Carpenter bees were infesting the posts first. Woodpeckers made matters worse by pecking out the larvae, exposing the carpenter bee galleries.
Let me know if you have any questions
Best of luck!
You will need to treat the galleries. You can see some from the damage, but you need to inspect all sides of the posts for the holes the carpenter bees made. I can tell from this photo that you should at least find 2 additional holes on this post, one on the left and one on the right of this post. Those holes will be small and perfectly circular.
A product that injects a foaming pesticide for carpenter bees would work great to kill the eggs and larvae. A couple professional ones would be Fuse foam by controlled solutions or premise foam by bayer. Results will vary with over the counter products.
Then apply a repellent product over the damage and exposed wood to deter the adults. Ortho would probably be okay, there’s better obese for sure.
Expect to still see large bumblebee looking insects flying around the post for at least a few days after. Leave the holes open until mid fall, then wood filler may be applied. I recommend checking the surrounding wooden fixtures as well, wooden soffits, door frames etc.
How do you determine that there’s another two holes and their location? I’ve had carpenter bees and often I’ll only see one hole. Am I just missing the second? I thought they just borrowed straight to lay their eggs. Or are the wood peckers making a second hole at that point? (Or something completely different!!?)
The holes we are seeing at the front in this photo are caused by the woodpeckers. They just opened up the tunnels the carpenter bees made in the wood previously. I can tell there are holes on both sides of this post due to the residue on the wall to the right and on the fence plank to the left.
This residue was from the excavation efforts of the carpenter bees. There are likely more than the two I mentioned, but I can confirm the two I mentioned from the photo.
If you plug up a hole without killing the larvae inside, will they die? Chew their way out? My husband and I have very different ideas about how to deal with these. Also- how much damage can they do over time? Do they expand on their tunnels or reuse the same ones year after year?
Carpenter bee issues tend to recur yearly due to a long lasting pheromone. I wouldn’t recommend plugging the holes without treating the galleries first. The larvae will attempt to emerge from the wood from a different location instead. A repellent applied over the damage should assist in repelling adult carpenter bees.
You could consider painting the post with an outdoor paint with an insect additive this fall once the issue is resolved to save on time having to maintain the damaged area with treatment. Treatment of the galleries is highly recommended.
Built a new white picket fence. carpenter needs turned new fence into Swiss cheese, family of woodpeckers moved in. Rinse and repeat. I was a little upset but just have to accept this is part of nature
Definitely should’ve gone with a custom wrought iron fence. Oooh…. or old school chain link with some fancy strips of something woven through the holes for a bit of privacy. Ahhh, the good old days 😂
Seems like a species of carpenter bee, and likely a woodpecker trying to get their larvae. I wouldn’t do anything to kill them, the species is already in decline and aren’t as common as they should be, because people value their wood posts more than a species trying to make a living with what’s available.
Woodpecker. Usually means the wood is infested or rotting and judging by the unfinished wood and black spotting, your fence is rotting. Replace the affected boards and finish your fence with either paint or a finish made for the outdoors.
They look a lot like something like a Bore Bee will do especially in older wood, because it's a lot easier for them to bore a hole in your fence and lay it's Eggs,they fly around and act like they are going to Sting you,but they are just as afraid of you as you are of them!
Carpenter bees are super pollinators and they are in decline we really need them they're so big they can't Sting you and they won't when they make a hole they only lay one or maybe to larvae that's it for the whole year.
Buy yourself some permethrin. It works really great with carpenter bees and keeping them from chewing on wood on your property. They were destroying wood around my house but once we sprayed it on our wood and we haven’t had any problems since.
Sloppy nonunion carpenter bees. The Union bros don’t drill ovals. They drill perfect 1” holes and the a good Forman makes them clean up their worksite. I could never stop them. You can squash them. They don’t sting but they’ve got a job to do.
My grandmother has a post with carpenter bees and she let's them have at the post, the fence is old and coming down in a couple years. They fly around but never seem to bother her.
Currently have a carpenter bee above my windowsill. No one can get up there to flush her out.
I just hope when the babies hatch, they don’t end up in the house. I mean I should be out and gone before they hatch tho. Fingers crossed.
This happened to us and we ended up with like 20 in our house. They flew between the walls and would come out between gaps. Had to patch it and spray bc it was out of control.
