Black bees?

[Carolski]

Is there any one out there who has any suggestions as to how to get rid of the above? We have looked up info on the internet and they only seem to 'eat' into wood, which is a bit of a pain as they seem to have there focus on our wood overhang in the garden right now.

We have sprayed it with preservative but they still seem fairly lively!

 

In anticipation,

 

Carole:

[Guerambault]

Do you mean those beautiful irridescent navy blue bees which are about 1" in length?

[Dog]

I have seen nearly black large bees - they were dificult to photograph as the smaller bees instantly attacked them when they settled.

Would like to know more about them.

[chris pp]

The bee that you are refereing to is the blue carpenter bee, Xylocopa violacea which is a solitary bee. It makes its egg chambers in old and decomposing wood with a preference for damp or soft woods, it is extremely rare that it will use the timbers of a house,although it is often seen "looking". If you observe it you will see that it inspects any sort of hole in any type of material including concrete and stone, it just sees the shape of a hole and investigates.

I hope this helps remove some of your fears.

Chris

 

[Carolski]

Thanks for all info. Having now identified them and put a name to them, I pasted it on google and found info suggesting that in fact they can cause severe damage if left unchecked. Thought I'd just mention that in case anyone else out there is under the misapprehension that they can be ignored.

 

C

[chris pp]

Would you be so kind as to give the source of this information and exactly what it said please?

Chris

[Hoddy]

There was a thread, which I can’t now find,  about this insect earlier in the year.  At the time I posted that my neighbour had said that they weren’t a serious threat.  I admired their good looks and generally ignored them until I went upstairs in our barn and discovered that they were making some impressive holes in the roof timbers. Since then I have been spraying individuals with insecticide. I don’t like doing it but I’m afraid if it’s my roof or them, I’m on my roof’s side.

If any one knows any way of deterring them I’d be very glad. The wood in the roof is relatively new and quite sound apart from the holes they make. I wish they were rare around here.

Hoddy

[stevemaison]

chriss pp I like the website is it your own ?

[chris pp]

1. Yes the website is my own, not very good and in a state of disorganised creation - no frilly bits, I do not have much time for it. 

2. I am genuinely interested in the carpenter bees and peoples experience with them - my question is to Admin did you actually see new holes being created by the bees or were they going in and out of existing holes?   Also what was the timber - oak -chestnut - pine or what?

I have lived in France for 10 years - Poitou Charentes - black carpenter bees are common and I have no personal experience of anyone who has had damage caused by them. My house is 250 years old and has not sustained any damage even though untreated.   I would think that if the timber in the house was treated that should be sufficient. They should certainly not be killed wholesale as they have suffered a substantial decline in many parts of Europe as it is.

Chris

 

[Dog]

The black bees I photographed were not solitary there were quite a few of them landing on flowers and trying to collect nectar but the smaller ordinary bees were immediately attacking them and they had to take off and try another flower.

Any idea where I can find more resources on French insects? I found a preying mantis about 30mm long in the garden the other day. I have a pic if you are interested.

[chris pp]

Is it this?    Chris

[Hoddy]

I'm not an expert on insects, but I am fairly certain that these bees are the ones making sawdust in my barn. I'm back in the UK now so I can't check what the wood in the barn roof is. I would expect it to be oak.

I think they my have arrived in some firewood I bought in May and my garden has been much more floriferous this year as I try to attract butterflies !

Chris, you seem much more knowledgeable than me. I'd welcome any suggestions you have for discouraging them if they reappear next year.

Hoddy

[Ron Avery]

[quote]I'm not an expert on insects, but I am fairly certain that these bees are the ones making sawdust in my barn. I'm back in the UK now so I can't check what the wood in the barn roof is. I would expect ...[/quote]

Hoddy

As these bees are quite rare and capricorn is very common and make large holes (think woodworm but 5 times bigger holes), in timber, it is more likely that capricorn are making sawdust in your barn than these bees?

Ron

[Washy]

Well these llarge black bees, called bourdon locally here, really drive my llamas mad!!

They seem to look for ready made holes and make them larger to pass the winter.  As a beekeeper I notice most insects and appreciate what they do for my garden etc. etc., 'My' bees will chase the larger black bees off their favourite nectar sources, but as said before, they are solitary bees and there will never be a swarm of them.

Please investigate the piles of sawdust very carefully, look to the beams above, if you see some pretty large holes and crumbling of the wood you have a problem. The sawdust often accumulates in spiders' webs, this is much more likely to be the result of Capricornes and could be a result of a serious attack on your beams.  You can buy some pretty nasty chemicals in the local brico shops where they will also have illustrations of the beetle and its damage. Down here these creatures are certificated against when signing for a house as well as asbestos, lead paint and termites etc., so please take them seriously.

Try to use chemicals which are not harmful to bees and as an extra precaution try to apply these chemicals after dusk or on a wet day when there is less likely hood of the helpful bees being killed.

On a more amusing note we saw two of these Carpenter bees flying around in the throes of love and they tried to land on a rather flimsy twig pulling it right over, and bouncing up and down....we could actually hear them lovemaking!!

[Carolski]

Cant really understand why everyone seems reluctant to blame the carpenter bees for causing damage. I can assure everyone on this forum that we did a 'test' and placed our mobile BBQ with black cover under where they are 'boring'; each day a fresh amount of sawdust apeared.Sussed!!!!!! Having said that, after treating the beams, they now seem to have gone. Or was it coincidence and the time of year etc?

 

Carolski

[chris pp]

Just a quickie, not a criticism - bourdon is French for Bumble bee and therefore for all bees of this type.

It is difficult to say anything new, I would personally consider that the culprit may be something else. The best thing to do is to treat the timbers of your house with the most environmentally friendly product ( for your health as well ) that you can find to do the job.

It should be possible with a bit of patience to find out if it is the carpenter bees. If you knew in the spring, April, May, June which were freshly used holes and could fasten some strong fine netting around the entrance hole and then observe the result in late summer, which is when adult bees emerge. (they then overwinter and the cycle continues).

Good luck, Chris