.
 
I live in a log cabin & have to spray every year. I use permethrin for the carpenter bees. Usually a concentrated bottle you mix. Southern States Tractor supply or local farm & garden has it. Good luck dont let them get to your house.
 
MacEntyre said:
What will I do with all these .22 shot shells?
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send 'em here
I was walking to the mailbox the other day and spotted 2 rats just sitting at the edge of my driveway...
Last time my buddy was here, he went out to his car around dawn and said he saw a litter of something took off scurrying from the edge of the drive into the weeds. I figured it might be mice, but maybe it was rats.
 
Carpenter bees when active orbit around where the females lay eggs (holes). They fight each other alot. There are homemade traps that kinda work (google foo needed). They worked one year at our shooting club. The next year they did not.
 
Crazy Carl said:
More fun when you add a lighter to the mix.
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Do yourself a favor and find something flameable besides brake clean to use or burn for this entertainment it puts off pretty toxic fumes when burned that can mess you up from what I understand. Saw a thing a while back cautioning welders to not clean metal with it before heating or welding it as well for same reason. Never thought about it myself till reading the article.
 
BigWaylon said:
There’s been holes and sawdust in the firewood for years, I’ve just never seen a single bee flying around it. Come out today and there are dozens.

Quick search shows the males don’t even have stingers. Females do, but generally won’t mess with you if you’re not swatting at them.

Yes I have a big bowl. But that’s a lot of wood to get through! And I’d hate to waste it. I’ll just let ‘em be (no pun intended) and keep burning the wood in the winter.

Any decent solution to spray on the firewood that wouldn’t cause issues when burning it inside?
Click to expand...
Gasoline? Fumes should kill them, and should evaporate in a few days. :p

Mineral spirits? It's commonly used on wood to see the grain of wood, and evaporates quickly.
 
Jp8819 said:
Do yourself a favor and find something flameable besides brake clean to use or burn for this entertainment it puts off pretty toxic fumes when burned that can mess you up from what I understand. Saw a thing a while back cautioning welders to not clean metal with it before heating or welding it as well for same reason. Never thought about it myself till reading the article.
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Alcohol.

Cheap, easy, and it evaporates quickly.
 
MacEntyre said:
chlorinated brake cleaner contains Tetrachloroethylene, which can cause cancer. ..
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And in the state of California, the ink on the label and the container itself contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer.
 
from above about carpenter bees:
"They will bore small holes (slightly smaller than a dime)...:
exactly .40 cal size.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
And in the state of California, the ink on the label and the container itself contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer.
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Once bought a stainless steel cup that had the cancer sticker. I was curious and called the company. I said, It's like stainless, right? He chuckled and said yep, California.
 
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