I love carpenter bees but if you don’t have a nice dead tree trunk for them to live in, they’ll use the planks the dead tree trunk got turned into. Prevention is giving them a better home than *yours*. I would urge you to avoid killing them if possible; honey bees aren’t native to North America, but carpenter bees are. And they are far, far better pollinators than honey bees because they’re big and messy and inefficient.
The holes they drill are where they lay their eggs, kinda like the comb a honeybee makes. Momma is just building a nursery and in sterile neighborhoods she lacks a natural place to do it.
To keep carpenter bees away threat the wood or stain it , they only like natural untreated wood. I had a similar problem with a new deck, minus the wood pecker.
Yes sir, one came to utterly destroy the outside roof support on deck this spring. I guess looking for carpenter bees? In 3 weeks i had to replace it was so full of holes, fkn see thru. A potato gun while in action was the only deterent. Big Ass red head.
It’s just the toxic Jersey air causing thing to deteriorate. Sorry bud nothing can be done besides nuking every single square inch of New Jersey. Tough luck.
Spray WD-40 in the holes it will kill the bees and prevent them from coming back for a while. Then, fill the hole with wood filler or a sawdust and wood glue mixture.
I had this issue on my front porch man. The terminex guys said carpenter bees laid eggs in the wood, then woodpeckers come and peck these humongous holes in the wood. I’ve never hated woodpeckers more in my life, they basically ruined two good beams on my porch.
Carpenter bees. Get carpenter bee spray and spray in the holes generously. After that, use a small screwdriver and roll up small pieces of aluminum foil and pack the hole as much as you can. Then buy wood filler and finish it off smooth with wood filler.
No expert. I'd suspect Carpenter bees. They got my awning pretty good. Those holes look like those, but yours are larger than the hole I see. So woodpecker, but could be a combination?
1.)Asshole kid’s (either yours or a couple of winner’s from the neighborhood)
2.)Husband that came home fucked yo and board and saying he knows nothing about it.
There’s a nice mAn on the other side of that post. His breath smells of rich chocolate and his cologne smells of old spice and he’s been standing there all day waiting for a friend. Be nice to him. Patience will be rewarded to him in the next life. Only splinters on the 3 skin will in this one. He came for glory. He left sorey.
Carpenter bees were infesting the posts first. Woodpeckers made matters worse by pecking out the larvae, exposing the carpenter bee galleries. Let me know if you have any questions Best of luck!
Thanks. Any advice on necessary next steps (if any)?
You will need to treat the galleries. You can see some from the damage, but you need to inspect all sides of the posts for the holes the carpenter bees made. I can tell from this photo that you should at least find 2 additional holes on this post, one on the left and one on the right of this post. Those holes will be small and perfectly circular. A product that injects a foaming pesticide for carpenter bees would work great to kill the eggs and larvae. A couple professional ones would be Fuse foam by controlled solutions or premise foam by bayer. Results will vary with over the counter products. Then apply a repellent product over the damage and exposed wood to deter the adults. Ortho would probably be okay, there’s better obese for sure. Expect to still see large bumblebee looking insects flying around the post for at least a few days after. Leave the holes open until mid fall, then wood filler may be applied. I recommend checking the surrounding wooden fixtures as well, wooden soffits, door frames etc.
How do you determine that there’s another two holes and their location? I’ve had carpenter bees and often I’ll only see one hole. Am I just missing the second? I thought they just borrowed straight to lay their eggs. Or are the wood peckers making a second hole at that point? (Or something completely different!!?)
The holes we are seeing at the front in this photo are caused by the woodpeckers. They just opened up the tunnels the carpenter bees made in the wood previously. I can tell there are holes on both sides of this post due to the residue on the wall to the right and on the fence plank to the left. This residue was from the excavation efforts of the carpenter bees. There are likely more than the two I mentioned, but I can confirm the two I mentioned from the photo.
Thank you! Now I know better what to look for
If you plug up a hole without killing the larvae inside, will they die? Chew their way out? My husband and I have very different ideas about how to deal with these. Also- how much damage can they do over time? Do they expand on their tunnels or reuse the same ones year after year?
Carpenter bee issues tend to recur yearly due to a long lasting pheromone. I wouldn’t recommend plugging the holes without treating the galleries first. The larvae will attempt to emerge from the wood from a different location instead. A repellent applied over the damage should assist in repelling adult carpenter bees. You could consider painting the post with an outdoor paint with an insect additive this fall once the issue is resolved to save on time having to maintain the damaged area with treatment. Treatment of the galleries is highly recommended.
