What insect in Missouri leaves a dark brown secretion on the south side of a house that is dark brown and washes off?

Answer 1

Im speaking as a former pest control technician. If brown secretions are found on the South side of a house that appear to be as if dripped from above, my first suspected culprit would be carpenter bees. Look for almost pefectly circular holes on the bottom edge of flat wooden surfaces. These are holes that carpenter bees chew and tunnel into. Once they go upward an inch or so, they make a 90degree turn and go on for a few more inches. They lay their eggs in these holes. The holes you would see would be about a half inch in diameter. To get rid of them, plug up the holes first with steel wool, then wood putty. Make sure all wood surfaces are painted with a latex based paint to avoid future infestations. Good Luck!!