CARPENTER BEES IN FASCIA BOARDS

-HOW TO PREVENT  BEES FROM RETURNING-

Have you ever wondered why bees swarm around your gutter systems and/or rooflines? That’s because carpenter bees like to burrow and nest in fascia boards and in messy gutters.

Carpenter Bees are natural burrowers, meaning they dig their own holes or tunnels to nest in and lay eggs. Since fascia boards are safely tucked behind gutters they create a perfect habitat for carpenter bees and other pests.

To learn how to prevent bees from nesting in your fascia boards or gutters, we must first learn about what attracted them to the area in the first place. For this one we’ll Ask My Gutter Doctor.

Be sure to check out our video towards the bottom of the page to see the damage done to the fascia boards.

SPRING IS BEE SEASON

We like to call the Spring and Summer seasons “Bee Season” around here at My Gutter Doctor. Especially the last few years. More and more we are starting to see bees and wasps nesting in and around the gutter systems.

Bees are attracted to gutter systems that have lots of debris piled up in them, as the debris provides cover for the bees to build, as well as building material. Therefore, in messy gutters or behind the gutters are ideal spots for bees to nest.

 

The upper most boards on homes that cover the roofline are called fascia boards. Most fascia boards are pine wood however many types of wood can be used if treated properly.

Fascia boards serve two main purposes. Covering the open ends of the exposed roof rafters and providing a base for the gutters to be installed/mounted to.

Without fascia boards you would be able to see inside the roof and even into the attics on some homes. In addition to that gutter systems would all need to be installed with roof straps without a board to mount to.

SIGNS OF BEES IN FASCIA BOARDS OR GUTTERS

• HOLES OR BORE HOLES IN FASCIA BOARDS

• INCREASE OF BEE ACTIVITY NEAR HOME

• HEAVY BEE ACTIVITY AT GUTTERS OR ROOFLINE

In this article we walk you through job photos of a recent fascia board replacement that ended up having some unexpected surprises. Luckily we already had inside knowledge of the presence of bees and what areas they were focused on.

VISUAL DAMAGES TO WOOD (HOLES/BORE HOLES)

In the photo below you see a fascia board that has had the gutter removed.  Looking at the face of the board you can see that there are minimal signs of bee damage. In fact it pretty much looks like normal wear. If the customer had not informed of us the bee situation beforehand, we may have though this was just an average fascia board.  The board below is a classic example of how it can be difficult to notice carpenter bee damage to your fascia boards. Had these nest been active upon arrival, somebody would’ve gotten attacked once we pulled the gutter off the wall.

Since bees are attracted to raw unpainted wood, the bee entry holes are often on the backside of the fascia. Some companies only paint the front sides of the boards which leaves the back of the board raw and exposed. These boards only had a factory primer coat on the back side. In the photo below you can see the entry holes into the boards that were in the back of the fascia board. If you look closely you can see the wood grain which indicates thin paint.  These couple holes were only the entry point of a vast tunnel system through multiple fascia boards!

Furthermore some of the boards were just about completely hollowed out by the carpenter bees. The board below had 4 + tunnels through the entire board!

INCREASE IN BEE ACTIVITY AROUND THE YARD/HOME

Anytime bees are nested around your home or yard you typically will see an increase in bee activity in the area.

When bees nest inside gutters or behind the gutters in fascia boards, then the nest are usually up higher than we normally look.  That makes the chances of randomly spotting them slimmer if we aren’t actively looking for them.  Therefore it is recommended to scan your roofline for excess bee activity through the spring and summer months.

BEES GOING IN AND OUT OF THE GUTTERS

Bees swarming around your roof line or gutters is direct indication that you may have an infestation up there. Especially if they keep returning and/or are focused on one area in particular. The customer that called us about replacing these fascia boards was adamant there was a bees nest behind the gutter because of the amount of bees she saw going in and out of the roof.

