Carpenter Bee Traps (UPGRADED)
Winter is a great time to make your Bee Traps!!
I thought I had posted this a long time ago, but I couldn't find it, so here it is.
Some of you saw my original "Carpenter Bee Trap" post.
I mentioned in that thread that the only problem I had found was that wasps build nests in the top section of those old traps.
Here is a link to that thread. That thread also has a lot more explanation about Carpenter Bees.
You can go to that thread through this link:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/106345/carpenter-bee-traps-work-great-update-june-15-2011
I mentioned in that thread that I was going to make the roof removable so I could clean the wasp nests out during the off-season. Since that, I found that if you use a solid piece of wood, instead of a "birdhouse" type trap, that the wasps won't have a place to build their nests inside.
I could have used Pressure treated wood, but I opted to use Cedar, because the color matched my Log House much better.
The only drawback is the expense. I paid $41 for an 8' long 4 X 4.
Not really that bad, because I got 18 traps out of that one 8' long piece.
My pictures & captions explain most of the building of the traps, but I'd be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
I hope this will help at least a few of you to get rid of your Carpenter Bees from your houses & buildings.
These sure have worked Great for me!
Thanks for looking,
Bear
Cedar 4" X 4" X 8'----marking for cutting:
Cut into 9 blocks (Note my waste on top of the stack):
Cut blocks in half at 30˚ for roof:
Drill bottom holes for bottle caps, to the depth of the bottle caps, with Forstner Bit:
Ready equal parts of "PC-7" epoxy (good stuff):
Epoxy all mixed up:
Scrape epoxy all the way around entrance of holes:
Shove bottle caps all the way to bottom of holes:
I did this to all 18 future traps:
Then I drilled a 1" hole through caps to a depth of 3" from bottom of the traps:
After drilling 1/2" holes on both sides & front to meet the 1" bottom hole at 3", I mounted double screw hangers:
18 Bee Traps being inspected by my Best Little Buddy:
Finished Upgraded Carpenter Bee Trap close-up:
These traps are not as ugly on my house as the original traps were:
This is one of the old ones, ready to be replaced.
They were just plain old rough cut skid pine (FREE WOOD):
__________________
Upgraded Hanger Holes:
OK guys, I had to upgrade my way of hanging these things. The little hanger tabs I put on these didn't hold up because after a couple years of weather the screws would pull out, so I went back to the way I did my old Bee Traps. I used the "Keyhole Router Bit". These work Great.
When I made these upgraded traps, I originally put the little metal hangers on, so it would be easy for the guys to hang them way up top, but since those didn't work so good, I went back to the Keyhole cutter. The guy that hung the top ones for me said these aren't hard to hang.
So I switched the hangers & hung the bottom 6 traps on Saturday. Then I was going to wait a couple days to get the top ones up, because I had a Dr Appt, but I noticed there were two bees in the one trap already. So I got one of the climbers to put the top 5 traps up. Now I'm ready!!!
I'll add this to my original post too.
Bear
Trap with new hanger hole (Keyhole Router Bit):
Close-up of hanger hole:
__________________
Winter is a great time to make your Bee Traps!!
I thought I had posted this a long time ago, but I couldn't find it, so here it is.
Some of you saw my original "Carpenter Bee Trap" post.
I mentioned in that thread that the only problem I had found was that wasps build nests in the top section of those old traps.
Here is a link to that thread. That thread also has a lot more explanation about Carpenter Bees.
You can go to that thread through this link:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/106345/carpenter-bee-traps-work-great-update-june-15-2011
I mentioned in that thread that I was going to make the roof removable so I could clean the wasp nests out during the off-season. Since that, I found that if you use a solid piece of wood, instead of a "birdhouse" type trap, that the wasps won't have a place to build their nests inside.
I could have used Pressure treated wood, but I opted to use Cedar, because the color matched my Log House much better.
The only drawback is the expense. I paid $41 for an 8' long 4 X 4.
Not really that bad, because I got 18 traps out of that one 8' long piece.
My pictures & captions explain most of the building of the traps, but I'd be glad to answer any questions anyone has.
I hope this will help at least a few of you to get rid of your Carpenter Bees from your houses & buildings.
These sure have worked Great for me!
Thanks for looking,
Bear
Cedar 4" X 4" X 8'----marking for cutting:
Cut into 9 blocks (Note my waste on top of the stack):
Cut blocks in half at 30˚ for roof:
Drill bottom holes for bottle caps, to the depth of the bottle caps, with Forstner Bit:
Ready equal parts of "PC-7" epoxy (good stuff):
Epoxy all mixed up:
Scrape epoxy all the way around entrance of holes:
Shove bottle caps all the way to bottom of holes:
I did this to all 18 future traps:
Then I drilled a 1" hole through caps to a depth of 3" from bottom of the traps:
After drilling 1/2" holes on both sides & front to meet the 1" bottom hole at 3", I mounted double screw hangers:
18 Bee Traps being inspected by my Best Little Buddy:
Finished Upgraded Carpenter Bee Trap close-up:
These traps are not as ugly on my house as the original traps were:
This is one of the old ones, ready to be replaced.
They were just plain old rough cut skid pine (FREE WOOD):
__________________
Upgraded Hanger Holes:
OK guys, I had to upgrade my way of hanging these things. The little hanger tabs I put on these didn't hold up because after a couple years of weather the screws would pull out, so I went back to the way I did my old Bee Traps. I used the "Keyhole Router Bit". These work Great.
When I made these upgraded traps, I originally put the little metal hangers on, so it would be easy for the guys to hang them way up top, but since those didn't work so good, I went back to the Keyhole cutter. The guy that hung the top ones for me said these aren't hard to hang.
So I switched the hangers & hung the bottom 6 traps on Saturday. Then I was going to wait a couple days to get the top ones up, because I had a Dr Appt, but I noticed there were two bees in the one trap already. So I got one of the climbers to put the top 5 traps up. Now I'm ready!!!
I'll add this to my original post too.
Bear
Trap with new hanger hole (Keyhole Router Bit):
Close-up of hanger hole:
__________________
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