Carpenter bees can cause damage to wooden structures by boring perfectly round holes into timber to create nesting tunnels. While this behaviour is a natural part of their lifecycle and isn't a problem in forests, it can become a costly issue when they target wooden features around your property.
Common areas at risk include porches, decks, fences, pergolas, sheds and the wooden components of homes. Over time, repeated nesting can weaken timber and affect both its appearance and structural integrity.
How carpenter bees damage your property
Unlike termites, carpenter bees do not eat wood. Instead, they excavate tunnels to lay their eggs. Individual holes may seem minor at first, but carpenter bees often return to the same nesting sites year after year, extending existing tunnels or creating new ones nearby.
As the number of tunnels increases, the damage can become more extensive, leading to weakened timber and expensive repairs if left untreated.
Understanding the carpenter bee lifecycle
Late spring and early summer are the most important times of year for carpenter bee activity. Female carpenter bees lay their eggs inside the tunnels they have created, where the larvae and pupae develop in sealed chambers throughout the summer.
By late summer, new adult bees emerge before returning to the same tunnels to overwinter. The following spring, the cycle begins again, with existing nesting sites often being reused and expanded, allowing infestations to worsen over time.