# Carpenter Bee Traps (Upgraded)



## Bearcarver

*Carpenter Bee Traps* (UPGRADED)

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.

We did some experimenting, and 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.

This upgraded Carpenter Bee Trap uses that idea.

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.


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: 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	











Finished Upgraded Carpenter Bee Trap close-up.

Also drill a small hole in the bottom of the bottles so rainwater doesn't accumulate:



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):


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## themule69

Bear

Looks like a easy way to handle the pest.

Thanks for sharing.

Happy smoken.

David


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## bama bbq

I have these drilling holes all in my deck. I need to build some of these traps.


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## woodcutter

I'm surprised they are interested in your cedar siding. A lot of insects are repelled by cedar. Good idea on the traps!


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## Bearcarver

Woodcutter said:


> I'm surprised they are interested in your cedar siding. A lot of insects are repelled by cedar. Good idea on the traps!


Thanks Todd !!!

My whole house is Pine. The only thing Cedar is my traps. I used Cedar, so I don't have to paint them with preservative, like I do my house.

However Carpenter Bees have no problem with Cedar, or any other relatively Soft Wood. They don't eat the wood.

They never bothered my logs. They drill holes in Soffit, Facia, and other dimensional lumber. I think it's because the logs are all Heartwood. Every log is the center of a tree, and the cell structure is too small for their tunnels. The cell structure of the dimensional lumber is much larger, because much of it is from the outer part of the tree (sapwood).

Bear


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## Bearcarver

themule69 said:


> Bear
> 
> Looks like a easy way to handle the pest.
> 
> Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Happy smoken.
> 
> David


Thanks David !!!

I must be catching up. I was catching over 200 each year. Then less than 200 last year, and only 30 or 40 so far this year, and the season is about over.

Bear


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## Bearcarver

Bama BBQ said:


> I have these drilling holes all in my deck. I need to build some of these traps.


They really do work Great !!! You won't believe it !!

Bear


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## roller

Thanks Bear I will have to do up some of those this winter for next spring...I hate those things and I am wrapped up with them around here...


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## oldschoolbbq

Thanks , they are not that good for eating , and you get stung sometimes, 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  , but they get that bad her now and then , especally on 'Trash" Day 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  .

But it's cool to see them land on a baited FireBox... I put a bit of sweet Koolaide in a metal can(short) and set it up on the FB... when they land on the box to locate the goodies, they melt... right there. COOL 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





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## Bearcarver

Roller said:


> Thanks Bear I will have to do up some of those this winter for next spring...I hate those things and I am wrapped up with them around here...


Go get 'em, Roller!!!

They work best on the South, SE, and SW of the building, and the peaks are better than down low.

Bear


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## frosty

Hey Bear!  I loved the original traps and the new and improved version looks event better!  Great to see you workinig on projects again!  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.


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## radioguy

Bear,

What happens with these traps.....they just crawl in and can't get out?' Plastic bottle too slippery??

Thanks
RG


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## Bearcarver

RadioGuy said:


> Bear,
> 
> What happens with these traps.....they just crawl in and can't get out?' Plastic bottle too slippery??
> 
> Thanks
> RG


Yup,

These are the things I originally wondered:

Why do they go in the holes?

Lazy Bees---Why drill if there's already a hole started.

Why can't they fly out of the bottle?

Too narrow at the top of the bottle to fly out.

Why don't they walk out?

Too slippery.

Bear


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## Bearcarver

Frosty said:


> Hey Bear!  I loved the original traps and the new and improved version looks event better!  Great to see you workinig on projects again!  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.


Thanks Frosty !!

Yeah, the old traps worked real good, but these are smaller & match my house, and I no longer have to deal with the wasp nests every year. They filled the whole top inside the old traps.

Bear


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## Bearcarver

*BEE TRAP UPDATE !!*

OK guys, I just took my traps down for the Winter, and I now have a running total per year:

2009-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2010-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
2011-----------------140 Carpenter Bees.
2012-----------------105 Carpenter Bees.
2013-----------------51 Carpenter Bees.

I think I'm catching up on these little Buggers!!!

Bear


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## jirodriguez

Bear the Mighty Bee Killer!


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## Bearcarver

JIRodriguez said:


> Bear the Mighty Bee Killer!


LOL-----You got it Johnny!!!

If your house is 100 % wood, you gotta do what you gotta do!!!

Bear


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## fish killer

Glad I saw this, those dang things are making Swiss cheese out of  my deck joists. I will definitely bee building some of those this winter. You can beelieve that.


