Carpenter bees

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • leehljp
    Just me
    • Dec 2002
    • 8429
    • Tunica, MS
    • BT3000/3100

    #16
    Originally posted by capncarl
    There is something about the angle the hood has to be drilled in the trap that makes them work, otherwise the bee can crawl back out.
    In the detailed explanation in the article, it said that at the top of the angle, there was less light coming in from the smaller entrance shaft than coming up straight from the bottom in the larger hole; upon getting ready to exit, they take the larger hole with the most light and end up in the jar.
    Hank Lee

    Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

    Comment

    • LCHIEN
      Internet Fact Checker
      • Dec 2002
      • 20914
      • Katy, TX, USA.
      • BT3000 vintage 1999

      #17
      forty five degrees angled up.
      Loring in Katy, TX USA
      If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
      BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

      Comment

      • os1kne
        Senior Member
        • Jan 2003
        • 901
        • Atlanta, GA
        • BT3100

        #18
        I've had my trap up for a couple of years or so. I recommend that if you're doing this, place the trap early in the year. I trapped a bunch of carpenter bees in April / May, and only a couple since then. Good luck.
        Bill

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20914
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #19
          Carpenter bee trap update - improvement advice

          I originally made the trap with a small glass jar, specifically Wylers boullion cube jars with plastic lids.
          I kept finding water in the jar, a lot of it. I sealed the lid to the wood all around before screwing, assuming driven rain, but it still fills with water.
          Eventually I figured it out - the glass gets cold overnight. In the AM, the moisture condenses on the inside and outside of the cold glass as the air warms up and leave a few drops every day. Not a lot but a week of cool, humid mornings and you end up with half an inch of water.

          I eventually replaced the glass jar design with a smaller but still bee catching sized plastic pill bottle with a snap or screw top. The plastic warms up quickly and doesn't condense water like the glass does.

          I usually let the bees accumulate (I've read the scent of the old bees attracts new ones) but the standing water turns the bees to mush and has to be emptied periodically bees or not.
          Last edited by LCHIEN; 01-15-2020, 04:28 AM.
          Loring in Katy, TX USA
          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

          Comment

          • LCHIEN
            Internet Fact Checker
            • Dec 2002
            • 20914
            • Katy, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 vintage 1999

            #20
            This spring I caught four bees in the last couple of weeks. They were quite busy around the fences and I had 2 traps, put up a third near where they were hanging out. They were getting very aggressive around my wife who fears them greatly - they do look menacing and buzz your head, but they don't sting or bite. After a couple of days they were all gone, caught in the traps. They work quite well. I've seen one other bee hanging around for a day or two, then he's gone. Not in the trap but not here anymore, either.

            Made a couple more tonight in the shop using the 45° drilling jig I made and some short scrap pieces of reclaimed PT 4x4. Easy to make once you have a jig. The holes are pretty deep, you need a DP with a good 3.5" stroke or you may have to finish with a hand drill. Oh, yeah, I used a Forstner extension shaft, although I'm pretty sure I could have used a spade bit I have with a longer shank.
            In the past I gave one trap to the neighbor on the right, I'll give one to the neighbor on the left.

            Click image for larger version

Name:	P4190329.JPG
Views:	234
Size:	91.4 KB
ID:	843786
            Last edited by LCHIEN; 04-19-2021, 02:26 PM.
            Loring in Katy, TX USA
            If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
            BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

            Comment

            • LCHIEN
              Internet Fact Checker
              • Dec 2002
              • 20914
              • Katy, TX, USA.
              • BT3000 vintage 1999

              #21
              Maintenance: every once in a while you have to use some compressed air (or a wood pencil) to blow out the holes... for some reason the spiders like to build cobwebs in them then they catch bits of grass and get plugged up. I had a couple of small geckos crawl up inside, I guess they thought it was a good house, but they apparently had no trouble getting out.
              Last edited by LCHIEN; 04-20-2021, 08:43 PM.
              Loring in Katy, TX USA
              If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
              BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

              Comment

              Working...