I bought a used redwood play ground for my kids. It was a really good deal, except there is some carpenter bee damage. I knew about the damage, but didn't realize that at least one of the pieces has an active hive(?).
In the ones that seem inactive and the wood isn't too damaged, I plan on spraying a foam based insecticide in the holes, then powdering the holes and stuffing it with steel wool. Then finish off with a wood putty covering and a stain.
For the active holes, I'll either try to kill the bees (same as above) or just replace those pieces. As mentioned earlier, the play ground is made of redwood. The catch with redwood is that it's pretty expensive. Especially for 2 4x6 beams for the swing/monkey bars. I've checked the local Home Depot, a True Value, and a local wood supply store (maybe an 84 Lumber). None of them carried, but each could order it. I guess I could just replace it with pressure treated wood, but was hoping to maintain the look and feel of the redwood appearance. I suppose staining the treated wood is an option.
Does my approach seem legit?
How would you handle the damaged wood?
What type of alternative woods would you recommend as a redwood substitute?
Can you share your experience/knowledge/lessons learned of carpenter bees?