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## smokin phil

Bear, is there anything you CAN'T do???? I expect plans soon for a nuclear fired smoker from you......

Ummm....just joking NSA......lol


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## dward51

Great improvement on an already great idea!  Thanks for posting


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## Bearcarver

fish killer said:


> Glad I saw this, those dang things are making Swiss cheese out of my deck joists. I will definitely bee building some of those this winter. You can beelieve that.


Great !!!

These will definitely help!!

I like your uses of the extra "e" too !!! LOL

Bear


Smokin Phil said:


> Bear, is there anything you CAN'T do???? I expect plans soon for a nuclear fired smoker from you......
> 
> Ummm....just joking NSA......lol


Thanks Phil !!

LOL----There's a lot of things I can't do.

Even some things that are easy to many people!!

When I was in the Army, a Texas Buddy of mine tried to teach me to play the Guitar-----Impossible!!!  I couldn't hold one string down without touching another!!  I felt like a clumsy failure!!!

Bear


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## beekeepsrus

Hi,

Appreciate this posting maybe too late but have you or anyone tried using natural non-toxic solutions like tea tree oil or orange oil spraying methods instead of a trap? I had a similar issue last year with an infestation of Carpenter bees in one of our outdoor shacks. I didn't want to use harsh chemicals to kill off such a beautiful bee, despite being a pest for us 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  

I did a bit of digging around the 'inter-web' 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  and found me this little website that describes different methods (chemical & non-chemical) to get rid of the carpenter bee. Hope it helps 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  

Here's the site: http://www.howtogetridofcarpenterbees.com/  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Also, here's a useful (viewer friendly - no adverts) video talking more about getting rid of carpenter bees


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## Bearcarver

BeeKeepsRUS said:


> Hi,
> 
> Appreciate this posting maybe too late but have you or anyone tried using natural non-toxic solutions like tea tree oil or orange oil spraying methods instead of a trap? I had a similar issue last year with an infestation of Carpenter bees in one of our outdoor shacks. I didn't want to use harsh chemicals to kill off such a beautiful bee, despite being a pest for us
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> and found me this little website that describes different methods (chemical & non-chemical) to get rid of the carpenter bee. Hope it helps
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> Also, here's a useful (viewer friendly - no adverts) video talking more about getting rid of carpenter bees


Thanks BKR,

Very interesting & informative link & video. I researched the heck out of this subject before I made my original traps. Your Video says to put the poison in the Bee hole, and 24 hours later plug it up, but your written article says to plug the hole within one hour of injecting the poison. After researching I wait 48 hours before plugging the holes to give the mother time to go in and out a couple times, dragging the poison in to her nests.

It also says to spray the surface to keep them from drilling. This doesn't do a bit of good, because the Carpenter Bees don't eat the wood. Every time I apply Woodguard to my house I mix "BeeGone" with it, and it doesn't affect the Carpenter Bees because they don't eat it. They just ruin it by drilling & laying eggs. Then the Woodpeckers come to finish the destruction, while digging for the larva.

Also it says you can paint the wood to keep them from drilling. This is true, and it works, but I wonder what color they would like me to paint my Log House.

These traps are the best way to deal with them.

Thanks Anyway,

Bear


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## gary s

Good Info Bear   and a nice step by Step on the Traps     
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Gary


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## Bearcarver

Bearcarver said:


> *BEE TRAP UPDATE !!*
> 
> OK guys, I just took my traps down for the Winter, and I now have a running total per year:
> 
> 2009-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
> 2010-----------------Over 200 Carpenter Bees.
> 2011-----------------140 Carpenter Bees.
> 2012-----------------105 Carpenter Bees.
> 2013-----------------51 Carpenter Bees.
> 
> I think I'm catching up on these little Buggers!!!
> 
> Bear


*Update!!!! Number is still going down, but not as fast:
Took my traps  down last October, and for the year of 2014, I got 49 Carpenter Bees.*

As for this year, I got my 6 lower traps up, but I'm waiting for one of the young tower climbers that hang around here to put the upper 5 traps back up for me.

Bear

PS:  Thanks Gary!!!


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## John123john

not bad! And if we are talking about a purchased trap, then how to be in this case.
I've just made a small sip of just two kinds that I should use which i found on the https://stoppestinfo.com/96-carpenter-bee-trap.html and  amazon.com
The first one is - Chrisman Mill Farms Wood Bee Trap
The second - Rescue TSW-BB6 Visilure TrapStik]
And as an addition, this is the third trap - *Bees N Things Carpenter Bee Trap
I think this is 3 best traps which you need to use.*


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