WHAT WAS ACTUALLY BEHIND THE FASCIA BOARDS

Once we pulled the fascia board down all of the homeowner’s suspicions were confirmed.  There was a bee colony behind the fascia boards.  However this was no longer just a normal carpenter bee problem, those nests were actually from a type of wasp called mud daubers. Therefore at this point we’ve confirmed carpenter bees and wasps colonies were in the same location living alongside one another.  Good thing for us these colonies were exterminated before they called us to change the fascia boards out. Otherwise it would have been a bad day for whoever climbed up a ladder around these colonies.

This is the backside of the same board from above. Notice how the mud dauber nests were stuck to the board. Also notice how a strip of this board was not painted on the back side leaving raw exposed wood. The carpenter bees probably skipped over this board in particular because of the amount of mud dauber nests on this one.

MUD DAUBERS

Mud daubers are wasps that build their nest out of mud.  Luckily for our crew the wasps were not present during the service. Because unlike the carpenter bees , wasps are not so friendly.  Therefore this situation had just gotten turned up a notch. We needed to make sure the bees and wasps would not return and use every technique possible to prevent said return.

WHAT ATTRACTS BEES TO FASCIA BOARDS AND GUTTERS

• DRYNESS

• SAFETY

• GUTTER DEBRIS

• FASCIA BOARD ROT

-DRYNESS-

Rain water is a danger to bees and wasps because they are not able to fly during rain and they could drown if they land in a puddle. Therefore bees prefer to build their nests in places that stay dry. Like under a roof or behind a gutter for example. As long as the gutter system is configured properly then water shouldn’t be going behind whatsoever.

-SAETY-

In addition to being hidden from rain nesting behind the gutters and fascia boards also provides a safe place away from predators. Believe it or not certain bird species like woodpeckers are a natural predator of carpenter bees and wasps. Hiding their nests somewhere completely out of sight is a safe idea.

-DEBRIS IN GUTTERS-

The number one attracter of bees, wasps, and pretty much any other pest to the gutter system or fascia boards is excess leaves/debris in the gutters. Neglecting gutter maintenance by allowing debris to clog up the system for extended periods of time attracts these unwanted pests. In addition to bees and wasps, other insects like mosquitos, ants, and termites are attracted to the decomposing material.  Squirrels and birds love gutters with piles of leaves in them as well.

For more information about gutter cleaning and proper maintenance , please visit these related pages.

-GUTTER CLEANING SERVICE-

-ANNUAL GUTTER CLEANING–

-WHEN TO CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS-

-WHY IS GUTTER CLEANIING IMPORTANT?-

-FASCIA BOARD ROT-

Bees, wasps, and most other gutter pests are attracted to rotten fascia boards. Once the boards start to rot they become very soft. The soft wood is perfect for carpenter bees and termites as it makes the boards very easy to tunnel through.  In the photo below you see a gutter that has pulled away from the fascia board due to excessive weight. (the gutter itself is full of shingle grit) If you look closely you can see this fascia board is completely rotted. It has changed a dark color which indicates that the fascia board has begun to decompose.

HOW TO DETER BEES FROM FASCIA BOARDS

–FASCIA BOARD REPLACEMENT–

Due to the amount of carpenter bee holes throughout these fascia boards and the mud dauber nests behind them, replacement was necessary.   Structural purposes and integrity of the board are one reason, but also because the bees will return to this board otherwise.

Most bees use pheromones to tag a location to return to, or to alert other bees there is something here like food, nest, or danger. These pheromones are almost impossible to mask and have a very far reach. In fact certain species of bees can smell pheromones miles away.  Therefore it is highly recommended to replace any boards with this much bee activity.

PROTECTING NEW FASCIA BOARDS FROM BEES

Pine fascia boards come pre-primed, meaning they are already treated with a paint/primer mix.  Whenever we install new fascia boards we typically apply two additional coats of outdoor semi-gloss waterproof paint.

However for these boards a little extra preventive measures were in order. Since the likelihood of the bees coming back next spring to sniff around is high, we have to do everything we can to deter them.

-EXTRA PAINT-

Carpenter bees are attracted to raw unpainted/unfinished wood because it is easy to penetrate the outer layer to tunnel through. Dead and rotten wood are favored even more because of how easy it is to dig through the soft core.

