Carpenter bee traps usually consist of softwood, a plastic jar or bottle, and a lure. The lure is applied on the wood and inside the bottle or jar to help attract and keep the carpenter bees trapped. Two holes are drilled on the wood before it is attached to the jar/bottle.
How to get rid of carpenter bees in a trap?
This is a kind of bait normally applied to carpenter bee traps to help attract and kill pests. It is made of natural ingredients that carpenter bees love to feed on. You will need to apply it close to the holes on the outside of the trap. You will also apply it close to the holes on the outside of the trap.
What is carpenter bee trap bait?
This is a kind of bait normally applied to carpenter bee traps to help attract and kill pests. It is made of natural ingredients that carpenter bees love to feed on.
How do you make a carpenter bee trap roof?
The 6-inch-wide plank of wood will become the roof of the carpenter bee trap. Measure and cut the length you need, ensuring that it’s long enough for 1 inch of overhang on each side. Position the roof on top of the block of wood, making sure the side holes are still angled upward, then nail it in place with a hammer.
Does a bee trap work with a jar?
It works the same way whether you use a jar, plastic bottles, or another clear material. Video . There are many ways to customize a bee trap, such as by using different material or making it a different shape. You could also make a bigger trap if you need to. To identify carpenter bee nests, look for holes and sawdust in wood.

What can I put in a jar of carpenter bee trap?
Consider adding a drop of honey or some sugar water to the mason jar to make the trap more alluring.
How do you attract carpenter bees to a trap?
0:421:39Attract More Bees to Your Carpenter Bee Trap - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo our all-natural be delightful B bait is packed full of B pheromone. It will put off an odor thatMoreSo our all-natural be delightful B bait is packed full of B pheromone. It will put off an odor that will attract bees faster. How do you use it just open up the trap.
How do you use a carpenter bee trap?
0:172:22Where to Hang your Carpenter Bee Trap - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYourself. So you're before the season you're not seeing the bees maybe it's just starting to warm upMoreYourself. So you're before the season you're not seeing the bees maybe it's just starting to warm up you're gonna want to get these traps up then okay best thing to do corners.
When should you put out carpenter bee traps?
You should put out your carpenter bee traps at the beginning of Spring! Carpenter bees are most active during Spring and Early Summer, so you want to be prepared!
How long does it take for a carpenter bee trap to work?
Not all traps will work immediately when they are hung up. Some will, but the majority take a few hours to a few days. Remember, carpenter bees are creatures of habit with a strong sense of smell, and your new carpenter bee trap came from a warehouse that smells nothing like your outdoor home environment.
What is the best way to get rid of carpenter bees?
Pesticides offer an effective means to eliminate the pests. Carpenter bee sprays can be applied on and around the holes in the wood and is effective on newer intrusions. Spray insecticide more heavily in early spring to prevent infestation and then treat regularly throughout the summer.
Do carpenter bee traps attract more bees?
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!
What month do carpenter bees lay eggs?
Eggs are laid late spring to early summer in nests drilled out in dead wood. Nests may contain several eggs.
What color attracts carpenter bees?
Bees do not see color the same way humans do, so they are attracted to certain flower colors. Plants on the blue and yellow end of the color spectrum attract bees because those are the colors they can easily perceive.
Does Pine Sol attract carpenter bees?
Did you know that wood bees are attracted to the scent of PineSol? And we can use that knowledge to our advantage. The sweet scent lures them in and the cleaning solution does the rest of the work from there.
How many carpenter bee traps do I need?
To help find your answer, it is important to know each trap has a 15-foot working radius. That means 15 feet in any direction of the trap will be protected from carpenter bees. If you know carpenter bees are interested in more than a 15-foot span of your home, we always suggest installing more than one trap.
How do you find a carpenter bee nest?
If you have a porch or deck made of soft wood that you haven't painted or stained, you'll want to check it for signs of carpenter bees nests. Wood fences may also be a location for carpenter bees nests. While doing your inspection, check for small holes with sawdust below the holes.
How to bait a carpenter bee trap?
Simply apply a dime-sized amount of our Bee Bait to the inside of the receptacle and hang your trap!
What happens when a carpenter bee enters a trap?
Once the carpenter bee enters the trap, the angled entrance holes minimize the light in the central chamber. The opaque bottom of the trap then becomes the largest light source and the carpenter bee flies down. Now the carpenter bee is truly stuck!
How to use bee bait on a trap?
Simply apply a dime-sized amount of our Bee Bait to the inside of the receptacle and hang your trap!
