# expanding foam to stop carpenter bees



## joecaption

That would be a big mistake.
That siding have to be able to move.
Any foam that over fills the gap is going to run down the siding and be impossible to get off.


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## Bud Cline

You will be moving building components you don't want to move and making messes you won't be able to deal with.

I'd stay with the exterminator.


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## nikeman

This is why I ask before I do. They have pest control expanding foam at home depot which seemed like a perfect solution. I feel like the exterminator will be a never ending cycle because bees come back to the same place every year. The first treatment was free and it obviously helped a lot. He said if they come back that a better treatment could be done for $100. He's my brother in law which is why it was free.


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## Bud Cline

nikeman said:


> This is why I ask before I do. They have pest control expanding foam at home depot which seemed like a perfect solution. I feel like the exterminator will be a never ending cycle because bees come back to the same place every year. The first treatment was free and it obviously helped a lot. He said if they come back that a better treatment could be done for $100. He's my brother in law which is why it was free.


Why do you need your brother-n-law? You can do the job yourself and save yourself $93.


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## del schisler

nikeman said:


> We have a carpenter bee issue at our house and have for the past few years. We had an exterminator buddy come out and he dusted for free and it drastically dropped the number of bees but they are still around. They get in around the windows and along the edge of the roof where the metal is bent around the trim. They go between the trim and the house and I assume found some wood to drill in to up in there.
> 
> Can I spray some expanding foam along the gap? Would this hurt the house at all? Would the bees drill through that too to get back to the wood? I'm talking about the stuff that expands and hardens. Not sure what it's actually called.


like the foam was already mention, i wouldn't use it , i had those bee's for a while back couple yrs ago, what i did was find the hole's and wait tell the eveing and take a 3/8 dowel rod and stick in the hole. i belive they nest at nite so you get then plug, now watch and see if you see some more holes and do the same thing, sence i done that no more bees around here cut the dowel rod flush with the hole to make it look better , stain to match ?


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## joecaption

Not going to work, del.
#1, he has vinyl siding.
#2, Carpenter bees lay there larvae in those holes, fill the hole and when the larvae hatch they just make another hole to get out.
That powder he used was likely Boric Acid, look on a bottle of "Roach Away" available in any Wal-Mart, Lowes, HD, ECT. It's 95% boric acid.

What's worked for me is just shooting in some wasp spray at the seam.
Just make sure the can says "nonstaining" right on the can.
Do not just stand on the ground and start spraying, need to get on the ladder and direct it right into the gap.
Rinse off any access on the face of the siding when done to play it safe.


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## nikeman

I would go out and put the dust up in each hold but the problem is I can't see the holes. I went up on my roof to get a close look in the gap but I just can't see holes. I can see bare 1x behind the aluminum trim but no holes. I even braved sticking my fingers in there around where I saw dust and yellow stuff on the siding and felt nothing. 

Last year I saw a huge bee that I assume was a queen coming out around my daughters bedroom window. When I'd bang on the siding I could hear buzzing inside. I have not noticed that this year but before my brother in law dusted there were baby bees getting in the house through our windows. They have small holes between the screen and glass at the bottom that are not blocked. I can stick a small stick in the hole and see it outside!!! I haven't had that problem anymore since he did his treatment.


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## hidden 1

I have same problem except they get behind the vinyl and go anywhere or get behind the gable area and its impossible to get right to where they bore without removing siding/gable .I even sprayed em with wasp spray and-get this carbarator cleaner too-didnt kill the things..is there a trap method that they may be attracted to like for other insects that trap them?


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## Bud Cline

There are wasp traps available. I have used pineapple juice (for bait) in them with good results.


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## wkearney99

Free exercise, get an old tennis racket and kill the bees. Swat, stomp, repeat.

That and one-way traps are often useful for them. Basically just a small bird house-like contraption with some angle holes and a catch bottle. The bees essentially crawl in and can't figure a good way to crawl back out. Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057XFIS4
or this:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carpenter-Bee-Trap-Large-Version/


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