Hi, Glenn:
Sorry to hear about your infestation. Here's one pest-control company's advice for controlling carpenter bees. And the Log Homes Council has a great downloadable pdf on their recommendations. Click on the "Controlling Carpenter Bees" file download here.
And for the woodpeckers? Believe it or not, getting an owl statue or two will scare off these pesky birds. Here's one version, available at Ace Hardware.
We had woodpecker holes the size of baseballs in our home. My husband put suet blocks out for the other birds and we couldn't believe it solved our woodpecker problem. The woodpeckers are on the suet blocks from early a.m. until dark. We'd rather spend 59 cents for a suet block than have the repair bills for our log home!! We also had carpenter bees the first year we moved into our log home but after only one spray from the exterminator (about $100), we've had no problems since.
We bought a spray online to get rid of carpenter bees and it lasted for a long time under our porch. We had to spray every couple of months on the glass side of our home where rain and the elements would wear the chemical off. We filled in an carpenter bee holes with putty after putting some chemical powder in the hole that is supposed to kill the emerging larvae that will hatch.
I have read somewhere that there is a chemical that can be mixed in with the stain or wood treatment that deters insects. And, I have been told by some that it works. I haven't tried it,but going to look into it for my next treatment. At the moment,I am treating the holes and filling them in.
We used the chemical treatment that was added to our stain. It does NOT work. We had carpenter bees this spring. My husband ordered another type of treatment but has not applied it yet.
As far as I know there are no additives that will deter carpenter bees. Carpenter bees will bore into treated lumber as well. They do not inhale or eat the wood like other insects so it's not poisoness to them. NBS 30 and other additives specifically state that they do not treat carpenter bee's if I remember. They will treat carpenter ants. I have heard that you can buy roach foggers and spray them in your eaves at the beginning of spring when the carpenter bee's are most active. I will be trying this when my home is finished. They definitely found some of my logs while I was stacking them this past spring. They were only around for a month or two to try to lay eggs.
Permalink Reply by Dave on August 26, 2008 at 12:55am
Thank's for the info Chris, so you've only heard of roach fogger as a deterrent? I've heard that they don't like painted/stained wood in general but that info is just from the local home improvement store (Home Depot).