Keep Carpenter Bees Away With A Solution That's Already In Your Spice Cabinet

If you've started to find circular holes in your deck, siding, patio, or other wooden structures around your home, you may be dealing with carpenter bees.  As much as you might dislike the loud buzzing and chewing sounds of carpenter bees — as well as their ability to weaken wooden structures — it's better not to harm these important creatures. However, you can still get rid of carpenter bees and their nests using harmless tactics that can ideally move them elsewhere, as opposed to simply killing them and harming your garden's ecosystem. In order to coax carpenter bees away from your home, you can use something as simple as a kitchen ingredient like garlic powder. Garlic powder works wonders not just in the kitchen but in the garden, acting as a strong scent deterrent to get rid of carpenter bees drilling into your property. 

Carpenter bees, like other insects, are sensitive to strong citrus, peppermint, eucalyptus, and garlic smells. These intense odors, while potentially pleasant to us, are too pungent for these bees, causing them to avoid the areas. Chemical-free methods (like the usage of garlic powder) are preferred when it comes to bee prevention, as you want to avoid harming the bees themselves. Note that natural aids like garlic might only work for a few days before the bees are back, so you may want to look into further professional treatment and removal. This may include removing and replacing any damaged wood on your property.

If you want to try and use garlic powder as pest control in your garden, your first step will be to locate the nests of your carpenter bees. Unlike other types of bees, carpenter bees don't live in large colonies. Instead, female carpenter bees will drill inside wood for their nests, usually leaving perfect circular holes in your wooden siding, furniture, or firewood. (Contrary to popular opinion, carpenter bees do not eat wood; they simply drill into it and leave the small pieces of wood behind.) Overtime, your wood can weaken from the galleries as they are continually expanded. Look for holes in wood that are roughly ½ inch in diameter.

Once you've determined the presence of carpenter bees on your property, it's time to utilize the garlic powder. Take a small pinch of the powder and sprinkle it directly onto the holes of the carpenter bee nests. Thanks to its strong scent, garlic can deter carpenter bees from entering their own nests, hopefully encouraging them to move elsewhere.

Some gardeners recommend pairing the garlic powder with Vaseline, which apparently also helps in repelling bees. You can use it to help keep the powder in place, too, instead of it potentially blowing away in the wind. You can also mix the garlic powder with water to create a spray to apply to the holes. Regardless of what you use, don't be afraid to be daring, as there's no need to fear about receiving stings from a carpenter bee. These creatures rarely sting and are otherwise harmless to humans.