>I have a patient who called me about Carpenter Bees.  Seems they are
>drilling holes into shutters that adorn her front house just like
>woodpeckers. Nice piles of sawdust. One local extreminator had been little
>help with the problem (seems they know alot about termites but little about
>this species of insect).
>
>Are there any easy ways to rid a structure of these wood eating insects?
 
Paul,
 
NC State has a nice page at
 
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/carp-bee.htm
 
that describes these bees and talks about control. They are pretty much
harmless, aside for their ability to do some pretty serious damage to wood.
 
I have discouraged a few by simply caulking up their holes, without
resorting to pesticides, but I imagine I'd buy some Sevin if I found more
than one or two trying to nest in my siding. The carpenter bees in my yard
seem to prefer the mostly dryrotted beams that are (barely) supporting my
barns!
 
Greg
 
______________________________________________________________
Greg Hankins                    Montgomery Packaging
[log in to unmask]                 Troy, North Carolina
Voice: (910)576-0067            Fax: (910)576-0367