Does Cedar Wood Fencing Draw Insects & Bugs?

Stable, durable and stronger than oak, cedar is a soft wood used for making household items, closets and fencing. The wood also repels insects and stands up well against the elements including wind, rain, snow and other weather conditions. Cedar fencing is available for purchase from building supply stores as well as hardware and home improvement centers.

Cedar wood does not attract insects and bugs. In fact, the wood contains a natural oil that automatically repels insects and bugs including moths, woodworms, mosquitoes and other insects. The natural oil also repels rodents including rats and mice. The oil also helps keep the wood from rotting and decaying as well as acts as a sealant against weather elements. Cedar oil is available commercially as an insect repellent at hardware, home improvement and certain retail superstores as well as online.

The natural oil is present on the wood's interior and exterior layers and provides protection even when the wood is underground, for example, cedar fence posts and timbers used in landscaping projects. The natural repellent keeps insects and bugs living underground from infecting the wood also.

The only insect that can attack cedar wood is the eastern carpenter bee, a bee that looks similar to a bumblebee. The bee bores holes in trees including redwood and cedar trees. Eastern carpenter bees live in eastern and east-central United States and southern Ontario, Canada.

You can also coat your cedar fencing with a commercial sealant containing an insect repellent component, if desired, for added protection against eastern carpenter bees. If the bees are not in your area, don't worry about applying a commercial sealant.