Thinning the herd...

[DJ54]

Seems the last few years, the Carpenter Bee's have really gotten bad around the homeplace. A person can't even set at the picnic table to take a break, without fine sawdust fitering down, let alone eat a samm'ich...

So..., went to Google for a solution. Saw where guys are making Carpenter Bee traps. Finally got a few rainy days to play in the shop, and make a few crude attempts.

Took about 2-3 days as mentioned in the one video to attract them, but they worked..!!

No bait needed, just the upward angle of the holes. Once inside, and find the large open area, they fly to the source of light, out the bottom.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Not as much fun as I had as a kid batting them with a stick but certainly effectively eliminates them just the same. You had to be fast to catch them as they hovered just before going for the hole. We had an old dog house infested with them and was always good for an hour of batting practice.

 

[landshark67]

Nice! A clean, chemical free way to dispose of the little turds.

 

[paulemar]

This is great! I'm going to build a couple of these because the swatting with a badminton racket, while it works, Is not very efficient. Thanks for the pictures. It's amazing that I look up so much "how to" stuff on the internet, that I still, on occasion, forget to look up something as simple as this solution.

 

[DJ54]

If you use Google search engine, and search for "Carpenter Bee trap", there are several videos. One in particular shows step by step. Pretty simple actually.. I was more interested in the hole size, and degree of angle.

In these, I used a 1/2" forstner bit in a hand power drill. Started straight, then leaned it over as much as I could. Got to figure the angle of the dangle, starting low enough to make a steep angle, but yet keep it in the side.

I made a couple more with angled sides, something like a bird house, with a flat roof, and tried 3/8" holes. It's been cool and rainy, and not much activity, since I hung those up.

Also caught a couple Yellow Jackets, and about a dozen blow flies for some reason... May make a couple with smaller holes, and see if I can catch flies in the horse barn..!!

 

[beppington]

Not sure I understand - Is it that they fly into the bottom & can't fly out, so starve to death?

 

[vabiker23518]

Wish I'd thought of it first! Thanks!!:thumbsup:

 

[DJ54]

They crawl into the holes near the top. Once inside, they don't like the open space. Natural instinct to escape, is to fly towards the light, which comes in the bottom through the plastic bottles. Once through the funnel part, they cannot figure out, how to crawl back out.

The first few seem to succumb to complete exhaustion, trying to get out. If there are several in there alive at once, they tend to attack each other. Some appear to be biting each other, and others stinging one another.

Only the female Carpenter bee's have stingers.

 

[beppington]

Very interesting - Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[Villengineer]

I have found that pumping their holes full of contractor's cement (liquid nails or similar) is pretty effective if the female is inside. It's one thing I've they can't chew back out through.

 

[jimmysisson]

Nothing beats the badminton racket for revenge/satisfaction though. Yours wins the efficiency contest though.
Jim

 

[Rio_Grande]

This is exactly what I have been looking for! Will have one built by the weekend!!