When do carpenter bees approach the trap?
A carpenter bee will approach the trap when they are looking for a new nest. This typically occurs in the spring. The unfinished softwood exterior and specifically sized entrance holes are appealing to a searching carpenter bee.
Do you need to apply more bait to a bee trap?
A: You do not need to apply more when you empty, the trap will work without the bait. But if you see the bees reacting well to the bait, then keep up the applications for best results.
Does bee bait smell?
A: The bee bait is made with natural ingredients, but it does smell terrible. We recommend wearing gloves or washing your hands directly after use.
Can carpenter bees fly?
Carpenter bees cannot fly directly up nor can they walk up the plastic components in the trap. The carpenter bee will drop down into the bottom receptacle where it perishes. Once dead, it releases a pheromone that will attract more carpenter bees to the nest.
Suggested Carpenter Bee Traps
When you’re dealing with carpenter bees, you want to ensure you’re using a trap that is guaranteed to help! We recommend these carpenter bee traps! We have a whole guide on the best carpenter bee traps!
How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work?
Carpenter bee traps work by imitating a potential nest for carpenter bees, and once a carpenter bee enters the trap, they fall into a chamber that won’t allow them to fly out. This allows you to collect the carpenter bees and remove them from your property.
Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work?
Yes, carpenter bee traps do work. These traps are very effective at protecting your home from carpenter bee damage by attracting carpenter bees to artificial “homes” rather than them burrowing in your wood to make their own home. This also allows you to get rid of carpenter bees without having to kill them.
When To Put Out Carpenter Bee Traps
You should put out your carpenter bee traps at the beginning of Spring! Carpenter bees are most active during Spring and Early Summer, so you want to be prepared!
How To Attract Carpenter Bees Into A Trap!
To attract carpenter bees into a trap, you might need to use carpenter bee bait! There are many DIY baits available, but we suggest using Best Bee Brother’s Bait because it is much more effective and is designed specifically for carpenter bees!
Where To Hang Carpenter Bee Traps
The best place to hang carpenter bee traps is high up on the eves of your house and alongside the corners of your porch. You want to place carpenter bee traps in areas that the bees can easily see and have full access to.
What To Put Inside Carpenter Bee Trap
To help attract carpenter bees to your trap, you should make a sugar solution. Mix half sugar, half water, and pour just a small amount inside of your trap. Carpenter bees are naturally attracted to these traps because they resemble nests, but adding a bit of sugar water will help to further convince them to enter the trap.
How do bees enter a carpenter trap?
Bees enter the trap thinking it's a good place to stay. Once they enter the trap, the only light source is through the plastic container at the bottom of the trap. Bees then enter the container. Bees are stuck in the container unable to get out. Once they enter the trap, the carpenter bee will soon realize it is not an ideal place ...
How effective 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 the Best Bee Trap is made of wood, specifically soft composite plywood.
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.
How to Trap Wood Bees?
Not sure what type of bees are ruining your wood? The good news is that these wood bees/big black bees are also carpenter bees. Wood Bee is just another nickname for the carpenter bees that get their more common name from their nesting habits. Our carpenter bee trap will work for these as well.
How do carpenter bees escape?
In our trap, the largest light source comes from the bottom clear funnel. The funnel accelerates the bee's movement downward into the receptacle below. Following the light in the trap tricks the bees to travel through a unique funnel system which reduces clogging and prevents carpenter bees from escaping. Carpenter bees cannot fly directly up nor can they walk up plastic! Thus, once the bees head toward the light they are trapped.
What is the best wood for a bee trap?
The base of the Best Bee Trap is 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 set to a specific diameter and angled upwards. The diameter is the same as the diameter of the holes carpenter bees naturally make.
What is a bee trap made of?
The components of the trap are made of durable plastics specifically designed to withstand the weather elements and last you several seasons. The Best Bee Trap also has a refined finish making it superior in aesthetic appeal to other comparable models offered.
HOW TO FIX CARPENTER BEE DAMAGES?
Carpenter bees cause severe damages to the structural foundation of a property including the wooden stairs, railings, porches, etc. Sometimes, people are hesitant to take preventive measures against these bee’s infestation thinking about their role in pollination. However, there are harmless ways for fixing these damages.
HOW DO CARPENTER BEES DESTROY WOOD?
Carpenter bees create nesting galleries in wood to lay eggs in. After laying their eggs, the bees will leave some pollen and nectar inside the holes for their hatched young to feed on. The holes created by the drilling of these bees are usually circular.
