Carpenter bees drill perfect round holes into unfinished wood decks, fences, eaves, and siding. Left untreated, the damage compounds year over year. XtermaPro treats existing nests and helps prevent future damage.
Carpenter bees look similar to bumble bees but have a shiny, hairless abdomen. Unlike bumble bees, they are solitary each female drills her own tunnel into bare wood to lay eggs. They prefer unpainted or weathered softwoods including cedar, pine, and fir. The same sites are reused and expanded each year.
Carpenter bee activity signs:
A single carpenter bee tunnel is a minor issue. But the same galleries are expanded and reused annually, and woodpeckers aggressively excavate the wood to reach larvae resulting in significant structural damage over time. Decks, pergolas, fascia boards, and window frames are commonly damaged.
We treat active galleries with professional-grade insecticide dust, which is slow-acting and contacts bees as they move through their tunnel. After treatment, holes are sealed to prevent reuse. We recommend painting or staining bare wood as the most effective long-term deterrent.
Fully licensed Ontario exterminators meeting every provincial pest control standard.
We respond fast. Same-day and emergency appointments available 24/7.
Our vehicles are plain and unmarked your neighbours won't know a thing.
If the problem persists after treatment, we come back. That's our promise. Learn more →
Targeted treatments tough on pests and safe for your household.
Transparent pricing always. We explain exactly what we're doing before we start.
Carpenter bees drill near perfect round holes about 12 mm across into untreated or weathered wood, often on deck rails, fascia, soffits, and shed trim. You will also see yellow sawdust below the holes and males hovering nearby (males cannot sting).
Yes, but slowly. A single female tunnels 15 to 30 cm into the wood to lay eggs. The real damage builds over years when multiple generations expand the same gallery, which can compromise deck rails, fascia boards, and roof trim.
If it is one or two bees on a detached shed, you can often leave them. If they are on the main house or a deck you use daily, treatment is recommended because untreated galleries expand every year and also attract woodpeckers, which do more damage than the bees.
We treat each active tunnel with a residual dust, wait a few days for the bees to pick up the product as they come and go, then plug the holes with wood filler or dowels. This prevents reinfestation next year.
Paint or stain exposed wood. Carpenter bees avoid finished wood and almost always target bare cedar, pine, or weathered trim. A yearly preventive treatment on known trouble spots is also included in our protection plan.
Same day service available. Free quotes. No obligation. Discreet unmarked vehicles.