Carpenter Bee Traps (UPGRADED)

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Another thing is the Bees are easier than Doves with a Bow & Arrow!!!:emoji_wink:

Uh Oh---Another Bear Story!!---Duck!! Here it comes---True Story!!
About 10 years ago, I was out in front of my house, shooting Carpenter Bees up around my Front Peak Overhang, with my Crossman BB gun. I'd only pump it 4 or 5 times, so it wouldn't make big dents in the Pine Soffit & Facia. So I'm out there looking up, when one of Bear Jr's Tower Climbers "Matt" drives by. He sees me aiming & stops in. He says "Hey Pop, what are you shooting?" Bees, I said. He says, "Bees?" I said, "Yup, Carpenter Bees". He says, "Get Out, You can't shoot Bees with that BB gun". I told him they aren't that hard when they'e sitting, because they're so big. So he's standing right next to me, and I see one about 20' up, hovering around up there, so I just kept my sights on him, waiting for him to sit down. Matt said, "That one don't want to sit". I told him, "If he hovers at one place for a couple seconds I won't wait any longer".
So I leaned the gun on one of my Log Ends, and when the Bee hovered for a couple seconds, I took a shot. GOT HIM !!! Matt says, "SOB, You got him". We saw 2 pieces flying after I shot. Mat found the smallest piece (The Head), and I found the bigger piece (The Body). Matt says, "I can't believe it---You didn't just shoot a Bee, it was a freaking Head Shot!!" (Note I shot a lot of them, but that was the first one I ever noticed them flying in 2 distinctly different pieces.

Carry that forward---I got Matt the job, working for my Son, because I worked with his Dad for 20 years, at Bethlehem Steel. So the next day I get an Email from my Old Buddy, George (Matt's Dad). He asks me in the Email if I heard about the guy on the Mountain, above Macungie, Shooting Bees Out Of Season?? LOL---Good one, George!!!

Bear
 
Time to put the Carpenter Bee Traps up again!!
I had 2 of Bear Junior's Tower Monkeys here yesterday, and we got all 11 of my Bee Traps up.
I'm ready for them now!!
If you have them & you live in the North, now is the time to put them up.
I'll give my 2020 report in November.
If you don't have any yet, just go the the beginning of this Thread to see how easy they are to make.


Bear
 
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I just got all 11 of my Traps down over the weekend & did a count, so I figured I'd update the records:

2009-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2010-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2011-----------------140 Carpenter Bees.
2012-----------------105 Carpenter Bees.
2013-----------------51 Carpenter Bees.
2014-----------------49 Carpenter Bees.
2015-----------------74 Carpenter Bees.
2016-----------------65 Carpenter Bees.
2017-----------------56 Carpenter Bees.
2018-----------------78 Carpenter Bees.
2019-----------------86 Carpenter Bees.
2020-----------------73 Carpenter Bees.

LOL---Not going down much, but not going up either!!


Bear
 
Bear,
Really enjoyed your story about the BB gun. .22 cal birdshot is fun in the spring.

Thanks,
RG


Thank You RG !!
LOL---My Dad used to lay on the Hammock in the Spring, and shoot the birds around his Martin House, until the Martins had the others outnumbered enough to take over completely. He used Birdshot in his Old Hexagon Barrel Lever action .22.
That wouldn't work too good shooting 22 at my Log House. I only cranked the BB gun up to 5 or 6 pumps---Never 8 or 9 pumps!! Makes too big a dent in my Log House Facia.

Bear
 
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Time to put the Carpenter Bee Traps up again!!
Bear Jr helped me put my 11 Bee Traps up on April 7th, but SMF was down at the time, so here is my late Spring report:
I'm ready for them now!!
If you have Traps & you live in the North, now is the time to put them up.
I'll give my 2020 collection report in November, when I take them down,
If you don't have any Traps yet, just go the the beginning of this Thread to see how easy they are to make.

Bear
 
I am assuming any 4 x 4 wood will work? I have some pressure treated around to make these? How do they not find their way back out of the bottle?
 
I am assuming any 4 x 4 wood will work? I have some pressure treated around to make these? How do they not find their way back out of the bottle?


Any 4 X 4 will work.
I used Cedar, because it will last a long time & it looks much better on my Log House than Pressure Treated will.

They go into the holes, because they are there & already started for them.
Then they crawl around through the tunnels, and eventually drop down into the Bottle.
Once they are in the bottle, the bottle is too slippery to walk back to the Hole above, and too narrow to fly there.

Bear
 
We just got all 11 of my Traps down Yesterday & I did a count, so I figured I'd update the records:

2009-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2010-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2011-----------------140 Carpenter Bees.
2012-----------------105 Carpenter Bees.
2013-----------------51 Carpenter Bees.
2014-----------------49 Carpenter Bees.
2015-----------------74 Carpenter Bees.
2016-----------------65 Carpenter Bees.
2017-----------------56 Carpenter Bees.
2018-----------------78 Carpenter Bees.
2019-----------------86 Carpenter Bees.
2020-----------------73 Carpenter Bees.
2021----------------106 Carpenter Bees.

Hmmm, The count went up a bit.!!
I'm thinking the Pandemic caused me to delay getting my House treated with Woodguard & "Bee-Gone", so it didn't get Bee-Gone applied for an extra year.

Hope to see you in Spring,

Bear
 
Time to put the Carpenter Bee Traps up again!!
Bear Jr put my 11 Bee Traps up yesterday, April 11.
I'm ready for them now!!
If you have Traps & you live in the North, now is the time to put them up, before it gets warm outside.
I'm not sure I'll be able to get a count in Fall of this year, but if I can get out there, I will.
If you don't have any Traps yet, just go the the beginning of this Thread to see how easy they are to make.

Bear
 
We just got all 11 of my Traps down Yesterday & I did a count, so I figured I'd update the records:

2009-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2010-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2011-----------------140 Carpenter Bees.
2012-----------------105 Carpenter Bees.
2013-----------------51 Carpenter Bees.
2014-----------------49 Carpenter Bees.
2015-----------------74 Carpenter Bees.
2016-----------------65 Carpenter Bees.
2017-----------------56 Carpenter Bees.
2018-----------------78 Carpenter Bees.
2019-----------------86 Carpenter Bees.
2020-----------------73 Carpenter Bees.
2021----------------106 Carpenter Bees.
2022----------------146 Carpenter Bees.

Hmmm, The count went up a bit.!!

This will be my last annual update on the Total Count.
Mrs Bear will be taking over, and she isn't a Member of SMF.

You Guys All Take Care Now!!

Bear
 
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