Decatur, GA on Apr 08, 2012

Carpenter Bee Trap

I wanted to hold off on posting this until I got some successful responses but it does look like DIY carpenter bee traps work. Google "No Sting Bee Trap" for a video but here are some examples sent to me by folks who've made one themselves.

43 Comments Displaying 25 of 43 comments | See Previous

Lindsey L Colorado Springs, CO

i've never heard of them. Must not be in Colorado.

on Apr 13, 2012 · Like 0
Teresa H Creve Coeur, IL

Do you think this would work for wasp? Here in central Illinois they are really bad, I have a friend that jokes about buying stock in wasp spray. lol

on Apr 13, 2012 · Like 0
Celeste W Lawrenceville, GA

Several wasps have entered our traps...one or two found their way out, but not all of them!

on Apr 13, 2012 · Like 2
Culpepper Carpets and Int... Atlanta, GA

Fantastic idea! Thank you for sharing Walter, I fight the carpenter bees every year!

on Apr 14, 2012 · Like 0
John Macon, GA

Frank, it does not matter what type of wood you use. Lucie R, the repellant goes in the clear top coat that goes over the stain. The repellant is only one of the 4 steps you take to contol them.

on Apr 14, 2012 · Like 0
Frank C Lawrenceville, GA

there has to be a TASTEY one they like better than the other....Right???

on Apr 15, 2012 · Like 0
John Macon, GA

If the trap is built correctly (with the mouth of the bottle screwed into the 1" hole drilled into bottom of the trap) they cannot fly back up through that small of an opening. That's the secret of keeping them in. The plastic is too slippery for them to grip and try to crawl upward, especially when the neck angles beyond 180 degrees and they have to walk upside down. When the bottle neck is at the standard 7/8" inside diameter, they cannot fly without their wings hitting the sides and ...»
causing them to crash & burn. I've never seen one be able to escape a trap.

on Apr 15, 2012 · Like 1
Nyomi R Hillsboro, NH

Bee's, Hornet's and Wasp's are fascinating creatures...as long as you keep your distance. Most of them are docile (with a few exceptions) unless you disturb them. Most people are not allergic to them, but some people like myself can have issues with only certain ones. I am fine if I am stung by all types of Bee's, Hornet's and Wasp's except for one species (I can't remember the name, but it's a rare one). ...»

As far as the Carpenter Bee's, I believe that they prefer a more fragrant wood, and one that is easier to bore into (a wood that is more on the softer side than the harder side), hence them boring into Cedar more often than Oak. But if they are around, and they need to make a home, they will bore in to whatever they can find. These traps work very well. You can make them for other types of flying insects as well, however, sometimes a bit of a lure (honey water or other stuff that they are interested in) is needed.
Thank you Walter for posting this. A very nice addition to the Home Talk team!

on Apr 25, 2012 · Like 0
Sharron W Memphis, TN

Incidentally, for those of y'all that think they do not sting, or won't unless trapped...i know more than one person that has been stung by "carpenter bees, or wood bees", as they are called around here...my husband was stung right on the top of his head walking across the yard at his family home... my middle son was stung while walking up to the front door of our house...and it's Brick! so who knows... I know they kept attcking me while I was sitting in a patio chair on the back BRICK ...»
patio...LOL but then I also see them gathering pollen from my many flowering plants...so maybe we were just close while they were "gathering"...

on May 29, 2012 · Like 0
Sharron W Memphis, TN

@ John you say if it's built correctly the bottle top is screwed into the hole drilled in the bottom of the trap...but all the pictures show the bottom of the bottle attached to the bottom of the trap....which way is correct?

on May 29, 2012 · Like 0
John Macon, GA

Sharron: Not all of the pictures show the bottom of the bottle attached to the bottom of the trap. Based on experience, screwing the bottle into the bottom of the trap does 4 or 5 positive things. (1) to replace a bottle, you just unscrew it, cap it, and screw a new one in. That's 10 seconds, (2) with the neck up, the bees cannot fly back up into the trap and possibly escape, (3) with the neck up, bees cannot climb upside-down in that part of the bottle to get to the neck. It can be done ...»
the other way, but why do it the hard way when the easy way works so much better?

on May 29, 2012 · Like 1
Sharron W Memphis, TN

Well never having built one I was confused, but that makes so much sense to me! Gonna try this!

on May 29, 2012 · Like 0
Penny T Christiansburg, VA

Teresa H perhaps if you tried using regular soda or sugar water in the bottle instead of water it would attract the wasps.

on Mar 21, 2013 · Like 0
Teresa D Snellville, GA

Does it matter where you hang these? For instance, if they are burrowing into an upper deck, should I hang it on the deck or in a tree near the deck? if it is near the wood they have been burrowing in, what makes them go for the trap when there is so much other wood around? Am I being too analytical?

on Mar 22, 2013 · Like 0
Mayo Mokena, IL

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WHY is there a post on how to trap and kill bees???We're losing our much-needed bees, pollinators of so many of our foods (because of pesticides and Colony Collapse Disorder) and today (March25, 2013) I was greeted with this way to trap and kill bees. PLEASE let people know that exterminators ...»
for bees and traps like this are NOT good. Yellow jackets are another story - they are not beneficial.

on Mar 25, 2013 · Like 1
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

@Mayo, this a trap for carpenter bees, which can seriously damage a house. It is not a trap for beneficial honey bees or other types of bees.

on Mar 25, 2013 · Like 0
Penster47 Verona, MO

So are there signs on the traps telling the bees that this is for carpenter bees only and for the honey bees to stay away?

on Mar 25, 2013 · Like 0
Walter Reeves Decatur, GA

carpenter bees bore into wood. That's why these traps attract them. Other bees are not attracted.

on Mar 25, 2013 · Like 0
Mayo Mokena, IL

Are you positive about this? What makes you sure that no beneficial bees are trapped and killed?

on Mar 26, 2013 · Like 0
Lorraine Indian Mound, TN

I hate killing anything, esp these pollinators, so I was willing to put up with them for a while...THEN came the Woodpeckers!! They will find the bee-galleries and peck them open to get at the larvae, leaving ugly openings that are sometimes 8-10" long on the siding! And they keep coming back and checking for more bees! That did it--I'm putting up bee-traps this season, and plugging all the holes I can find.

on Mar 29, 2013 · Like 0
Lorraine Indian Mound, TN

Mayo, Other types of bees are not attracted because they don't drill into wood to nest. I have a Mason Bee house hanging on my house and they never mess with my siding. Honey-and bumblebees are social, and nest in hives.
It makes me very sad to have to kill them, but I can't afford to replace all of my cedar siding, and there's NO way to discourage the woodpeckers (which are protected birds, BTW) except to remove the food source.

on Mar 29, 2013 · Like 0
Lorraine Indian Mound, TN

Theresa, the best place to hang them is directly over old holes. They will look for old holes to re-use.

on Mar 29, 2013 · Like 1
Marilyn Salem, IN

Where are the directions for these traps? These bees are a such a bother, to our wood and they dive at tyou and threaten you if you are outdoors.

on Apr 06, 2013 · Like 2
Barbara B Buffalo, NY

Directions on how to make Carpenter Bee traps,PLEASE!

on Apr 19, 2013 · Like 0
Walter Reeves Decatur, GA

Please note that at least one of the carpenter bee trap designs is patented.
http://www.carpenterbeesolutions.com/

on Apr 19, 2013 · Like 0

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Carpenter Bee Trap

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