If you’ve been dealing with Carpenter Bees, you know how annoying and damaging they can be to your home. You might have tried all sorts of prevention tips and really thought about how to get rid of carpenter bees, but have you tried the carpenter bee paper bag trick?
You might have heard this trick around the internet. It revolves around taking a brown paper bag, blowing it up so it’s balloon-shaped, and then hanging this around the eaves of your home. The goal is to mimic a wasp nest, which would deter and repel carpenter bees since wasps are carpenter bee predators!
And we have to tell you… It works. At least well enough for something that took us just a few minutes to set up.
Although we do recommend purchasing a fake wasps nest to deter carpenter bees because they are built more durably and will last much longer than a paper bag. But, paper bags will work in a pinch!
We’ve had good success with these Wasp Nest Decoys.
Using A Brown Paper Bag To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees:
Thankfully creating these fake nests is extremely easy. The goal is to make your bag look as close to a wasp nest as possible. Here’s a picture example:
How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees With A Paper Bag:
Overall this strategy is pretty simple and just involves mimically a wasp nest with your brown paper bag.
I generally blow air into the paper bag and then twist the top closed to its inflated and spherically shaped like a wasps nest.
I’ll also try to add a few wrinkles to it to mimic the shape and texture of a wasps nest. That being said, carpenter bees aren’t experts and understand the difference, so as long as it’s spherical and placed in the right spot, you have a good chance of deterring carpenter bees!
Where To Place The Paper Bags:
I tend to place the fake nests similar to where a wasp would create a nest and near where carpenter bees might investigate. So I recommend placing them around the eaves of your home, around your porch, and anywhere you’ve noticed carpenter bees.
Place them relatively high in the air so that carpenter bees can see them in plain sight and know to steer clear!
How Effective Is The Brown Paper Bag Trick?:
Although I won’t say this trick is the most effective way to deter carpenter bees, sometimes carpenter bees realize they aren’t in danger and will invade your home.
That being said, I have noticed that it can be relatively effective, and since it’s an extremely cheap and easy to setup solution, I recommend everyone give this trick a try!
If you’re looking for other natural ways to repel and deter carpenter bees, you should try out Vinegar, Citrus and Orange Oil, or WD40!
Final Thoughts On Using Brown Paper Bags For Carpenter Bees:
Does a brown paper bag keep carpenter bees away? Yes, it can, but it isn’t the most effective solution. That being said since it only costs you a paper bag and a few minutes to set up, I say give it a try!
Either way, I hope you get some success out of this carpenter bee paper bag trick and it’s enough to solve your issue!