DETECTING A CARPENTER BEE INFESTATION
The most common signs of an infestation would be the presence of big circular openings in wood and sawdust near these openings, or on the floor directly below these openings.
HOW DO YOU KILL THESE BEES?
You can use certain sprays to spray the holes that the bees reside in. However, these sprays are toxic and might cause damage to your wood. They certainly have the potential to stink up the entire place; therefore, your best bet would be going with traps.
HOW DO TRAPS FUNCTION?
A trap tricks the bee into thinking that it’s a bees nest. It’s a pre-drilled wooden block with tunnels inside that mimics the drill pattern of a bee attached to either a glass jar or plastic bottle.
How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work?
The advantage of a carpenter bee trap is that it includes premade tunnel systems for them to naturally want to explore and utilize. Using a softer, untreated wood that carpenter bees would normally choose helps encourage them to investigate the trap.
What are the advantages of a carpenter bee trap?
The advantage of a carpenter bee trap is that it includes premade tunnel systems for them to naturally want to explore and utilize. Using a softer, untreated wood that carpenter bees would normally choose helps encourage them to investigate the trap.
How to get bees to travel from block to mason jar?
Remove the lid of the mason jar and set it on a piece of scrap wood or right over the hole on the bottom of your block. Mark the center of the lid. With the ½-inch drill bit, drill a hole in the center of the lid. This lid will act as the transition point for the bees to travel from the block to the mason jar.
How to make a carpenter bee tunnel?
Choose three long sides of the block to drill holes. Using the same ½-inch drill bit, drill three separate holes at 45-degree angles that drive up toward the center hole and end there. This creates a connected tunnel system. Be sure to drill these side holes going at an upward angle so that sunlight cannot shine down into the trap.
How to keep carpenter bees away from mason jar?
Build the trap away from the area where the carpenter bees are to avoid agitating them. Consider adding a drop of honey or some sugar water to the mason jar to make the trap more alluring.
How do bees find the main channel?
Once the bees enter the side holes, they climb up and find the main channel as they explore the best place to lay their eggs. The clear mason jar at the bottom shines light up into the main hole of the block. Since the side holes are drilled at an upward angle, sunlight cannot shine down into them. Bees will think that the brighter light coming from the mason jar is their exit and make their way down toward the jar and end up trapped rather than outside as they expected.
What to do if you don't feel comfortable handling a bee problem in your yard?
However, if you’re unsure of what pest is present, or you don’t feel comfortable handling a potential bee problem in your yard, a local beekeeper or pest management professional can always come to take a look. A professional can help to safely relocate these helpful creatures to another location.
How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work?from bobvila.com
The advantage of a carpenter bee trap is that it includes premade tunnel systems for them to naturally want to explore and utilize. Using a softer, untreated wood that carpenter bees would normally choose helps encourage them to investigate the trap.
How to drill a hole in a carpenter bee trap?from wikihow.com
Drill the hole on a straight up and down angle with respect to the flat bottom of the carpenter bee trap. If you're a poor estimator of distance, measure the length of your drill bit and note the point it is about 4 in (10.2 cm) long. Drill to this point.
What Sets Best Bee Brothers Wood Bee Traps Apart?from bestbeebrothers.com
The main differences between DIY traps and our Best Bee Brothers traps are the receptacle containers. Our Best Bee Trap has a perfectly molded plastic funnel and container that is one piece. This whole piece acts as the bottom of the Best Bee Trap and guides the carpenter bees down into the container without the issue of clogging. Carpenter bees also can’t walk up plastic! So once in the trap, there’s no way out.
How to get bees to travel from block to mason jar?from bobvila.com
Remove the lid of the mason jar and set it on a piece of scrap wood or right over the hole on the bottom of your block. Mark the center of the lid. With the ½-inch drill bit, drill a hole in the center of the lid. This lid will act as the transition point for the bees to travel from the block to the mason jar.
How to make a bee trap with a drill bit?from wikihow.com
Position a 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) drill bit diagonally on the mark. Lay the post flat and start with one of the marks you made on the sides of the trap. Point the drill bit up toward the top of the trap at a 45-degree angle. If you angle the drill properly, the new holes will end up connecting to the center tunnel, giving the bees nowhere to go but down.
How do bees find the main channel?from bobvila.com
Once the bees enter the side holes, they climb up and find the main channel as they explore the best place to lay their eggs. The clear mason jar at the bottom shines light up into the main hole of the block. Since the side holes are drilled at an upward angle, sunlight cannot shine down into them. Bees will think that the brighter light coming from the mason jar is their exit and make their way down toward the jar and end up trapped rather than outside as they expected.