Since the customer alerted us to the probability of bees nests before the service, we were able to take apply extra layers of paint to both sides of these boards at the shop. We ended up putting 10 coats of water proof paint on both sides of every board. Some may say this was overkill, but we needed to guarantee the bees wouldn’t infiltrate this board for up to 3 years.

The thick layers of paint acts like a shield or shell around the outside of the board. In addition to the boards being very waterproof, the shield is also difficult to penetrate.

Furthermore white paint on any wood is a natural deterrent for carpenter bees. The white paint makes the wood surface resemble other materials like vinyl. Theoretically, when the bees return in the spring they’ll find newly painted boards and be tricked into thinking it’s not wood.

-BEE REPELLENT-

In addition to replacing the fascia boards, it is highly recommended to apply some type of bee repellent to the new boards and/or surrounding areas.

There are many types of bee repellents. Natural repellents such as citrus oil or almond oils are highly effective against carpenter bees, while peppermint oil works wonders against mud daubers. Pheromone based repellents or traps are also very effective against keeping bees from returning to your boards.

-FASCIA WRAP/FASCIA CAPPING-

Another option worth considering is to have the new fascia boards wrapped with aluminum material.  Fascia boards are commonly wrapped with aluminum to prevent water from contacting the boards. This ensures that the boards last as long as possible.

Since carpenter bees aren’t able to chew threw the aluminum they will eventually leave the area and not return.  CLICK HERE for more information on Aluminum Fascia wrap.

-OVERSIZED DRIP EDGE/FLASHING-

Drip edge is an aluminum flashing that tucks under the edge of roofing shingles and leads the water into gutters. In addition drip edge also bridges the gap between the roof decking and gutter which prevents water from going behind the gutter.

After installing new fascia boards custom bent drip edge can be installed to seal off the area. Luckily drip edge can be fabricated from the same aluminum material as used for fascia wrap. For best results wrap the fascia board with trim wrap and then seal off the area with oversized drip edge.

In the photo below you see the fascia board roof decking(plywood) and the shingles.  First and foremost the roof decking and fascia should never have a gap over an inch like this home had. The roofers messed up by cutting these too short. Secondly, this home did not have any type of drip edge whatsoever. When there is a gap between the roof decking and fascia board like this one, drip edge is absolutely necessary. Otherwise water is able to go behind here. In addition to water, pests like bees and wasps but also small animals like birds and squirrels are attracted to these gaps.

CARPENTER BEES IN FASCIA BOARDS AND BEHIND GUTTERS

In this video we show the fascia boards we removed and replaced on this customer’s home. There were still live carpenter bees inside some of the boards. Be sure to turn your volume up in the first clip to hear the bees!

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NOW ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK

To check out high definition photos of work visit our INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK pages. Unfortunately web page load speeds have not caught up with the size of today’s high resolution images.  After more than a few photos on one page the page loads too slow.

Therefore we started uploading our recent job photos to Instagram and Facebook since they are both great resources for infinite photo storage with no loss of image quality.

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CHECK OUT OTHER ARTICLES BY MY GUTTER DOCTOR.

Why Birds Nest In Gutters by My Gutter Doctor

Gutters Leaking From Behind by My Gutter Doctor

Fascia Board Replacement by My Gutter Doctor

Is Spring Gutter Cleaning Necessary by My Gutter Doctor

Why Black Streaks On Roof Shingles Are Dangerous by My Gutter Doctor

Fascia Board Rot by My Gutter Doctor

Gutter Drip by My Gutter Doctor

Is Gutter Cleaning Worth It? Cost vs Potential Damages by My Gutter Doctor

When to Clean Gutters In Fall by My Gutter Doctor

Gutter Replacement by My Gutter Doctor

Fascia Board Repair by My Gutter Doctor

Gutters Leaking At Seams by My Gutter Doctor

Loose Gutter Spikes by My Gutter Doctor

Downspout Clog Prevention by My Gutter Doctor

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