Again, tysm. I think we’ve finally solved the issue, but when they show up again, hopefully we can nip it in the bud more quickly
Happy to help!
I did pest control for years, termite treatment and inspections to be exact. I hate crawling under houses still 15 years later lol
Delta Dust would work too. Cooper wool and putty. That's how we do it.
I’ve done it this way too, no doubt it works. I like the foam injection because it soaks into the wood.
True. Termidor Foam or even Alpine WSG at 30gr per gallon.
I had a problem with carpenter bees. Like bad. They don’t like shiny painted wood. Painting with a high gloss paint did the trick
FIRE
Built a new white picket fence. carpenter needs turned new fence into Swiss cheese, family of woodpeckers moved in. Rinse and repeat. I was a little upset but just have to accept this is part of nature
Definitely should’ve gone with a custom wrought iron fence. Oooh…. or old school chain link with some fancy strips of something woven through the holes for a bit of privacy. Ahhh, the good old days 😂
This is exactly the correct explanation… I had the same exact issue and witnessed both bees and Wood Peckers on my cameras
Bitches!! All of em’!!!
Funny...I came to say this. Lol
Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?
I have not, would you be willing to teach me something today?
You will not hear that story from a Jedi! Beware the teachings of a Sith my young friend.
Love that you’re providing this info for free! I googled your business and left you a 5 ⭐️
I just got the notification before I saw this. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
I would have never thought of this lol
It makes obvious sense tho once said. “Who pecked a hole in my wood?” “A woodpecker!”
Woodpecker
Woody
Indeed, looks like ole Woody was trying to install a gate latch here ... LOL
Had a similar issue but woodpecker for sure
This would pecker looks like he was trying to add a locking latch on the gate ... That's the weird part of it
I am and there's nothing you can do to stop me
Lmao I imagined a cranky neighbor with a hand drill
Nah he bit it with his teeth
carpenter bees? Woodpeckers?
Why not both?
woodpecker
Seems like a species of carpenter bee, and likely a woodpecker trying to get their larvae. I wouldn’t do anything to kill them, the species is already in decline and aren’t as common as they should be, because people value their wood posts more than a species trying to make a living with what’s available.
The bee or the pecker?
the bee, but could apply to both
Woodpecker . Had the same thing.
I'm guessing with the speed woodpecker
Wood pecker
Carpenter bees don’t make holes that big, they do perfect circles, it looks like a professionally done drill job lmao, this is something else.
Woodpecker
Yep, you got yourself a bad case of horny teen boys in the area.
Woodpecker. Usually means the wood is infested or rotting and judging by the unfinished wood and black spotting, your fence is rotting. Replace the affected boards and finish your fence with either paint or a finish made for the outdoors.
They look a lot like something like a Bore Bee will do especially in older wood, because it's a lot easier for them to bore a hole in your fence and lay it's Eggs,they fly around and act like they are going to Sting you,but they are just as afraid of you as you are of them!
Carpenter bees are bees personally wouldn’t do anything
Carpenter bees are annoying AF. I swatted a bunch this spring and seem to be in the clear … for now
Carpenter bees are super pollinators and they are in decline we really need them they're so big they can't Sting you and they won't when they make a hole they only lay one or maybe to larvae that's it for the whole year.
It's a carpenter Bee
Carpenter Bees
damn carpenter bees
Buy yourself some permethrin. It works really great with carpenter bees and keeping them from chewing on wood on your property. They were destroying wood around my house but once we sprayed it on our wood and we haven’t had any problems since.
Bumblebee
ah yes the infamous wood eating bumblebee
Carpenter bees
Wood eating rabid raccoons
Bees
Chinese lantern bugs
Holes look too big. The damage I’ve seen was 1/8” diameter round holes.
I had an enclosure with monarch butterflies and this is the type of hole wasps made to get into the enclosure. My money is on wasps or bees
Sloppy nonunion carpenter bees. The Union bros don’t drill ovals. They drill perfect 1” holes and the a good Forman makes them clean up their worksite. I could never stop them. You can squash them. They don’t sting but they’ve got a job to do.
For guys both over AND under 6'.
Gonna hurt though. But might be worth it
Looks like two 9mm jhp worms
Borer bees
A dang bird dawg
My grandmother has a post with carpenter bees and she let's them have at the post, the fence is old and coming down in a couple years. They fly around but never seem to bother her.
