Carpenter Bees and Honey Bees Are Active: When Normal Activity Becomes a Problem

Spring has well and truly come, and summer is quickly taking hold. As temperatures rise and trees and plants bloom, bee activity naturally increases. Seeing bees around your property in spring is often completely normal, and both carpenter bees and honey bees play important roles in the ecosystem. But you could start to wonder, “Are these bees a problem?” Or, “Do I need honey bee removal?” Not every bee sighting is a problem, but some situations may require attention–let’s get into the details.

Bees Are More Active in Spring

As May moves into June, we’re edging closer to summer and consistently warm days and nights. But not too long ago, we could still expect a frost or freeze. Cautious, overwintering carpenter bees wait on important environmental cues to come out of hiding and start their life cycle. Now that the weather allows it, they’re out in full force. There are plenty of blooms around, offering them reliable nectar and pollen, and it’s time for them to get busy drilling holes and laying eggs, so the next generation can take over.

While honey bees have a very different social structure and lifecycle than the solitary carpenter bee, they too are much more active in reliably warm weather. They’re spending the mild days foraging for nectar and pollen, swarming and establishing new nests, and expanding existing colonies.

Once any kind of bee emerges from winter dormancy, this is typical behavior. Spring is when everything gets set in motion for the next generation to be created, born, and established to then carry on the species. And it takes a lot of food and energy to do that, which is why bees are so busy. But as they’re going about their scheduled biological duties, bees often intersect with our lives, our properties, and our plans. Sometimes, this can become problematic.

Carpenter Bees VS Honey Bees: What To Look For

If you have bees setting up shop in and around your property, you’ll know it. But it takes a little observation to know just what type of bee you’re dealing with. For instance, carpenter bees may begin causing visible wood damage, while honey bees may start forming colonies in or around structures.

Carpenter Bees

Similar in size to bumble bees, with a shiny, black body, carpenter bees are called such because their lives revolve around wood. They’re born in channels that their parents chewed out of unpainted soft wood, like cedar, redwood, pine, and cypress–the very species of wood we most often use to build our decks, fences and other outdoor structures. They may also be found around wooden siding, or near eaves and trim. Carpenter bees begin this work in earnest as spring turns to summer, and you’re likely to see small patches of sawdust on surfaces as evidence of their efforts. Female bees bore perfectly round, roughly ½ inch entry holes about an inch deep and then make a quick turn to run parallel with the wood grain. Channels can go for 6, 8, or even 10 inches internally. 

They have very specific behavior too, hovering like tiny drones in what they consider to be their territory, which is often your deck, balcony, porch, steps, or other unpainted outdoor wooden structure. The carpenter bees you’re most often seeing are probably male, and while they’re very territorial and get into aerial spats with other males, they don’t pose a risk to you–males don’t have stingers. So as much as they may buzz aggressively, hover around your face, or dive-bomb you, it’s all a bluff. The real danger is what they’re doing to your deck or porch.

The trouble arises when carpenter bee populations become very established. They will repeatedly excavate wood in the same relative location, year after year, expanding their nesting galleries and leading to eventual weakening of the wood and ultimately resulting in structural damage. On top of that, the eggs and developing larvae that they then house in the channels they dig out are prime food for woodpeckers. These birds love juicy bee larvae, and they will further destroy already compromised wooden structures to get to this easy meal. When carpenter bees are doing their work out in nature, it’s not an issue. But when they’re drilling into your home and attracting birds to chisel away even more wood, that’s a problem. That’s when it’s time to look into bee control in Cleveland.

Honey Bees

Honey bees, on the other hand, are not tiny woodworkers, but are instead simply on the hunt for nectar and pollen to fuel themselves and their large colony of existing and newly emerging bees. This is the time of year when their populations swell, thanks to agreeable weather and ample food sources, and so they may need to break the colony up into two. Swarming honey bees are a common sight in May and early June. They’re typically more docile when swarming, since they’re more worried about protecting their queen than defending a store of food and brood.

The real danger that honey bees pose is if they decide to take up residence in your home, garage, shed, or other structure on your property. They like to get into walls, chimneys, and roofs where they can live undetected for quite some time. Large honey stores and trapped moisture can lead to significant structural damage and costly excavation and repair. So if you see a large mass of bees huddled in a tree or shrub near your home, and you haven’t already bee-proofed, it’s time to look into honey bee removal for Cleveland properties and keep your eye out for signs of a new hive. You can have them safely rehomed by a professional apiarist before they establish their new dwelling on or around your home. 

Take Action To Prevent Bee Damage

Some bee activity is perfectly normal, like foraging for nectar and pollen in flowering plants and trees. But once you notice that carpenter bees are tearing up your wooden structures or that honey bees are setting up shop in your attic, it’s time to act. Occasional sightings around your landscape are one thing, but fighting for the same home turf is quite another. If you’re seeing holes that appear to be drilled into the undersides of your wooden structures, paired with sawdust below, you have a carpenter bee infestation, and it will only get worse. And if you’re seeing back-and-forth honey bee activity paired with buzzing inside walls and visible comb, you’re already dealing with an established hive.

Regardless of the type of bee you’re seeing, there comes a point where you can’t simply cohabitate–it’s time to look into bee removal for Cleveland homeowners. Your first instinct may be to remove the bees yourself, but this is risky and not recommended. Without full knowledge of the type of insect and their habits and lifecycle, you may neglect a key part of the picture, like the risk posed by incomplete removal or cleanup. Injury is also very likely, whether from agitating bees or trying to access a difficult nesting site. And without proper equipment and technique, you could easily disturb a colony and find yourself at the wrong end of hundreds of stingers. This is a job best left to an experienced and knowledgeable bee removal team.

Beyond removal, bee control experts can also offer vital tips on prevention of future or recurring infestations, like painting or sealing exposed wood and repairing wood already damaged by the insects. Sealing entry points and filling any gaps around siding and rooflines are also top ways to keep bees out of your home. Taking steps to bee proof your home will help to ensure that in the future, bees keep on moving.

Call on Us For Bee Control In Cleveland

When you need your property to be free of stinging, flying insects, you can rely on the professional team at Cleveland Bee Removal. We will perform a thorough inspection and species identification, and then safely remove or exterminate the insects from your home or business. We’ll give you prevention recommendations informed by our experience and we’ll stand behind our work for the remainder of the season. Carpenter bees and honey bees are a normal part of spring and summer outdoor life, but when they get a little too close for comfort, you can rely on your neighborhood bee exterminators in Cleveland.

Check out our photo and video galleries to learn more, and see what our customers are saying. Then contact Cleveland Bee Removal today to schedule an appointment.