Last Updated December 19th: Carpenter bees can cause lots of damage to your home, but damage via drilling isn’t the only issue. Carpenter bee feces or poop usually leaves a yellowish-brown stain and can actually eat through your home’s pain. So if you’re noticing that around your apartment, then you probably are dealing with a carpenter bee infestation. But what can you do about carpenter bee droppings?
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Their droppings are usually sticky and acidic, making it difficult to get them off surfaces. You might want to first check your sidings to see if there are any such stains. And if you get to notice any, then there’s most likely a nesting site around that has to be treated.
Do Carpenter Bees Poop?
Yes, carpenter bees poop. Just like most other animals, carpenter bees need to secrete excess waste from their body. Carpenter bees tend to poop outside of their nests, so if you see brown splatters underneath wood along your home, then it could be a good sign of having a carpenter bee nest nearby.
What Do Carpenter Bee Droppings Look Like?:
Carpenter bees squirt green and yellowish droppings on surfaces. These substances occur in liquid form and mostly get dropped during their flight.
Another reason why you notice these droppings is because these bees like their nest clean. So they tend to get rid of their poop while digging. The female bees dig tunnels using THEIR mandibles, causing a sort of vibrating sound against the wood grain and carving out small granules that take the shape of sawdust. Pushing out their excrement gives them sufficient space to expand their digging activities.
Do Carpenter Bees Poop Sawdust?
No, carpenter bees don’t poop sawdust, but you might find sawdust underneath their nests as they drill out the wood to create their nesting tunnels!
Can Carpenter Bee Droppings Cause Damage?
Carpenter bee excrement isn’t only nasty, but it can also cause damage to your home’s exterior! This poop is filled with abrasive acids that can peel paint, damage siding, and etch glass. If you are looking to clean carpenter bee poop you should try to clean it up as soon as possible because once it settles it can actually cause more damage!
Carpenter bees can cause a lot of damage to your home, and it’s best to act quickly to prevent serious damage!
How To Remove Carpenter Bee Poop
Carpenter bee poop can be quite sticky as well as acidic, which can cause damage to your siding and wood if left. We recommend as soon as you notice carpenter bee poop spray it with your hose to remove the majority of the residue from your home, and then if there is extra, use soap and water to thoroughly clean.
How To Prevent Carpenter Bee Droppings and Stains:
Preventing future stains is quite easy. All you have to do is try to limit how much time they have to spend on your property by hanging carpenter bee traps to remove the pests and follow our guide on protecting your wood from carpenter bees. Failing to do so means you will only succeed in giving them access to your property, thereby increasing the possibility of creating more stains in the future.
We also have a guide on how to get rid of carpenter bees without killing them, which we always recommend!
But what about cases where the bees have already made a mess of your property? What should you do?
Start by getting rid of the insects using verified carpenter bee elimination methods. When you succeed in removing the bees, you can then proceed to clean the mess that was made by priming and painting over the stain. You have to do so because an untreated infestation will attract more carpenter bees and you don’t want to risk that happening on your property.
Carpenter bee droppings are damaging and messy because they have strong acids which are known to stain paint and disfigure the aesthetics of exterior siding and etch glass. It is nearly impossible to wash away those stains with success. Trying to remove them often leads to more damage if care isn’t applied. So, it is best to solve employ preventative measures so that you spend less time trying to clean the mess.
Final Thoughts On Carpenter Bee Droppings:
The aim is usually to get rid of feces or even keep them from occurring in the first place. But, despite your efforts, there’s no denying the fact that carpenter bees might still find ways to infiltrate your home and build their nesting sites. to nest in your home.
Seek a professional pest control company to help you out, especially if your current DIY methods do not yield any profound effects. Keeping your home safe rather than risking it becoming a good spot for bees to build their nest should be your utmost priority.
Resources:
https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/43827/carpenter-bees-FS-NYSIPM.pdf?sequence=1
