# Bees Nesting/Eating through Insulation Roll in Garage



## notnew2diy (Sep 1, 2017)

Find the entrance/exit to their hive.
After dark, preferably on a cool-er night, give them a spray of hornet/wasp killer.
Check the next day, repeat. 
You never have to touch the insulation unless the entrance is on the back side of the roll.

HTH...Don


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## Steve2444 (Sep 28, 2020)

They are not bumble bees or carpenter bees, perhaps white faced hornets???
The ones "Chillin" on the outside are protecting the nest. Danger will Robinson!

You can wait till night time and spray with Bifen it, or premixed Ortho home Defense. same stuff.

Wait a few days till all signs of life are gone, then at night put the roll outside.
That bug killer will not make the insulation harmful.


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## js1m2 (Dec 11, 2020)

@Steve2444 I swear that these things have giant abdomens. They're bottom sides are way bigger than their heads, which looks more like a carpenter or bumble to me. Probably carpenter.
And yeah, probably going to go out there and watch to make sure there aren't any other nests out there before thinking the insulation is the only one. Then do as you say and spray.
I've got some of the ortho home defense for other bug issues around the house. I just wasn't sure if something like that would be as effective as a wasp/hornet/bee killer, but i'm sure the wasp/hornet killer is way more potent/dangerous to use and try to use the insulation later.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Duplicate thread Bees Nesting/Eating through Insulation Roll in Garage


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## Steve2444 (Sep 28, 2020)

js1m2 said:


> @Steve2444 I swear that these things have giant abdomens. They're bottom sides are way bigger than their heads, which looks more like a carpenter or bumble to me. Probably carpenter.
> And yeah, probably going to go out there and watch to make sure there aren't any other nests out there before thinking the insulation is the only one. Then do as you say and spray.
> I've got some of the ortho home defense for other bug issues around the house. I just wasn't sure if something like that would be as effective as a wasp/hornet/bee killer, but i'm sure the wasp/hornet killer is way more potent/dangerous to use and try to use the insulation later.
> 
> View attachment 709030


Both carpenter bees and bumble bees are solitary bees (no hive), carpenters like nests in wood and bumbles in the ground.


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## js1m2 (Dec 11, 2020)

@notnew2diy Well, the roll has a lot of surface area, and it looks like there's holes peppered in different spots on it (more than 2 at least). So i don't know if they have a "preferred" entrance or exit.
Maybe just spray the hornet/wasp killer in the holes wherever they are then?
And yeah, the holes are on the back (paper side) of the roll. I don't mind touching the insulation itself, so much as touching any part of it after it's been sprayed with the bug killer spray.
Just worried how long the spray ingredients will stay active on the insulation or if it'll be usable or can be touched anytime afterwards and be safe.


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## js1m2 (Dec 11, 2020)

chandler48 said:


> Duplicate thread Bees Nesting/Eating through Insulation Roll in Garage


Yeah, i didn't realize there was a specific sub-forum for pest control until after the fact



Steve2444 said:


> Both carpenter bees and bumble bees are solitary bees (no hive), carpenters like nests in wood and bumbles in the ground.


Hmmmm. Alright. Either way, wasp/hornet killer should hopefully still kill them. And i'll just not use the insulation for a long time then just to be sure stuff wears off (i rarely use it anyway except for small things)


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## Steve2444 (Sep 28, 2020)

js1m2 said:


> Yeah, i didn't realize there was a specific sub-forum for pest control until after the fact
> 
> 
> Hmmmm. Alright. Either way, wasp/hornet killer should hopefully still kill them. And i'll just not use the insulation for a long time then just to be sure stuff wears off (i rarely use it anyway except for small things)


Please post a picture of a dead one once it's safe to do so.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

Howdy @js1m2 nice to meet you! Where are you? City/county and state are enough. That's vitally important, as Mother Nature might solve the problem for you when it gets cold, if you're in "the north." In "the south" might be different.

Also, I second @Steve2444 's request for a picture, particularly from the top. If they're all fuzzy yellow in the top of their butts, they're bumble bees. Sting nasty and repeatedly, but nothing (thank GOD) like hornets or yellow jackets.

The further north you are, the more likely it is that the colony will die off come fall and be gone. That WON'T solve your problem completely, but it's a helluva lot less arduous than having to kill a colony that refuses to go away, which can happen in the south, especially along the Gulf Coast.


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## js1m2 (Dec 11, 2020)

@notnew2diy @Steve2444 @chandler48 
So apparently the roll wasn't where they were coming from. There's a front corner of my garage where there's some rotted trim that they're getting in, and then going underneath some stairs and underneath the addition that's connected to the garage.

Here's some pictures:


http://imgur.com/a/MSvEQDx


The first picture is further back showing the corner of the garage they're coming in, and then the path to the back corner where they go to. I haven't gone back that far to even see, but the drywall is gone in the corner, so they must have some sort of nest back behind the drywall somewhere.

The last picture is all the dead ones i killed one day recently where i was hanging around and swatting at them. There's still a ton more that come and go.


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## Steve2444 (Sep 28, 2020)

Hard to see the bee itself, but dam if it don't look like a bumble bee.

I did some more reading and it seems I was wrong, some BB's do make hives, news to me.



https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bumblebee-nests/


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## js1m2 (Dec 11, 2020)

Steve2444 said:


> Hard to see the bee itself, but dam if it don't look like a bumble bee.


The pile of bees i killed is in the third picture. Did you scroll through until the third picture, or is it still hard to tell?


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## Steve2444 (Sep 28, 2020)

js1m2 said:


> The pile of bees i killed is in the third picture. Did you scroll through until the third picture, or is it still hard to tell?


Ah I didn't see there were 3 pics, yes those are Bumble Bees.


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## notnew2diy (Sep 1, 2017)

Im confused, which aint hard to do now-a-day(smile).

How are they getting inside your garage?
Cracks in the door? From the outside?

Eliminate access. Eliminate the pest. May take a few.
If they are in the wall, and you have access, might need to cut up the drywall a bit.
After dark, preferably a cooler night. I usually do stuff like this before sunrise.

If you get stung, unscented ban roll-on antiperspirant works to reduce swelling and pain.

Good luck...Don.


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