The Bees are Buzzing in Hocking Hills!!

Dear Friends,
The April showers are hopefully over and the May flowers are blooming. Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and the bees are buzzing... the Carpenter Bees that is. The nice weather seems to have brought out an influx of the ever annoying Carpenter Bees to the Hocking Hills area and to The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls.

These hairy, bee-like creatures are often mistaken for Bumblebees due to their similar structure and coloration. This species get their name from the fact that nearly all members build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers. Carpenter Bees prefer to build burrows in weathered, untreated lumber and their nests always have perfectly round openings. These creatures can cause damage to buildings when they build their burrows and often leave a mess in their wake.

Although the male Carpenter Bee is often aggressive and will defend his territory, he does not have a stinger. He can not sting you. The female Carpenter bee is mostly docile but will sting if directly provoked.

Green is the word, and if you want to get rid of Carpenter Bees without using insecticides you can try plugging the entrance holes with caulk. You can simply put caulk or putty in the holes and paint over them. The bees will not try to get out once they are trapped inside. Another method is to agitate the bees and then vacuum them out of the nest. This can only be accomplished if the nest is relatively new, and only in the early evening when the bees have returned to the nest and are relatively slow. A new colony will sometimes consist of only 20 or so bees, with one queen. If you notice that the colony is relatively small, you may want to consider waiting outside of the nest with a vacuum cleaner while poking the nest with a stick. If all else fails, good old fashioned bug spray will keep them at bay for awhile.

Once you rid yourself of the pesky bees, you will want to keep them from returning by keeping the dwelling painted or sided with vinyl.

Although sometimes bothersome, carpenter bees are not dangerous and generally do not cause any harm. More often they will just buzz about pollinating open faced flowers and will keep to themselves. With the flowers in bloom at the Inn, I have a feeling our Carpenter Bees have been hard at work this spring.

Ellen and Terry,
Innkeepers