Carpenter Bees
Honey Bees vs. Carpenter Bees
Worried about a large buzzing creature by your house? Depending on who you are, the sight of a bee floating around your home can either be… A. a satisfying reassurance that your plants are likely being pollinated or… B. a panic inducing living nightmare born from the fear of being aggressively attacked by a relentless and evasive little “predator.” (If it´s the latter you´re definitely not alone, but keep reading by all means) What if that bee was about an inch larger than the standard honey bee and was hovering near the wooden eaves of your home? In this instance, you´re likely seeing a carpenter bee. It´s very important to note the difference…. Honey bees tend to become very aggressively protective over their hive, which could lead to physical injury; whereas the carpenter bee prefers to lead a much more solitary life by drilling lengthy tunnels into wooden structures, rarely attacking anything without extreme provocation. So the difference really lies in the fact that the typical honey bee could pose a health and safety hazard, while the carpenter bee presents much more of a structural risk than anything else. Not to say that the two don´t have their similarities. Like all other bees, the carpenter bee does play a very important role in our eco system.Carpenter Bees and Our Eco System
As they take pollen and nectar from the many open blooms that they frequent, they also distribute it amongst the other flowers, thus initiating fertilization and seed formulation. Physically, carpenter bees are roughly about one inch long with a smooth, shiny abdomen. Their coloring is typically darker (IE : black with a slight blue-ish hue) but males of some species can appear to be more golden than others. Normally, if you do see a male, you´ll see him bravely buzzing near his nest, occasionally stalking or approaching nearby animals… You´ll never see him sting anything though. He´s all talk. Males aren´t equipped with a stinger, and females, though certainly capable, are usually very docile. It´s unlikely that you´ll ever be stung by a female carpenter bee unless you take it upon yourself to handle one directly or provoke it beyond reason. Fancy that, huh? So if you were one of the aforementioned “bee-a-phobes,” you can rest a little easier knowing that these guys aren´t out to get you. These bees earned their name by means of their nesting habits, which are fascinating. Where they live… A female will spot a fresh piece of wood free of rot or mold and begin “drilling” an unsightly but functional tunnel system complete with separate rooms, or “cells” for each of her offspring. She´ll continue to drill until somewhere between 6 to 10 cells have been hollowed out. In each of the separate cells, she´ll deposit a single egg along with enough food to provide nourishment to sustain it as it matures to adulthood. Generally this homemade meal consists of freshly gathered pollen and plant nectar and is known as “Bee Bread.” Once the cell is constructed, the food is deposited, and the egg has been carefully placed, she seals off the room by cementing wood chips around the entrance. However, as fascinating and beneficial as these creatures are, they can also pose a risk to your home.Carpenter Bees and Your Home
They tend to target fresh, unpainted wood and can compromise the structural integrity of any piece of wood that they may commandeer and reside in. Furthermore, though the average carpenter bee´s life cycle doesn´t last longer than one year, it´s not uncommon that a new generation will reoccupy previously inhabited tunnels and expand them beyond what they were previously, which as you can imagine, can only create further problems. Imagine how much weight the support beam of a deck or canopy could support if it had several lengthy holes drilled through it over the course of a few years. That´s clearly something that merits your immediate attention. But that´s why we´re here. If and when you notice that ½ inch thick entrance hole anywhere on your home, we should be the first people you call. We´re happy to take care of you.Locations
City Services for Pest Control in Los Angeles
Agoura Hills | Northridge | |
Alhambra | Pacific Palisades | |
Arcadia | Palos Verdes Estates | |
Beverly Hills | Pasadena | |
Burbank | Pomona | |
Calabasas | Rancho Palos Verdes | |
Cerritos | Redondo Beach | |
City of Industry | Reseda | |
City of Los Angeles | Rolling Hills Estates | |
Claremont | San Marino | |
Culver City | Santa Fe Springs | |
Cypress | Santa Monica | |
Diamond Bar | Sherman Oaks | |
El Monte | Sylmar | |
El Segundo | Tarzana | |
Encino | Temple City | |
Glendale | Toluca Lake | |
Granada Hills | Torrance | |
Hacienda Heights | Venice | |
Hidden Hills | Walnut | |
Hollywood | West Covina | |
La Verne | West Hollywood | |
Long Beach | West Los Angeles | |
Malibu | Westlake Village | |
Manhattan Beach | Whittier | |
Marina Del Rey | Woodland Hills | |
North Hollywood | ||
City Services for Pest Control in Orange County
Aliso Viejo | Laguna Hills | |
Anaheim | Laguna Niguel | |
Brea | Lake Forest | |
Buena Park | Los Alamitos | |
Capistrano Beach | Mission Viejo | |
City of Orange | Newport Beach | |
Corona Del Mar | Orange | |
Costa Mesa | Rancho Santa Margarita | |
Dana Point | Rossmoor | |
Fountain Valley | San Clemente | |
Fullerton | San Juan Capistrano | |
Garden Grove | Santa Ana | |
Huntington Beach | Tustin | |
Irvine | Villa Park | |
La Habra | Westminster | |
Laguna Beach | Yorba Linda | |
City Services for Pest Control in San Diego
4S Ranch | Rancho Penasquitos | |
Poway | Scripps Ranch | |
Rancho Bernardo | ||
Descanso | Ramona | |
Julian | Santa Ysabel | |
Pine Valley | ||
Bonsall | Hidden Meadows | |
Escondido | Pauma Valley | |
Fallbrook | Valley Center | |
Carlsbad | Pacific Beach | |
Coronado | Point Loma | |
La Costa | San Ysidro | |
Mira Mesa | The City of San Diego | |
Otay Mesa | ||
Cardiff by the Sea | Oceanside | |
Carmel Valley | Rancho Santa Fe | |
Del Mar | San Marcos | |
Encinitas | Solana Beach | |
La Jolla | Vista | |
Alpine | Imperial Beach | |
Bonita | Jamul | |
Chula Vista | La Mesa | |
East Lake Chula Vista | Lakeside | |
El Cajon | Santee | |
City Services for Pest Control in Ventura
Camarillo | Simi Valley | |
Moorpark | Thousand Oaks | |
City Services for Pest Control in Riverside
Canyon Lake | Norco | |
Chino Hills | Perris | |
Corona | Sun City | |
Eastvale | Temecula | |
Lake Elsinore | The City of Riverside | |
Menifee | Wildomar | |
Moreno Valley | Winchester | |
Murrieta | ||
City Services for Pest Control in San Bernardino
Chino | Ontario | |
Fontana | Rancho Cucamonga | |
Highland | Redlands | |
Loma Linda | Upland | |
Montclair | Yucaipa | |