Carpentar Bees

I thought I heard (perhaps read) that these bees were decent pollinators however over the years they have destroyed the fascia board around my home. Any thoughts on how to discourage them from drilling into theses boards?

The female bee burrows into the wood.  Then she makes a right hand turn for a few inches

She then lays her eggs which are protected within the more or less tunnel she has created.

As large and fierce as they seem, they do not sting unless you grab one with a bare hand.......highly

unlikely event.

As far as pollinators.  they are not a social insect.  They do not nest with hundreds or thousand others.

For relief call Cunningham from Maplewood.  The man is a real Pro and he is ethical.

Carpenter bees as pollinators:

"As pollinators, carpenter bees are generalists in our gardens and landscapes�they may be found foraging on a number of different species. Like their close cousins, the bumblebees, carpenter bees are early morning foragers. Carpenter bees are excellent pollinators of eggplant, tomato and other vegetables and many types of flowers."

Suggestions for coping:

"Weathered woods are a common target of carpenter bees; thus, they are often found tunneling into fence posts, lawn furniture, the roof and eaves of buildings, decks, window shutters, wood shingles and siding.

"To deter this behavior, keep exposed wood surfaces, including nail holes and saw cuts, coated with polyurethane or oil-base paint. Consider using non-wood building materials, such as vinyl siding, to avoid possible damage by carpenter bees. If tunnel entrances are found in buildings, seal tunnel entrances immediately with caulk."

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-63_pollinators-_carpenter_bees.htm

They are back at my house again also.  They drill under the top railing of my deck.  

I have a dog that is a mix of hound and boxer and his hound part has focused on these bees.  He saw them there one day and ever since then he has been on guard duty.  As soon as he goes out back he goes to the location of the hole and just stands in wait. When he sees them he tries to catch them with his mouth.  Caught 2 last year and 1 already this year.  I worry that he is going to get stung and have his mouth swell up from it.  

I guess I am going to fill the hole with caulk, but that doesn't eliminate them from drilling a new hole.  The wood is pressure treated which apparently doesn't bother them. 

from Bob Roe:  My experience is that these carpenter bees always drill from directly under a piece of wood.  Also. by simply painting the wood, it seems to deter them.  So paint the bottom of bare wood.   Once they have started holes in the wood, stronger methods may be needed. If left to go too long, they will do a lot of damage.  One method that seems silly but was effective is to swat them with a tennis racket. 

1 less to worry about, the dog caught one and spit it out on the deck after chewing on it.  Then the other dog sat there barking at the dead bee for 15 minutes.   No clue what the barking was supposed to accomplish though.  

I used expanding foam to fill the holes then painted all of the raw wood last year and haven't seen any so far this year...