Super Simple Carpenter Bee Trap 

But... you didn't show it working....! : /

I saw these at my local store for $20 and I thought to myself, I can make that. Just needed this simple tutorial for the details. Thanks!

I was going to support our local carpenter selling these, they were only 13 dollars. then they got snarky with me so now im just gonna make my own, cheaper! Thanks for the tutorial!

Just wiped out a queen and the nest yesterday. PB Blaster works 100%. Just spray the hell out of the holes with it in the early morning.

put soapy water about an inch in it over half of mine escaped after they got in, soapy water fixed that i caught hundreds in and around the barn.

Why do you drill vent holes in the bottom of the plastic bottle whereas the Mason jar does not have air holes

Awesome. The 4 x 4 one can be used as a lamp with an LED light bulb and light fixture with cable coming out of the top holes. Still awesome project.

Thank you, I actually made 3 this afternoon. They don't look as good as yours but I think they will work. The pre-drill with the small bit really helped!

Thank you for such a simple video that is easy to follow. I'm making 12 of them right now.

Was going to ask if it worked, but read another comment where you replied. When my dad was alive, he had an ongoing war with carpenter bees drilling in his deck. He’d take a broom and swat them to death. If he walked out the door with no broom the were hunky dorey. But, if he walked out with a broom, they took off like a jet. They learned pretty fast to try to avoid his broom. He would have loved this idea as he built homes and had all the supplies he’d need.

Thank you. I’ll try 2x4s tonight and some 4x4s. I gotta a lotta bees.

Yes, I have caught 195 bees with 3 dozen traps.Pleae leave dead bees in jars, as they draw more bees. I had 27 bees in one trap. I would seed other traps with dead bees. Carpenter bee holes are 13/32 in size, but 1/2 inch drilled holes work also. These work very well.

Well planned and executed... 👍

Just use a 3/4" bit and let the plastic bottle cut it's own threads into the wood.Mine have worked for years.

Yea, caught 195 bees with 3 dozen traps. Leave dead bees in jars, as the draw more bees. I had 27 bees in one trap. I would seed traps with dead bees. Carpenter bee holes are 13/32 in size but 1/2 inch holes work also. These work very well.

Great video, but I did this in April. It took a few days for the bees to find, I guess, but it's great now. Thanks again.

They work fantastic.

Awesome tutorial and by the easiest of them all. Thanks

Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing. Just gotta get to work now! 👍😎🇺🇸🙏

These 2 x 4 ones work best. I made some 4 years ago and hung high on my barn. Still have the same bottle and never changed it and they still go in. Some are 1/3 full. Hang them high on the outside, the ones I hung on the inside of barn didn't work. Also spraying existing holes with Permethrin 10% helps.

Thank you for the video

Thank you, I subbed and gave a high five. You covered just what I needed in short order. Thanks and much success wished to you!!!

Nice. My family’s got a lotta bees, haha! I’ll try it!

If you don't have any fencing staples (what he is calling poultry staples). you can easily just use small "eye" screws. Pre-drill a small hole (make sure you use a drill bit that is smaller than your eye screw). Then just just screw the eye screw into the pilot hole. If for some reason you find it hard to turn the eye screw.. take a small screw driver, slide the screw driver into the eye part of the eye screw and you'll easily be able to turn the screw all the way into the wood, using the screwdriver as a lever.

I like your tools and design

Great Idea!

I made some of these and they work good!! Thanks!! Simple and easy to make!

Just finished hanging three traps and also plugged the holes using electric wire nuts and also added sticky sheets right next to the plugged holes for good measure. Two bees are already squirming on the yellow sticky sheets but nothing in the traps yet. You should have seen the little critters confusion when they tried to go into their holes through the wire nuts. I almost felt sorry for them - NOT. I think I am reclaiming the shed.

Great job

Thank you very much sir! Super helpful!

Thanks for sharing You Da man!!!

Great and well-expained video ! Thanks so much !

Great video and very well explained. Will be making some soon

Keep it up ma

Do you clean out the wood, remove any eggs they my lay in the wood?

