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Rather, these pests are wood-bor-
ers that drill holes in the wood in
order to construct their nests. If left
untreated, this insect “carpentry” work
can be highly destructive. Other than
observing the insects themselves (they
do not hide like termites), the most
common sign of a carpenter bee or
ant infestation is frass, which is a
fine sawdust-like material left that is a
by-product of their boring and tunnel-
ing activities.
Carpenter ants are social insects
that live in large colonies, and car-
penter bees are solitary. Each female
bee digs her own individual nest.
However, what is more important to
property managers is that both these
insects make their nests inside wood,
and that behavior can cause signifi-
cant property damage.
Female carpenter bees hollow out
holes and bore out tunnels after mak-
ing the entranceway. Once the tun-
nels are excavated, nests are made
with pollen to feed the developing
larvae. Carpenter bees often reuse
the same tunnels year after year, con-
tinuing to extend the damage into the
wood. Over time, this tunneling weak-
ens the wood because of the drilled
holes, and because of accompanying
wood rot due to rainwater seeping
into the entrance holes. Also, wood-
pecker damage is common because
these birds enjoy eating the bee lar-
vae and will peck holes in the wood
to reach them. Carpenter ants also
make their nests in wood where they
create intricate galleries that they can
PEST CONTROL...
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