These traps catch carpenter bees that want to attack my wooden house. The first photo shows the assembled trap, the second shows the trap in place with a bee in the capture jar. To see my related Instructables, click on my username wherever you see it on this page, or enter unclesam in the home page search box. On the new page, click "view all __ instructables." On the next new page, click "NEXT" repeatedly to page and scroll through them all.
My design is based on that of kentdvm http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-Carpenter-Bee-Traps/, see his project for construction tips. His trap is hung like a lantern and has an overhanging roof. Mine needed to be attached directly to the wooden overhang of my house, high above the ground, so it did not need its own roof, but it did need to be emptied by someone standing on the ground far below. I did not have weathered wood for making the trap, so I used ordinary lumber, on the theory that the bee is lured not by the trap's wood so much as by the pre-made holes. My design for a smaller trap will appear as its own Instructable as soon as it proves it will catch bees.
Any carpenter bee trap will be more effective if the bee-made holes in the protected structure are plugged. I use a color-matching outdoor caulk.
My design is based on that of kentdvm http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-Carpenter-Bee-Traps/, see his project for construction tips. His trap is hung like a lantern and has an overhanging roof. Mine needed to be attached directly to the wooden overhang of my house, high above the ground, so it did not need its own roof, but it did need to be emptied by someone standing on the ground far below. I did not have weathered wood for making the trap, so I used ordinary lumber, on the theory that the bee is lured not by the trap's wood so much as by the pre-made holes. My design for a smaller trap will appear as its own Instructable as soon as it proves it will catch bees.
Any carpenter bee trap will be more effective if the bee-made holes in the protected structure are plugged. I use a color-matching outdoor caulk.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1: Plastic Parts From the Grocery Store
The capture jar is a Ziploc Medium Round Twist 'n Loc plastic container, marked 32 fl oz, 946 ml, and its lid. The jar is unique in that it has some flats molded into its sides, which allows it to be unscrewed from below by a tool made from a second identical jar.
The clear plastic funnel is cut from a Dasani brand drinking water bottle, chosen because it has a unique pinched waist ("rest mark") that secures the funnel in the trap.
The clear plastic funnel is cut from a Dasani brand drinking water bottle, chosen because it has a unique pinched waist ("rest mark") that secures the funnel in the trap.
Visit Our Store »
Go Pro Today »
Unclesam
To answer: what mostly happens is that they dehydrate/starve to death. And this is not a bad thing.
Apologies for being off topic for this instructable.
Your cats should take a sniff of the liquid, sneeze, then walk away from it.
We now resume normal comments about the Instructable!
U.S.
U.S.
Caulk any cracks that aren't bee tight too.
If you seal a bee within a freshly painted board, they will chew their way out, but given a choice they would prefer to chew on your neighbor's wood instead.