Thinks I have a 4x4 they look at it an fly to my 2x8. I feel that yours might be best

I DO overthink... but can't resist asking: We have sooo many carpenter bees for years. I've built / bought different traps over the years. Some catch 3 + and others have never caught any. Can't find a logic / pattern on the ones that 'work' vs. ones that don't. Any thoughts on success with 2x4s vs 4x4s? I've been making them with 4x4s and wonder if the 2x4s (I have more of that and quicker to make each one) would be better With the crazy glue, that odor (even after weeks - they likely are more sensitive to smells) doesn't deter them from going in? When I was using water bottles on an old design, they were press fit into the hole only. I had been using 4x4s and a sloped roof design I saw a while ago. Think a bigger piece of wood would be more attractive to them? I like yours because I can make more traps from the same amount of wood. I've been making mine with the holes like yours - up a couple inches or so from bottom. Some other designs I've seen on the web have the hole much lower to the bottom. When a bee goes in, when they get to the center hole, they are closer to the bottle by those couple inches / that light is likely much brighter than if they were 2 inches higher / they'll more likely go down vs. back the way they came? (I did once come up to a trap and a bee flew out of one of the 45 deg holes : ( And finally - any thoughts / experience with wider vs. longer bottles? They'll bounce around in there and potentially get to the top. In a water bottle they get funnelled to the exit. That's suggests a wider top / less likely they'd find the exit in the top just by bouncing around the top.? But a longer bottle would help too - more space to bounce around / less likely to stumble on the top exit? THANKS FOR A GREAT VIDEO!

Brilliant! But what do you bait it with? what stops them from crawling out?

So, it's been about a week... No bees in the jars, but still a lot of bee activity. I used 2x6 - is 4x4 more likely to attract them (like my deck posts do)?

I cut & bent the jar top hole edges sharply with points. Aiming down with nippers. It acts like sharp teeth . This insures they can't fly back up and get out !

Is there any bait to put in the trap / bottle?

Would 5/8 hole on sides be to big?

Great idea and project. Perhaps you can follow up and show that it actually works.

Can I use treated four by fours for for these traps?? Always thought it needed to be untreated lumber.

We all have these things at home? I don't have a miter saw and some of the special drill bits you have.

I made a few and just saw a bee enter one and then back right out. Any suggestions?

Question - you put little holes in the bottom of the water bottle but not the mason jar…. As this video is not “new” have you found the water bottle works better than the mason jar? I like the 4*4/ mason jar look versus the water bottle, look forward to hearing your feedback. I’m able to drill holes in a mason jar, just wondering if it’s necessary

Great idea! i need this! Are you going to make a video with the results of this trap too? I want to see that too!

Easiest one yet.

Hope we get an “updated vid” with some in there

Man would/wood (lol) I have them all over our place! I have a few 2x's in over head in back carport that I swear looks like swiss cheese, well not that bad. Simple for me do, thanks🐝

did they work?

Why did you put air vents in the water bottle? So the smell of the dead ones could attract more?

I used a different entry angle. I hope it works. The angle goes in an down toward the center hole instead up up to the center hole. 🤞🏻

why cant they fly up from the container into the bigger hole and just fly away?

How did they work?

I’m guessing you built these recently. They get sort of inactive this time of year. Peak activity in spring and fall. Otherwise I’m guessing you would have shown them with bees in the traps.

Yeah, you need to show the results, good or bad.

Great and simple video and I will make a few of these today. But I will use my vise at all times...you were drilling the blocks while holding in your hand. I was waiting for you to cut the video then continue it with a few bandages on your hand 😂. Thanks again

laike laike laike

Sooooo they cant get out once the go in

Why do the holes need to be at an angle?

Put an injued or dead carpenter bee in the trap it will attract more carpener bees.

No bottles with 1” lids around here

why the holes on the bottom of the bottle?

3:03 the traps will work even better if you paint the wood the bees are getting into and leave the trap wood unfinished.

I agree with SO LT show the end results people do not want to do all that drilling for nothing 🤐°¿° Thank you have a great day 🎥👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🍒on top 👵🐟♎🕊🤗😁 ^~^

Have had these bee traps out a long time oh, they don't work

I didn’t see any carpenter bees in the traps??

Put a piece of raw fish in the bottle and it will fill up with flys.

How does this work? Seems like they could just crawl back out... Anyone who could explain would be much appreciated, thanks.

Why is this playing instead of my video of 'the box'?

They work but you can't catch them all.

But does this trap work? It wouldn't be inhumane to show the results...honestly. But if you don't want to offend anybody then so be it. ...I have carpenter bees boring holes in my deck boards and even wooden doors.

No

if you want to get rid of bees don't make a trap just take down the hive🐝🐛🐞

You're killing the bees that pollinate our food