Dear MOTHER: June/July 2017

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A livestock guardian dog overlooks sheep in the pasture.
A livestock guardian dog overlooks sheep in the pasture.
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Chuck and Shelley Guthroel of Valley Grove, West Virginia, use Mother Earth News magazines to support their solar panels before installation.
Chuck and Shelley Guthroel of Valley Grove, West Virginia, use Mother Earth News magazines to support their solar panels before installation.
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Josh's daughter, Julia, holds Sherlene, one of their Shetland lambs.
Josh's daughter, Julia, holds Sherlene, one of their Shetland lambs.
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Dotty and her calf enjoy green pastures as part of Christine and her husband's small herd of Texas Longhorns.
Dotty and her calf enjoy green pastures as part of Christine and her husband's small herd of Texas Longhorns.
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Donna's dairy goat watches over her cute quintuplets.
Donna's dairy goat watches over her cute quintuplets.

Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Naturally

Please help. I have mason bees that keep coming back to my door frames. I’ve built a house for them near my garden and another simpler one closer to my house. But they continue to drill holes into my door frames. I’ve tried various things, including plugging their holes with moth balls, painting the wood, etc. I don’t want to kill the bees; I just want them to build a house elsewhere. What can I do?

Cassandra Patton
Royal, Arizona

Cassandra, based on your description, it sounds like you may be dealing with carpenter bees rather than mason bees. Mason bees are typically quite small and use already existing holes in which to make their solitary nests, while carpenter bees are larger (think bumblebee-sized) and bore holes into wood. The good news is that you have some options. Typically, experts agree that painting exposed wood surfaces is one of the most effective means of protection against carpenter bees. Since painting hasn’t worked for you, you might try coating the door frames with citrus oil or tea tree oil as a deterrent. You can also try plugging the holes with steel wool or taping pieces of aluminum window screen over the holes for a few weeks (while the bees are out), and then fill the holes with wood putty. If you’re interested in rehoming them, you might consider the above options in addition to placing some untreated softwood logs in a dry, protected area away from your home to serve as a more attractive option for the carpenter bees to burrow into. They do, after all, help pollinate many garden crops, such as corn, beans, peppers, and blackberries. — Mother


  • Published on May 25, 2017
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