bees building hive in house foundation blocks
I don't want to kill the bees, but I don't want them living in my foundation blocks. Is there a way I can force them to leave? I put some cinnamon sticks in the opening and that hasn't driven them away.
Ramsey County Minnesota
3 Responses
Most likely what they are are carpenter bees. The female will make the nest in the spring and the new adults will emerge late summer. I would wait until the adults emerge and then repair and paint the window frame. This will deter them from wanting to use the nest again. Here is a good article that includes information about their life cycle and prevention: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/carpenter-bees
Hello Catherine,
My bees don't match the description of the carpenter bees. They are smaller, slimmer and lighter-colored.
Does the mitigation strategy change if they are honey bees or some other kind of bee?
I doubt they are honeybees - when people get a hive in their homes, it's usually in a wall cavity or eaves. Carpenter bees are the usual suspects for living in spots like this, but not the only type of bee that nests this way, so I think that that the same strategy should work.