How To Repel Carpenter Bees Using Herbs They Can't Stand

While it's typically recommended that you cultivate plants that will attract bees to your garden, you may want to add a few specific plants in order to deter the pesky carpenter bees. Unlike wasps, their fierce and irritable family members, carpenter bees are considered relatively harmless when it comes to backyard pests. They rarely sting, and to do so they need to be seriously provoked. Though they may not cause much damage to humans, carpenter bees can be detrimental when it comes to the structures of your porch, home, and backyard. Thus, it's important for many gardeners to keep these insects off of their properties, and believe it or not, there are a few DIY methods you can even try on your own. Of these methods, one of the most popular is adding a few specific herbs to your garden that can deter the bees. This superhero herb list includes plants like mint, citronella, basil, and thyme. 

You can probably spot a carpenter bee, even if you're not sure you've seen one before. Carpenter bees are different than bumblebees; they tend to be larger, have shinier abdomens, and typically give off a very loud buzzing noise. Carpenter bees carve their nests out of wood, hence their appropriate name. These insects drill into the wood, creating intricate tunnels that can eventually weaken the wood itself and can cause it to collapse. If your home, patio, deck, or other home features are made of wood, you may want to prevent a carpenter bee from nesting on your property. To do so, you can add a few of their most disliked, strong-scented herbs to your garden. 

To get rid of carpenter bees, you can harness the fragrance of herbs. As delightful and refreshing as some herbal scents may be to humans, they can actually be repelling to insects like carpenter bees. Plants like mint, thyme, basil, and citronella emit strong scents that overwhelm the insects, causing them to vacate the area. Bees are incredibly sensitive to smells, and the strong odors of certain herbs can make an area feel unfamiliar and unsafe, making it less likely for the bees to land and nest. 

To deter the nesting of carpenter bees, you can add these herbs around your garden either directly in the ground or in containers. The latter option gives you the ability to move the plants around to different areas of your property that may need protection the most, that is a deck, porch, or patio. Since herbs are most effective against bees when the essentials oils are released, so don't forget to frequently rub or crush your herb's leaves.

Adding these types of herbs to your garden is an excellent, pesticide-free method to deter carpenter bees from your property. These insects, like all bees, are essential to the process of pollination, and while you don't exactly want them destroying your property, you do want them to continue their important work of supporting the environment.