I'm dealing with a carpenter bee that's been chewing through my cabin rafters, and I'm really concerned. I've noticed a crackling sound for a few days, and it turns out there's a hole where the bee has been digging. I've already stuffed steel wool in the hole and caulked it to prevent any escape. How long can I expect the bee trapped inside to survive? Is it likely to starve or dehydrate soon, or did I mess up by closing it off too early? Should I be worried that it might make another hole?
2 Answers
One option you might have considered is using a can of pressurized air to blow the bee out before sealing the hole. Since it’s already night and the hole is plugged, just wait it out. If you don’t hear anything tomorrow and see no new holes, it's a good sign the bee might have succumbed to starvation or dehydration. Fingers crossed it didn't lay any eggs!
Before you sealed everything up, it might have been a good idea to spray some insecticide into the hole or use some delta dust. If you're lucky, there was just one hole and no nest chambers, but keep an eye out. After dealing with this, be sure to paint or varnish all your wooden surfaces; carpenter bees will go after any unpainted wood like a hungry kid in a candy store!