How to keep carpenter bees away from glass jars?from wikihow.com
Carpenter bees will be attracted to the holes in your trap and crawl inside it to lay eggs. However, the 45° angle of the entry tunnels will confuse the bees, drawing them into the glass jar where they can't escape.
When Should You Put Out Your Carpenter Bee Traps?
If you’re dealing with a carpenter bees problem, the best time to put out your carpenter bee traps is during the start of spring before the carpenter bees reach full nesting season.. These traps should be hung at the peaks and corners of your home. But before you hang your traps, make sure to plug already-existing holes.
Placing Your Carpenter Bee Traps
It’s a known fact that carpenter bees are highly territorial in nature and they will chase away other carpenter bees or predators from where they nest. Do not place your carpenter bee trap by an existing nest because the male carpenter bee will make your trap ineffective.
Should You Take Down Carpenter Bee Traps?
People wonder whether their traps can be left outside hanging out all year long. Well, if you wish to do so, that’s no problem.
Final Thoughts On What Time Of Year To Put Out Carpenter Bee Traps
Lining your trap with carpenter bee carcasses can help to lure more of these bees into the trap. Try keeping the trap until the fall season ends before taking them out for storage.
How long does it take for carpenter bees to come into a trap?from bestbeebrothers.com
If at first you see carpenter bees flying around but not going into the trap, don’t panic! Sometimes it can take a couple days for the traps to attract the carpenter bees.
What happens when carpenter bees realize their nest is gone?from bestbeebrothers.com
When the carpenter bees realize their nest is gone, they will search for a new easy nest to make... AKA the trap! For convenience of this method, there are two holes in the trap roof to screw the trap directly to your structure.
When do carpenter bees come out?from bestbeebrothers.com
Carpenter bees are active in the spring when they are mating and building nests. After their nests have been constructed and the eggs laid, the adult bees die. The larva grows in the nests and emerges in spring to continue the cycle. Once the warm weather is gone there will be no need for the traps to be out.
Do carpenter bees need to be plugged up?from bestbeebrothers.com
Because carpenter bees are relatively predictable creatures, we can determine the best location for the traps before they start making holes in your home. If you have an existing carpenter bee infestation, we recommend plugging up the holes before hanging the trap.
Can you leave carpenter bee traps up all year round?from bestbeebrothers.com
If you want to leave the traps up all year round, by all means go ahead. There is certainly no harm in that. However it isn't necessary.
Do carpenter bees chase other bees?from bestbeebrothers.com
Carpenter bees are highly territorial and will chase away other carpenter bees from the area they nest in. If you place a carpenter bee trap by an existing nest the carpenter bee male will make your trap highly ineffective.
Can you hang a bee trap under a rafter?from bestbeebrothers.com
Best results occur when traps are placed at the corners and peaks of buildings and hung with the provided wire hanger. It is not recommended to hang a trap under a rafter as the bees are less likely to see the hole.
How to get rid of carpenter bees?
Fortunately, you can build an environmentally-friendly trap even if you don’t have a lot of crafting experience. Gather a wooden post along with a few other supplies, then make tunnels for the bees to enter the trap. Install a Mason jar or another transparent object to hold the bees. Then, check back every day as the trap rids your home of the unwanted pests.
How to make a bee trap with a drill bit?
Position a 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) drill bit diagonally on the mark. Lay the post flat and start with one of the marks you made on the sides of the trap. Point the drill bit up toward the top of the trap at a 45-degree angle. If you angle the drill properly, the new holes will end up connecting to the center tunnel, giving the bees nowhere to go but down.
What is the center marking on a bee trap?
The center marking will be an opening for the bees to crawl through. The other spots are there to secure the lid to the trap.
How to get rid of bees in a house?
Gather a wooden post along with a few other supplies, then make tunnels for the bees to enter the trap. Install a Mason jar or another transparent object to hold the bees. Then, check back every day as the trap rids your home of the unwanted pests. Steps.
How to make a mason jar trap more effective?
Add honey or sugar water to the Mason jar for bait. It will make the trap more effective.
Why do bee tunnels have to be angled upward?
The tunnels have to be angled upward in order to prevent light from getting into the trap. It causes the bees to head toward the clear jar placed at the bottom of the trap.
How to drown bees in a trap?
To drown the bees quickly, add a couple of drops of liquid dish soap to 1⁄4 cup (59 mL) water. When you empty the trap, replace the water.