1/2 inch hole burrowed in porch...
#1
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1/2 inch hole burrowed in porch...
Isn't that too big for termites? What could it be?
it is on the underside of my porch railing and goes in and turn immediately, again about a 1/2 inch hole and tunnel.
I noticed it because there was a small wood particle pile under the hole.
I have never had a termite problem and have those green bait canisters all around my house.
Sorry don't have pics now, but can post if that will help.
any hints would be great appreciated.
it is on the underside of my porch railing and goes in and turn immediately, again about a 1/2 inch hole and tunnel.
I noticed it because there was a small wood particle pile under the hole.
I have never had a termite problem and have those green bait canisters all around my house.
Sorry don't have pics now, but can post if that will help.
any hints would be great appreciated.
#2
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees resemble bumble bees, but have a shiny surface on top of abdomen. See carpenter bee on left.
Photo Credit: Extension Entomology, Texas A&M University
Carpenter bees drill perfectly round holes in wood about the size of the end of your finger. They tunnel in and lay eggs. You can puff powdered insecticide into holes, wait a few days for bee to travel through dust and take back to egg galleries. Then plug and seal holes.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7417.html
Photo Credit: Extension Entomology, Texas A&M University
Carpenter bees drill perfectly round holes in wood about the size of the end of your finger. They tunnel in and lay eggs. You can puff powdered insecticide into holes, wait a few days for bee to travel through dust and take back to egg galleries. Then plug and seal holes.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7417.html
#5
Sorry, but I forgot to tell you that it is best when messing with bees to do so at dusk. We don't want you stung. Male carpenter bees can't sting. Female carpenter bees are hesitant to sting, but can if provoked. Carpenter bees usually hover about and can be frightening. They are easy to knock down with a tennis racket or flyswat to eliminate them.
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carpenter bees
Try to control them early. If they get out of hand they can destroy a deck or even a cedar home.
I make a sport of knocking them down with a badmitton racket. I think I got 53 last year .
I seem to have them under control now, only seeing a coulple.
Sometime after dusting the hole with insecticide, plug the holw with a short piece 1/4 or 1/2 inch of dowell, paint and you're done. I say "sometime after" because of twelvepole's post. Most times I plug immediately after dusting.
I make a sport of knocking them down with a badmitton racket. I think I got 53 last year .
I seem to have them under control now, only seeing a coulple.
Sometime after dusting the hole with insecticide, plug the holw with a short piece 1/4 or 1/2 inch of dowell, paint and you're done. I say "sometime after" because of twelvepole's post. Most times I plug immediately after dusting.
#7
The holes are exactly 1/2 inch in diameter. The bees go up and laterally to lay their eggs. As she exits, there will be a slight seal on the interior of the hole. BUT, since she laid the egg at the end of the tube first, which one hatches first???? Nope, the one at the plugged end will. God reverses the gestation period. Otherwise the first laid egg will have to crawl through the others to get out. In addition, another problem will be woodpeckers. They love the bee larvae, and will peck the wood in the lateral tube to access them, leaving you with a mess to repair, so get them early.
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Twelvepole is great, huh! The badminton racket is one way to release the frustration these vermin will insite... the woodpecker story is all to correct. Glad they aren't termites, however the problem can be as devastating. While living on the waterway we lost a portion of the siding. When the boards were replaced and the house repainted a small amount of malathion was stirred into the paint (or stain) to prevent future occurrences. Apparently the insects don't like the taste and move next door. TrueWench