Bee issue on our deck

[Jaugust124]

Ever since we had the deck built 3 years or so ago, I've been fighting the bees that are making nests in the railings. The balusters are sandwiched between two 1"x4"s creating about 100 pockets for the bees and wasps to nest in. For the past couple years I've been poking the nests with a stick to remove them, but after being stung numerous times, I don't want to keep up the fight.

I've thought about filling in the spaces with spray foam insulation, but I'm not sure this would be enough of a deterrent. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[raybonz]

Wasp and hornet killer works wonders!

Ray

 

[Jaugust124]

Have used it many times, just a temporary fix. They keep coming back.

 

[fishingpol]

It may be a PITA, how about filling in the spaces with blocks of wood or vinyl trim board. I would think that foam would sag out and fall, making a mess.

 

[midwestcoast]

The Great Stuff "Big Gap Filler" should stay up in there till it cures. You might need to fit a longer tube on the can to get the stuff in there. Trim flush with a knife after it cures.
Any drips on the deck just leave them till dry & scrape them off. Trying to clean that stuff off while wet is nearly impossible. Wear gloves.

 

[Crane Stoves]

do NOT use foam filler here (god the mess and the the fact people would laugh at you when trying to sell your house down the road saying "wtf was this guy thinking"), i assume because you sandwiched the balusters that they are square balusters? if this is the case then simply cut blocks to fill gaps up underneath (they wont even be seen and you can make a jig on the cut off saw to measure and cut 100 of these in about 30 min tops, another 30 min. with a finish nail gun and your done! if the railings are mahogany make sure you use stainless finish nails! If your balusters are not square then please post a photo so we can help you further before you choose to squeeeze a bunch of Gunk into your fine project.

 

[begreen]

Agreed. Filling the spaces with wood blocks is a better idea.

 

[Jaugust124]

Thanks for the tips. I've thought about filling in the spaces with wood blocks, but thought it would be a PITA. I managed to procure a ton of 2"x dimensional lumber to use for kindling, so I will give it a whirl this weekend and see how it goes. I also have a ton of cut-offs from the balusters when they were installed. I be they'd work well and their pressure treated.

I've used the spray foam in my basement to seal up the cracks along the rim joist, man is that stuff messy to deal with. I thought if i just gave a quick shot up in the space the mess may not be too bad. As far as what future homeowners might say, not really an issue as we plan to be here quite a long time, probably 25-30 years or more.

Thanks again for the advice.