Round holes in your eaves, deck or railings? Text us a photo and we’ll take a look.
or call 267-603-1811 · Mon–Fri 8am–4pm
Every spring, big black-and-yellow bees start hovering around eaves, decks and porch railings. Those are carpenter bees, and the perfectly round holes they leave behind are the doorways to tunnels they drill into the wood to raise their young. A hole or two doesn’t seem like much, but carpenter bees come back to the same wood year after year, and the damage adds up.
Prodigy Pest Solutions is family owned and based in Morton, PA. Our team is led by Matt Kelley, an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) with 20 years in pest control, and his wife, Sabrina. Together, our team has about 85 years of combined experience.
Carpenter bees look a lot like bumble bees, but the top of their abdomen is shiny black and mostly bare instead of fuzzy and yellow. The males hover and dive at people, but they can’t sting. The females can sting but rarely do.
The most common mistake is plugging the holes right away. Bees still inside get sealed in with their young and often just chew a new way out. Sprays don’t reach far into the tunnels, which can run several inches inside the board. And many of the eaves and fascia boards carpenter bees love are up high, which means ladder work with bees buzzing around your head.
Store-bought traps can catch some bees, but they don’t treat the tunnels where the next generation is growing.
We treat the galleries directly. Our technician uses a power duster to get complete coverage inside each gallery, where the bees travel and their young develop. The dust leaves a long residual, so it keeps working after the visit. We check the eaves, fascia, trim, decks and railings for every active hole, not just the obvious ones.
We typically leave the holes open after treatment. Other carpenter bees that come back to the gallery have to pass through the dust, so they contact the treatment too. Carpenter bees go for bare, weathered wood, so a good coat of paint or stain is one of the best ways to keep them from picking the same spot next spring.
We also handle bald-faced hornets, yellowjackets, wasps, European hornets and cicada killers. We don’t treat honey bees, which are protected pollinators. If you have a honey bee swarm, a local beekeeper is the right call.
Carpenter bees are busiest in spring and early summer, when they’re drilling and laying eggs, so that’s when treatment does the most good. If you spot holes at any time of year, text us a photo so we can plan ahead.
Our office is at 25 S Morton Ave in Morton, PA, and we serve homes and businesses across Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery and Chester Counties. We treat carpenter bees on decks, porches, eaves and sheds all over the area. We’re rated 4.9 stars from 338 Google reviews, and you’ll know us by our branded vehicles. Want ongoing coverage? Ask about our Residential Protection Plan.
Text a photo of the holes or the bees to 267-603-1811 for a fast, free quote. You can also call us Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
Male carpenter bees can’t sting, even though they hover and dive at people. Females can sting but rarely do unless they’re handled.
No. They drill tunnels to lay their eggs and raise their young. They don’t eat the wood, but they reuse and extend old tunnels each year, so the damage can build over time.
Not right away. Bees sealed inside can chew new holes, and plugging a hole doesn’t treat the young bees developing in the tunnel. After we treat, we typically leave the holes open so other bees returning to the gallery contact the dust.
Paint or stain bare wood, and keep an eye on eaves, fascia boards and decks in spring. Bare, weathered wood is what they look for.
No. Honey bees are protected pollinators, so we don’t treat them. If you have a honey bee swarm, please contact a local beekeeper.
Snap a picture of the holes or the bees and text it to 267-603-1811. We’ll get back to you with a fast, free quote. Prefer to talk? Call us Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
or call 267-603-1811 · 25 S Morton Ave, Morton, PA 19070
