When Do Carpenter Bees Go Away? – Carpenter Bee Season!

Last Updated December 14th, 2022: Carpenter bees can be a menace when not properly taken care of. They can cause damage worth millions of dollars to property if allowed on dwellings. These intruders go about drilling tunnels into decks, porches and any wood structure they manage to get hold of. 

Their aggressive behavior, especially during their periods of mating, serves as fuel to the situation and becomes a huge issue for many homeowners. 

If you’re having a carpenter bee invasion, then you’re probably wondering when you’ll get free from these carpenter bees and the damage they inflict. Read along as we let you in on the timeline of carpenter bee season, when they’re most common, when they go away and how long carpenter bees are active for.

When Are Carpenter Bees Active?

Carpenter bees are most active beginning in Spring. When early Spring comes around Carpenter Bees are waking up from their hibernation and they are ready to look for nests and mate!

Generally, you’ll see carpenter bees active from Mid-March-September.

When the weather is warm they use this opportunity to pollinate, mate, and build their nests.

What Time Of Day Are Carpenter Bees Most Active?

Carpenter bees do all their foraging when the sun is out, but they seem to be most active in the morning, generally between 8AM and 11AM depending on your climate. That being said, they are active throughout the day!

When Do Carpenter Bees Go Away?

Carpenter bees go away once the weather starts getting colder, generally around mid-September or October. When the weather starts getting colder carpenter bees are ready to cozy up in their nests and hibernate for the Winter until next Spring.

To determine when carpenter bees go away, take a look at their life cycle. But generally speaking, once fall comes around carpenter bees nests will be full and closed for the season.

Carpenter bees usually have a lifespan of 1 year and they are most active from early spring through to late summer. Every late summer, a new generation gets hatched. 

Property owners must find and plug existing carpentry bees nests before their periods of hibernation runs out. Doing so saves you from stress and reduces the task of controlling the bees.

Where Do Carpenter Bees Go In Winter?

When the weather turns cold, carpenter bees return to their nests where they will hibernate for the entire Winter, until Spring comes around.

They rely on pollen that they collected during the Spring to survive the long Winter.

What Time Do Carpenter Bees Go To Sleep?

Carpenter bees return to their nests to go to sleep when the sun goes down. So depending on when the sunsets in your area this could be from 5PM-9PM or later! When it gets dark, typically carpenter bees are back home in their nests!

How To Keep Carpenter Bee Activity Under Control:

There are several methods you can use to control these pests. But consider the two options discussed below:

1. Painting of wood: The first method you should implement is painting or varnishing of your home’s exterior. Carpenter bees love untreated and unfinished wood, therefore they cannot build their dwelling when they encounter painted or varnished wood. By painting and adding varnish you can help to protect your wood from carpenter bee damage.

2. Apply insecticides: If they have already made their tunnel in your home’s exterior, your next best bet would be to employ an insecticide against them. Sprays or dust come in highly recommended by professionals as they penetrate deep, reaching even into the interior areas of these tunnels. The pesticides need to get applied at dusk because that is the period when the bees are least active. The bees must also come in contact with the pesticide as they crawl through the entrance holes of their tunnels for the insecticides to have a higher effect.

These methods should help limit carpenter bee activity on your property and keep them away for good. 

Resources:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/carpenter_bees.shtml