If you've ever noticed a circular hole, or perhaps a pile of sawdust, in your wooden pergola or even the cedar siding on your house, you can be quite sure that carpenter bees are the culprit.

On a subzero morning, I clip into skis and head out across my meadow, gliding between desiccated husks of sundial lupine ...

or holes in wood, particularly unpainted wood, per the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology. Common areas for carpenter bee nests include in-home siding, furniture, and decks.

Carpenter bees, found across the U.S., are the most common cause of small fence holes. They leave half-inch diameter holes (their nests), sometimes with yellow staining and frass (sawdust ...