...and I am losing. The invaders are swarming and the ship has been boarded. This is not good. And military advice is welcome.
Peak of deck about 18’ up.
First line of defense
Peak of deck about 18’ up.
First line of defense
The Battle Lines have been drawn
- Thread starter CZfool68
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Hornets are the carpenter bees natural predators. Locate a couple nests, smoke em out, hang nests under your eaves and the carpenter bees should flee the scene
Requires a small bit of care lol
Requires a small bit of care lol
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Someone told us to stuff a brown paper bag and hang it up where the carpenter bees are swarming. I do have a bit of a problem with the idea that a carpenter bee is smart enough to recognize what a hornet's nest looks like and, well, bug out, so to speak, but I tried it and hung a carpenter bee trap a few feet away. I haven't caught anything in the trap since. Can't say the bag is what did it, but I won't say it didn't, either.
OP
Well you suck. Your invite to the great W. Jeff cookout and bourbon tasting has been rescinded.
OP
That might work. I don’t think they are smart. The males guard the hole/nest and they are the ones without stingers. Freaking morons. Almost like disarming the police huh?
You could always do like @Stick said and make a fake lol
Ive done it with brown bags, walmart bags, etc and it seems to work.
But, truth be told, I was half hopin youd try the hornet nest thing 😂😂😂
OP
Maybe tomorrow. But they have nests way too high up for me to get near. I might be able to get something on the lower one, but that may involve a tumble off the rail from about 15’ or so. And I have nobody here to call 911 for me.
Rat shot from a .22 is even more
OP
I’m thinking that would be fun, but the Mrs may ask WTF happened to the house.
You actually wait for them to fly away from the house. 😜
OP
Ah, good plan. I am a little slow. Too much work, too little bourbon.
ronn47
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Carb cleaner will make the grubs craw out of the holes
Tried that the other day on my barn.
OP
Carb cleaner will make the grubs craw out of the holes
Tried that the other day on my barn.
Now I just need a scaffold system to get to the damn holes. 😒
ronn47
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With the tube in place you'll only need a ladder.
The holes I used it on were 14' up.
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OP
i’m guessing I need 18 or so in 1 spot and a lot more in another. And the short one is off a deck about 15’ off the ground. That’s a long way down. Might be a younger man‘s game.
Call your local pest control operator. Lots of young guys that don’t mind ladders. They usually treat the existing holes, fill with a brown caulk, spray the house with some permethrin or equivalent based pesticide. Some jobs are best left to the professionals.
DrPhudd
Joe thinks I'm clever
It absolutely works
I got fake hornet nests from amazon and they disappeared
You do have to move the fake nest around, at least every year
A badminton racket won’t get you tennis elbow.
Wait til a woodpecker discovers the larvae in the tunnels. Neighbor(wonderful old Italian guy) came up to me very excited before I could get out my truck. Something was tearing up his deck. Bird pecked large splinters off getting larvae and adults. Pieces of black exoskeleton were scatered below the holes.
Try one of these salt guns. Friend got one for flies. Chicken litter was stockpiled then spread on a field at his house. Infested with flies.
I tried to include a link to bug asalt website, but was not permitted for some reason. Friend got the 2.0.
Try one of these salt guns. Friend got one for flies. Chicken litter was stockpiled then spread on a field at his house. Infested with flies.
I tried to include a link to bug asalt website, but was not permitted for some reason. Friend got the 2.0.
Requires a small bit of care lol
OP
They drilled right through the caulk/silicon on the boards at our Apex place. They are persistent SOB‘S.
OP
Yep, the peckers are a problem. My brother went through this with his cabin up in NY years ago. The problems just pile up if you don’t deal with them.
It won't do anything to the wood.
I've fired 22 ratshot in houses and barns numerous times without damaging anything.
OP
These are specially treated yellow pine. With my luck I’ll get a ricochet and find a way to burn the place down. That’s how I roll. 🥺
OP
Thinking of dusting the holes first to try and wipe out the local population. Then spray with something that will kill the larvae so the wood peckers don’t come and do more damage. Then fill with steel wool and caulk. Mix sealant with bad ass bug spray and have entire house resealed. Probably a year or two overdue. First quote came in at $8500. 😩