Not just for your squeaky door hinges, WD-40 has some other incredible usages. And not just carpenter bees, it can kill almost every other kind of insect!
Many people are already doing it! Curious to know how to get rid of carpenter bees with WD-40?
I will show you exactly that in this article. And if you are seriously having trouble with carpenter bees, I will show you other methods as well.
Using WD-40 To Get Rid of Carpenter Bees
Yes, it’s safe to use even inside the house. There is no harmful effect whatsoever. Your kids and pets are perfectly safe around it but don’t let them play with WD-40.
Now, let’s get into action and see how you can use it to solve your bees’ problem.
- Wear Protective Clothing
You do not want to approach the carpenter bees exposing your bare skin. When feeling threatened, the female carpenter bees will sting you badly!
And WD-40 is not toxic when you are exposed to it. But no need to consume it, right?
So, wear your protective clothing and mask first before you confront the carpenter bees. Don’t let your kids or pets follow you while being in the action.
- Identify The Infested Areas
Assuming you already have a WD-40 can start the process by identifying the infested areas first. Use a marker pen and go around your entire house to identify all those spots (drilled holes).
- Just Spray WD-40
Once you are confident that you have marked all the drilled holes, spray the WD-40 inside those holes. It’s convenient since WD-40 cans come with nozzles.
So, it should be hard to fill the holes with WD-40. And don’t leave abandoned holes to prevent future infestation too.
In case you don’t know, WD-40 can be used as a preventive measure too. So, spray the same on other suspected areas too.
The WD-40 lubricant won’t just kill the carpenter bees; it will kill their eggs too. If you don’t want to kill them and just want them to get away, consider spraying a low amount.
- Repeat!
You may not get your desired result with your first application. You may even miss some spots. So, re-spray WD-40 again on those infested areas.
- Using WD-40 To Prevent Carpenter Bees
Once you get rid of them, carpenter bees will keep coming as long as they find any exposed untreated woods in your house.
They don’t live in painted, stained, or treated woods. So, you should treat your untreated woods with WD-40 as a preventive measure.
That should discourage carpenter bees to invade your house in the coming future. But if they do come back, the WD-40 will immediately kill them!
Watch it’s effectiveness in this video.
Yes, this is not a permanent solution but this is cheap and you can do it again and again.
To me, spraying WD-40 is better than paying the exterminator a hefty bill unless the situation has gone beyond your control. It’s always better to try it yourself before calling a professional to deal with situations like this.
Why WD-40 Is Effective Against Carpenter Bees?
There are plenty of methods to solve your problem of carpenter bees, but not every one of them can provide you with guaranteed results.
With the right application of WD-40 as described above, you can kill carpenter bees and repel them. But why blue and yellow can of lubricant is so good?
To understand why WD-40 is so effective against carpenter bees and other insects, you need to have a clear understanding of WD-40. That way you can figure out when to use it for your other insect-related problems.
I always wondered why it’s called WD-40? Why not WD-30 or WD-50?
Well, it’s said that it took 40 trials to perfect its formula and the original purpose was to protect the aircraft from corrosion. For a long-time, only the airlines used to use WD-40.
And now, people use it to unstuck the stuck parts of their stuff. To speak frankly, it’s widely used to move stuck parts smoothly.
But why the hell it can kill insects like carpenter bees?
Well, it’s simply because of the chemical used in WD-40. Now, no one knows the original recipe but we know it contains, petroleum, isoparaffin (flammable version), and carbon dioxide as the propellant.
And as it turns out, insects like carpenter bees hate the combination of these ingredients! In fact, when comes in contact, WD-40 can kill them within just 5 minutes.
That’s why WD-40 is effective against ants and other insects too.
WD-40 is flammable. So don’t spray it around places where your hose is covered with flammable products. Also, if it’s a drought season, you may want to avoid spraying WD-40 outside your house. The grass can spread the fire!
Other Ways To Eliminate Carpenter Bees
WD-40 is great but there are other effective measures that you can take to resolve your problem. Some people don’t want to kill the carpenter bees, they just want to get them out of their house.
So, while you are here, why not learning some other methods? Below are some of these measures proven to be effective against carpenter bees:
- Citrus Spray
It’s a perfect treatment for people who don’t want to kill carpenter bees. Citrus spray can keep the carpenter bees away without killing them.
Nobody knows why it works. Maybe it’s because of the properties in the orange/lemon zest or maybe the smell. Whatever the case, it works!
Let’s see how you can make a perfect citrus spray…
All you need is a spray bottle, water, orange, or lemon. Set the lemon zests aside and boil some water on a pan on medium heat. Add the lemon or orange zest in the pan and allow it to simmer for a while.
Let the mixture cool down for a while. When it is moderately cool, pour it into the spray bottle. Now, just like what you would do with WD-40, mark all the nests and spray the mixture.
