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A colony in a wall void or soffit

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A home inspector kneeling at an open crawl space vent along the foundation of a house, checking for pest entry points.

Worth handling this week

Is this what you are looking at?

Honey bees are furry and thickset, and a wall colony shows steady traffic at one small gap all day. A swarm hanging in a cluster on a branch is temporary and usually moves on within a day or two. Carpenter bees are different again: look for perfectly round holes about the width of a finger in fascia, decking or eaves, with a single large bee hovering nearby.

Also called: honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, swarm

Where they actually are

A honey bee colony moves in when scouts find a cavity of the right size, often reusing a site that held one before. Carpenter bees return to existing galleries each year and extend them.

  • wall voids
  • soffits and chimney cavities
  • under decks
  • in fascia and bare softwood, for carpenter bees
  • attic spaces

Why the can from the hardware store does not work

Sealing the entrance of a honey bee colony traps the bees and the comb inside the wall. The honey then ferments and attracts other pests, and the residue stains through drywall. This is the error that turns a bee problem into a construction problem.

What a contractor actually does

Honey bee colonies are often removed and relocated by a beekeeper rather than treated, and the comb has to come out or it causes problems later. Carpenter bees are treated in the galleries and the wood is then sealed. Identification decides which path is appropriate, which is why the call starts there.

A swarm in the open usually moves on by itself. An established colony inside a wall will not, and it gets harder to resolve as the comb grows.

Questions people ask on the call

Should bees be killed?
Often not. Honey bees are frequently relocated alive, which is better for the bees and generally better for the structure too.
What are the round holes in my deck?
Carpenter bees. They bore almost perfectly circular entry holes and then tunnel along the grain.
A swarm landed on my tree. What now?
Swarms are usually resting and move on within a day or two. Keep clear and do not spray it.

Bees in the house?

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