Carpenter Bee Load

[beagle]

Fellers, you're reinventing the wheel here. Several years ago there was a thread on shooting carpenter bees with the .45 Colt, paper wads and grits. Gave loads and all. It went on for about a month but someone more computer savy than I will have to dig it out. I have a shootable population as well and need to load some./beagle

[Digital Dan]

I'm pretty serious about killing carpenter bees around my shop. They bore holes in the fascia boards, and generally undermine the strength of any outside wood. The fly swatter has always been my favorite tool because it's light weight and quick. It swats them out of the air before they know what hit them. Most days I walk out on the deck and wait for them to come check me out. At first they are pretty dumb and hover right in front of me. Problem is, after 8-10 kills they get smarter and stay a few feet out of reach. A few years ago I made a spring loaded wooden gun that shot a light weight disk with about 50 nails protruding from it. It wasn't completely successful, but I did manage to impale a few bees with it.

My latest weapon of choice is low tech shotshells in my 357 magnum revolver. I use my usual 38 special powder load, pack it down with a wad over it, then add 75 gr. of #9 bird shot covered by another wad. A rolled up piece of paper surrounds the shot in the case. After crimping the case, I drip 5 drops of wax from a burning candle on top to seal it all up. The wax runs under the crimp so the ball of wax is captured making a pretty neat package. The picture below shows the pattern I'm getting at 8 ft. I still use the fly swatter when I can...those are freebies. But when they are out of range, it's well worth the nickel it costs to shoot them down.

Yeah, I know...there's something that's just wrong about blasting bees out of the sky with a 357 magnum revolver....but it sure is fun!

You will fare better with #12 shot, aka "rat shot" or "dust".

Spent more that a few rounds of that on carpenter bees.

[fastfire]

With paper wasp nests I don't mess around 12ga 7 1/2 shot. Stand far enough away to get the pattern the full width of the nest and no more nest!

[leftiye]

I believe the males can't sting, but the females can.

Lefty, commie, socialist bees!

[Blammer]

It's a male dominant heirarchy ran by the females.

[dale2242]

Are carpenter bees also known as Mason Bees?.....dale

[N4AUD]

Don't know about how to tell a male from a female, but the ones with that white or yellow face CAN'T sting. Black face yes. Maybe the white face ones are males? I don't know. Or maybe we are talking about different bees. I'll see if I can get a picture of one today.

[beagle]

A 30/06 with the old military blanks works best. Hold muzzle 18" from nest and the muzzle blast pulverizes nests big as softballs and no survivors./beagle

With paper wasp nests I don't mess around 12ga 7 1/2 shot. Stand far enough away to get the pattern the full width of the nest and no more nest!

[Jeff H]

Carpenter Bee-Blasters will be coming out of the woodwork - or closet as the case may be and I am one of 'em.

Those things can be very aggressive and I have used so-called "kills on contact" Wasp and Hornet Spray and they literally shake it off and come after me like they're going to take the can and pound it into some highly sensitive orifice.

Carb Cleaner or Brake Cleaner sprayed in the hole they made, after you see them go in, will stun them enough to stomp them.

I keep badminton rackets lying about and I can mince them on the wing.

When they get on to my game, I have to resort to .22 LR shot-shells or .44 Special shot-shells.

They're big and have a terrible attitude. If I thought I could afford to lose a trap or two each season, I'd consider placing Conibears over their holes.

[jonp]

It's a male dominant heirarchy ran by the females.

Sounds like my house

[jonp]

I think that this thread proves one thing. Any problem solving by casters and reloaders involves gunpowder of some sort.

[gwpercle]

Are carpenter bees also known as Mason Bees?.....dale

No they are different type. Carpenter bees can bore holes and sorta look like bumble bees . Mason bees only use existing holes, they don't bore their own. They look more like a honey bee than a bumble bee . They will nest in a hollow reed, or any small hole. Carpenter bees also drill a hole into the wood then turn a right angle and bore with the grain to make their nest. Mason's lay an egg, with food in the hole and seal it with mud, hence mason name. But they are not dirt daubers, them are wasp. Mason's are good pollinators and don't damage wood fascia boards or exposed rafters so don't shoot them. How I came to know so much useless information is beyond me.
Gary

[Charley]

You want to protect your property from carpenter bees? There is the really neat invention, called PAINT. Paint the wooden surfaces the bees typically bore holes in, and it will repel them. The females check the taste/texture of the surface they are interested in, a layer of finish will stop the boring.
Males have no stinger, but are the ones that act aggressively, they will buzz around you, sometimes even bumping you, to try to get you to leave the nesting area. Females don't act aggressively, but do have stingers. Unlike honeybees, it is a smooth stinger, so they can sting multiple times. They do pack a decent punch.
Carpenter bees and bumble bees are often confused, similar size and coloration. Look at them in sunlight, on carpenters you will see light reflected from the abdomen, because it is a smooth surface. Bumble bees have a hairy abdomen, don't reflect. When I taught pest management, I would teach the following line...carpenter bees have a shiny heinie. Bumble bees don't.

[psychicrhino]

Folks giving me a lot of what my wife would call "bad ideas" on here

[leftiye]

It's a male dominant heirarchy ran by the females.

America? Oh, I forgot, America is female dominant too.

[SSGOldfart]

Build one of these last year and caught @ 30 of them

damn I need a couple of these I tried a wax over primer load but I kill one and three more move in they are eating the roof off my shed, I've been thinking about a old training round we used in the Army .22 pellet over primer in a m16 mag primer was enough to cycle the bolt, pretty good to 40 feet

[Garyshome]

What do you mean? Yeah, I know...there's something that's just wrong about blasting bees out of the sky with a 357 magnum revolver....but it sure is fun!
I don't think so!

[bbqncigars]

The Flyshooter works well too if they're in range of the tether string. Once you get a handle on your maximum tether range you can freak a kitty out by shooting them just out of range. hehehe

[.429]

.8815" OAL

[Mal Content]

Ruger .45 2.5 gr clays under a .030 card wad, 2cc grits under another .030 card wad. Body count at 96 for today.