I'm not sure what the situation is in your part of New Jersey, but in Burlington County, and especially my backyard, carpenter bees are constantly buzzing. They seem to be a little more prevalent this year than in years past, or maybe I'm just noticing more.

On warm sunny days starting around mid-April they start their hunt for food. Their food in this case is my deck and shed. A few years ago, I looked for a remedy online, since everything I sprayed either didn't work or was too localized to get that many. You can spend hours chasing them with a can. I ordered something homemade from Georgia but it didn't work.

Finally I found something promising online and bought a few of these traps. Now local hardware stores are selling them as fast as they can get them in. It's a Gatorade bottle attached to a wooden box. It works ok, but they're still around in droves. I have several of them up around the deck and a few have gone in but not enough for my liking.

Dennis Malloy photo
Dennis Malloy photo
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Someone told me to use an old tennis racket and swing downward, so you know where they land and you can dispose of them properly. I deposit them in the lake by my house, where the bass can feed on them. That means I'll know exactly where to go to catch a big bass. Hey, it's a win-win-win. I get rid of a few bees, the bass get a high protein meal and I know where to find big bass when I fish.

Sunday afternoon, I was batting about .500, nailing about half of the bees I took a swing at. It's good exercise and I don't have a big bee problem anymore!

Dennis Malloy photo
Dennis Malloy photo
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Here are a few more ideas on how to get rid of these nasty creatures.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis Malloy's own.

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