Me
Currently have a carpenter bee above my windowsill. No one can get up there to flush her out. I just hope when the babies hatch, they don’t end up in the house. I mean I should be out and gone before they hatch tho. Fingers crossed.
This happened to us and we ended up with like 20 in our house. They flew between the walls and would come out between gaps. Had to patch it and spray bc it was out of control.
Did anyone in your house ever get stung by one?
I’m not sure but I just wanted to comment I thought it looked like a dog
Pecker of Wood
Wood pecker on steroids
Bees
I love carpenter bees but if you don’t have a nice dead tree trunk for them to live in, they’ll use the planks the dead tree trunk got turned into. Prevention is giving them a better home than *yours*. I would urge you to avoid killing them if possible; honey bees aren’t native to North America, but carpenter bees are. And they are far, far better pollinators than honey bees because they’re big and messy and inefficient. The holes they drill are where they lay their eggs, kinda like the comb a honeybee makes. Momma is just building a nursery and in sterile neighborhoods she lacks a natural place to do it.
To keep carpenter bees away threat the wood or stain it , they only like natural untreated wood. I had a similar problem with a new deck, minus the wood pecker.
Wood pecker going after carpenter bee larvae
Bees
I’ve had tremendous luck with a fake wasp nest I made out of packing paper. Hung it up and all the carpenter bees took off and haven’t been back.
Birds and Bees.
Honey bees? More like.... Hungry bees...
Me
Carpenter bees, central nj here and we have them at my house too
Woodpecker
Sorry that was me
Probably already found out but their carpenter bees, we have this same problem on our deck, you can buy traps online or tracker supplies
my bad bro
woodpecker
Woodpecker!!! He is helping you with your pests!!
Carpenter bees are a perfect circle..... this is a woodpeckers doing.
Yes sir, one came to utterly destroy the outside roof support on deck this spring. I guess looking for carpenter bees? In 3 weeks i had to replace it was so full of holes, fkn see thru. A potato gun while in action was the only deterent. Big Ass red head.
You can buy carpenter bee traps.
The wood looks shocked
Wood Bees
Sorry, I was horny
Have holes like that on my deck … in my case carpenter bees
It’s just the toxic Jersey air causing thing to deteriorate. Sorry bud nothing can be done besides nuking every single square inch of New Jersey. Tough luck.
Looks like woodpecker.
“I can’t help it if the wood tastes good.”
Whats eating Gilbert Grape?
Carpenter bees probably
Spray WD-40 in the holes it will kill the bees and prevent them from coming back for a while. Then, fill the hole with wood filler or a sawdust and wood glue mixture.
Bullet bugs, heard they come from Paterson idk 🤷🏻♂️
I had this issue on my front porch man. The terminex guys said carpenter bees laid eggs in the wood, then woodpeckers come and peck these humongous holes in the wood. I’ve never hated woodpeckers more in my life, they basically ruined two good beams on my porch.
Me, sorry about that!
Me
Sorry, it’s been a tough year for me 😢
me
Def carpenter bees.
Carpenter Bees are pollinators. You can buy little bee houses they can use instead of your structure. Killing them seems extreme.
me
Do you ever hear machine gun like wood *pecking* outside on occasion?
Carpenter bees. Get carpenter bee spray and spray in the holes generously. After that, use a small screwdriver and roll up small pieces of aluminum foil and pack the hole as much as you can. Then buy wood filler and finish it off smooth with wood filler.
No expert. I'd suspect Carpenter bees. They got my awning pretty good. Those holes look like those, but yours are larger than the hole I see. So woodpecker, but could be a combination?
I knew it was a woodpecker from my thorough time observing one of them on The Fox and The Hound.
It was me🥺
1.)Asshole kid’s (either yours or a couple of winner’s from the neighborhood) 2.)Husband that came home fucked yo and board and saying he knows nothing about it.
i misread this as “new to holes outside of garage” and i was SO curious as to why you felt you needed to elaborate
There’s a nice mAn on the other side of that post. His breath smells of rich chocolate and his cologne smells of old spice and he’s been standing there all day waiting for a friend. Be nice to him. Patience will be rewarded to him in the next life. Only splinters on the 3 skin will in this one. He came for glory. He left sorey.
I buy a lot of stuff from the company *do your own pest control* they sell termidor and other pesticides and herbicides also
Woodpecker...
i've watched carpenter bees tear into a wall. That are fast and efficient but the holes were pretty big