How Our Carpenter Bee Traps Work
Do carpenter bee traps really work? Yes, they do! Our Best Bee Traps offer a low maintenance, chemical-free solution to get rid of carpenter bees!
What is a Carpenter Bee Trap?
The carpenter bee trap is effective by employing simple yet brilliant design principles. Carpenter bees have much different habits than those of the bumble bee or honey bee. Understanding these habits is what makes the trap unprecedented in carpenter bee removal.
The base of our Carpenter Bee Traps are made of wood, specifically soft composite plywood. When it comes to carpenter bees looking to build a home, the softer the wood the better.
The holes drilled into the wooden base are meticulously crafted to a specific diameter and angled upwards. This precision ensures they match the diameter of the holes naturally made by carpenter bees. Additionally, the angled design of the holes serves a crucial purpose: it effectively blocks the light source for the bee as it enters the wooden chamber of the trap.
The green roof is made of durable, ocean-bound plastic in our effort to divert plastic from plaguing our waterways and shorelines. The plastic is specifically to withstand the weather elements and last you several seasons.
How do Bee Traps Work?
How Our Carpenter Bee Traps Work:
- The trap mimics a nest carpenter bees naturally create
- Specifically the drilled holes, making it look like a nice place to nest and stay
- Once attracted to the trap and the bees enter, the interior chamber has funnels to quickly draw carpenter bees down into the trap
- The funnel also prevents bees from crawling up the trap and exiting
- Holes on the bottom of the door release sound, scent, and pheromones of trapped bees to attract more bees
Once they enter the trap, the carpenter bee will soon realize it is not an ideal place to lay their eggs and try to exit. Unfortunately for them, their instinctive exit strategy is to leave the way they came in. The funnel accelerates the bee's movement downward into the receptacle below and doesn’t allow them to climb up, making them trapped.
What Attracts Carpenter Bees to a Trap? / Do Carpenter Bee Traps Need Bait?
Carpenter Bee Traps do not require bait. As soon as there is one bee in the trap, expect to see many more!
The dead bees release a pheromone that is highly attractive to other carpenter bees. The more dead bees, the more attractive the trap will get! This is the same science behind how a carpenter bee finds its way back to the nest each year.
However, if your trap isn’t seeing the results you are looking for or you haven’t had success getting the ball rolling, we highly recommend using our Bee-Licious Bee Bait. This bee pheromone based bait will help your trap get started and continue to help attract more carpenter bees to the trap.
How to Trap Wood Bees?
Not sure what type of bees are ruining your wood? The good news is that wood bees and big black bees are other names for carpenter bees. Knowing this, you may be able to put two and two together. The nicknames are based on their appearance and nesting habits. Our carpenter bee trap will work for these as well.
Where Do I Put My Carpenter Bee Trap?
For the best results, hang or mount the traps on the corners and peaks of your structure. Carpenter bees love the warmth, it is perfect for mating, so be sure to hang the traps on the sunny side of your structure. Each trap will typically have a 15 foot working radius so make sure you get the proper amount to protect your structure. Hang multiple traps and treat any holes by clogging them with plugs, cork, putty or even a caulking compound.
For additional placement tips, visit our trap placement page.
For more detail on why and how to fill your holes, visit our How to Fill Carpenter Bees page.
Carpenter Bee Trap Plans / DIY Carpenter Bee Trap
If you are looking for a DIY version of these carpenter bee traps, head over to our How to Create a DIY Carpenter Bee Trap blog.
Our goal is to help you rid yourself from these wood bees causing issues on your property. If you love doing things yourself, you will love this DIY project. Or save time and energy and order yourself a professionally made carpenter bee trap with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. These high quality traps use perfectly molded plastic and aeration holes to keep moisture out which helps spread the pheromone smell of the bees.