You may need to re-apply the mixture for a better result but those carpenter bees will leave their nests for sure!
- Boric Acid
Being poisonous, boric acid works like a charm to get rid of insects like carpenter bees. To some extent, it works better than the citrus smell.
So, if you need an alternative to WD-40, boric acid (powder form) can be a great option.
Since it is poisonous, you need to wear your protective clothing and mask first and keep your kids and pets away during the application.
Assuming you have taken all the precautions, mark all the infested areas. Now, apply the boric acid powder directly into the drilled holes. Use a duster for this purpose.
Do the same after a week if you don’t get your desired result.
- Diatomaceous Earth
Not everyone is comfortable around boric acid and it’s completely understandable. If you are one of them, food-grade diatomaceous earth can be a great alternative.
Diatomaceous earth is widely used for many purposes including getting rid of hookworms and other insects and pets. And it works against carpenter bees too.
Although you won’t get the same result as the WD-40, the result is still worth it. And it’s completely non-toxic! Perfectly safe around kids and pets too.
It shreds the carpenter bees’ shells and kills them by drying them out.
Apart from diatomaceous earth, you need a pair of gloves, wood putty, and a turkey baster. Now, put on your gloves and add the diatomaceous earth to the turkey baster.
Find and mark all the holes drilled by the carpenter bees. Fill the drilled holes with the mixed diatomaceous earth and use woody putty to plug the holes.
Wait for a few days to check the results.
- Almond Oil
Who knew almond oil can help to get rid of carpenter bees? Well, as it turns out, almond oil has great carpenter bees repelling capacity.
Benzaldehyde is proven to work against bees and you can find it in almost all the repellants available in the market.
Almond oil contains benzaldehyde and that’s why it works like a charm!
To make this work better, you need to mix almond oil with tea tree oil, orange oil, and a cup of water. Then pour the mixture after properly shake into a spray bottle.
Now, spray the solution into the drilled holes of the carpenter bees and leave no holes un-sprayed. Those bees should be gone within a few days!
- Aerosol Carburetor Cleaner
If you have aerosol carburetor cleaner, you can use it to solve your problem of carpenter bees. And it’s safe to use indoors too.
Wear your protective gear including a mask and gloves. Now, you need to take out the extension tube attached to the aerosol carburetor cleaner can.
After identifying all the infested areas, spray the cleaner placing the tube at the opening of their drilled holes.
Most of the carpenter bees should be dead and the rest will never come back since the cleaner will make those holes inhabitable.
Damages Caused By Carpenter Bees
Everyone understands having carpenter bees is not good but not everyone is familiar with their damaging capacities.
Here is a list of damages that can be caused by carpenter bees:
- They can cause structural damage making plenty of tunnels inside the wood of support beams. It takes a long time but eventually they will do it!
- Sometimes, they make their nests in steps. So, their tunnels can cause those steps to snap. So, your family members can get hurt too.
- They can cause huge damages to your precious wooden furniture.
- If they make tunnels in the railing of your balcony or porch, the railing can lose integrity and there are chances of physical injury.
- Apart from damaging anything made out of wood, their feces can stain the woods too.
- One problem brings another. The sounds of nesting by the carpenter needs and their larvae can attract other animals like woodpeckers and cause further damages.
- And don’t forget the huge pest control fee they will cost you when things get out of control!
The repair cost is a huge deal when it comes to homeownership. And pest control fee for carpenter bees is included in the repair cost as they can cause real damage.
The whole point of reminding those above-mentioned damages is to encourage you to tackle the issue ASAP.
When To Call A Professional?
All the methods described here work great only when you identify the carpenter bees’ infestation at the early stage. But for wide-scale infestation, it’s always a good idea to call any professional pest controller company.
Inexperienced eyes may miss several spots like drilled holes in wood siding and soffits. So, you are risking re-infestation again quickly.
A professional knows where to look and how to take a comprehensive measure to completely eradicate carpenter woods.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The best way to get rid of them is to spray WD-40 into their drilled holes and treat all the exposed untreated wooden objects with WD-40.
Mix citronella oil, tea tree oil, lavender oil, and jojoba oil and put them into a spray bottle. Then spray the mix on all the infested areas to keep them away.
Just like WD-40, vinegar and water mix can kill carpenter bees almost instantly.
Carpenter bees hate the citrus smell a lot!
A mix of vinegar and water is a deadly solution for carpenter bees.
Closing Remarks
Now that you know how to get rid of carpenter bees with WD-40 and other methods, your house should be completely safe from now on. That means no damages to your wooden deck and furniture too.
Out of so many ways described above, WD-40 is more than great if you don’t mind killing carpenter bees. But if you just want them to get out of your house and leave you alone, other methods work just fine.
About Author
