I misread it too. I thought, “sunlight is heating your deck.”
And the assertive tone of the OP made it sound a little like an Onion article. Too much funny.
But I am happy to have learned about carpenter bees.
“I have something eating my deck”
“I need to stop them from eating it”
“When they stop eating it, my deck will be fine”.
The last conclusion is implied, and depends on the initial statement (which isn’t true).
Firstly, thank you for the responses. Exterminator coming out tomorrow to see what can be done.
Secondly, of course the potential mis-reading of the thread title was purposeful. First rule of thread-starting on the Dope, make it eye-catching.
And lastly, while it turned out that my deck wasn’t in fact being eaten, it wasn’t possible to know that when I posed the question. After the fact I know that is the case, but not before. So perhaps some high horses should be gotten off of. Had something been eating my deck, then stoping them would have made my deck fine. Replacing the word “eating” with “boring into” doesn’t really change the underlying point of the post.
In fact, they do destroy, if more slowly than other wood-damaging insects. And while it’s true they will re-use existing holes, all the spawned larva will return to the same location when it’s time to lay their eggs. And happily bore more holes if the old ones are occupied. That would be why I have 4 or 5 holes this year, and only 1 last year.
Thanks all.
The heck you say. I saw some buzzing around in my yard this spring and didn’t pay them much mind. The next thing I know I have ten (ten!) half-inch holes drilled in my garage door. Bastards!
They seem to be especially bad this year for some reason. I was in the hardware store yesterday, and heard several people asking for insecticide to fight them.
Relax. It’s good nature fun to take one thread that has gotten out of control (begging the question thread) and then jump into another thread and get all smart on the subject discussed in the other thread. I was waiting for all the smarty pants to bury me.
You may now shoot me with 1920’s style death rays, while chasing me on a tread mill while riding a snow mobile.
But, only for 20 minutes.
To help preclude further attacks, apply some sort of finish to the deck. They seem to prefer unfinished wood, or wood with a very worn finish. A buddy of mine bought a house with all cedar clapboard siding, and a wraparound multi-level deck. The air was literally abuzz with carpenter bees that first summer, but since then he had the whole place professionally cleaned and stained, and their activity is greatly diminished.
Card sharks.
Not as loudly as Pinocchio.