How to Make a Bee Trap
Cut away the top third of a clean 2-liter soda bottle., Invert the bottle top to nest it in the bottle bottom., Drill holes and add cord to make a hanging trap., Use honey or sugar water as bait., Poison bees with laundry soap., Position your traps...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Cut away the top third of a clean 2-liter soda bottle.
Remove the cap.
Use a utility knife to cut off the top of the bottle slightly below where the neck straightens.
To cut an even line, wrap a piece of masking tape around the bottle to mark where you’ll cut., Hold the bottle top so the capless end is facing downward.
Insert this into the bottle bottom.
Hold the bottle top in place at the top of the bottle bottom with your fingers.
Staple the top to the bottom on four opposing sides.
If you don’t have a stapler, tape the seam between the inverted bottle top and the bottle bottom instead.If you want to reuse your traps, fasten the bottle top and bottom with clothespins.
You only need to unfasten the clothespins to clean, empty, and refill your 2-liter bottle trap., Drill two holes an inch (2.5 cm) below the top of the trap, with each hole on opposite sides of the bottle.
Use a drill bit large enough to allow your cord to pass through.
Feed one end apiece of a length of cord into the two holes holes.
Knot the ends of the cord and it’s ready to hang., Pour honey or sugar water directly into the bottom of the trap.
You don’t need much; a thin layer will be enough to attract bees.
Bees will be attracted to the sweetness and won’t be able to escape, eventually dying in the trap.Save the lives of bees by only using honey or sugar water.
When you see a bee trapped inside, take it away from your home and carefully release it., To ensure bees that enter your trap don’t make it out alive, add a tablespoon (15 ml) of liquid laundry soap to your bait.
Distribute the soap throughout the bait by stirring it with a utensil.
The soap will poison and kill all bees that ingest it., Placing your traps too close to bee access points may actually draw more indoors.
Prioritize locations in the sun.
Sunlight will make the bait more effective and also cause bees to die in the trap faster.
Hanging traps tend to attract bees better than ground traps.
Ground traps, however, can be effective guarding window access points., If you’ve fastened your bottle top and bottom with staples, you’ll either need to remove the staples to clean and refill the trap or make a new one.
Otherwise, remove the tape or clothespins, dump the contents of the trap, rinse it, and refill it with honey or sugar water.
These traps will attract many kinds of insects, including ants.
Use natural methods to prevent and remove ants. -
Step 2: Invert the bottle top to nest it in the bottle bottom.
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Step 3: Drill holes and add cord to make a hanging trap.
-
Step 4: Use honey or sugar water as bait.
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Step 5: Poison bees with laundry soap.
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Step 6: Position your traps near bee access points.
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Step 7: Check traps every two weeks.
Detailed Guide
Remove the cap.
Use a utility knife to cut off the top of the bottle slightly below where the neck straightens.
To cut an even line, wrap a piece of masking tape around the bottle to mark where you’ll cut., Hold the bottle top so the capless end is facing downward.
Insert this into the bottle bottom.
Hold the bottle top in place at the top of the bottle bottom with your fingers.
Staple the top to the bottom on four opposing sides.
If you don’t have a stapler, tape the seam between the inverted bottle top and the bottle bottom instead.If you want to reuse your traps, fasten the bottle top and bottom with clothespins.
You only need to unfasten the clothespins to clean, empty, and refill your 2-liter bottle trap., Drill two holes an inch (2.5 cm) below the top of the trap, with each hole on opposite sides of the bottle.
Use a drill bit large enough to allow your cord to pass through.
Feed one end apiece of a length of cord into the two holes holes.
Knot the ends of the cord and it’s ready to hang., Pour honey or sugar water directly into the bottom of the trap.
You don’t need much; a thin layer will be enough to attract bees.
Bees will be attracted to the sweetness and won’t be able to escape, eventually dying in the trap.Save the lives of bees by only using honey or sugar water.
When you see a bee trapped inside, take it away from your home and carefully release it., To ensure bees that enter your trap don’t make it out alive, add a tablespoon (15 ml) of liquid laundry soap to your bait.
Distribute the soap throughout the bait by stirring it with a utensil.
The soap will poison and kill all bees that ingest it., Placing your traps too close to bee access points may actually draw more indoors.
Prioritize locations in the sun.
Sunlight will make the bait more effective and also cause bees to die in the trap faster.
Hanging traps tend to attract bees better than ground traps.
Ground traps, however, can be effective guarding window access points., If you’ve fastened your bottle top and bottom with staples, you’ll either need to remove the staples to clean and refill the trap or make a new one.
Otherwise, remove the tape or clothespins, dump the contents of the trap, rinse it, and refill it with honey or sugar water.
These traps will attract many kinds of insects, including ants.
Use natural methods to prevent and remove ants.
About the Author
Judith Edwards
Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.
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