diy stink bug trap
Stink Bug season is upon us and there still aren't many affordable or readily available commercial traps for these pesky things. A frustrated and industrious Pittsburgher created an easy DIY stink bug trap and he shared it with WPXI in response to their article listing commercial stink bug traps.
This guys rambles quite a bit so let me sum it up for you
Need
1. 2 liter pop bottle. This guy recommends and 2 liter bottle with straight and smooth sides. Avoid any bottles when the sides come in at the middle AKA Coke bottles.
2. Masking tape
3. Electrical tape
4. Battery operated LED light. This guy uses SYLVANIA Dot-It Silver LED Battery-Operated Stick-On Tap Light from Home Depot but really any battery powered LED light will work. I swear I've seen something similar in the dollar store.
5. Batteries for the light.
6. Thin blunt object to help turn the led light on and off once it's in the trap. He used a sharpie.
7. Sharp blade for cutting.
Build
1. Cut the top of the bottle off using the top of the label as your guide.
2. Remove the label.
3. Wrap the electrical tape around the bottom of the bottle to black it out. Don't need to go much higher than where the bottom of the label was. See time 3:44 in the video for an reasoning.
4. Remove the cap from the bottle.
5. Place the LED light at the bottom of the bottle.
6. Place the top of the bottle pointing down inside.
7. Use 4 strips of masking tape running from the bottom of the bottle just over the top. This tape gives the bugs some traction to climb up the sides to enter and secures the top of the bottle in place. See time 5:44 of the video to see what I mean.
It is unnecessary to completely tape down the top of the bottle. He explains this in detail (time 6:33) if you really want to know.
Use
1. Place bottle in dark attic or room and leave alone. The bugs will come!
2. After the trap is full, put it in a plastic bag and tie it up tightly for a few hours to suffocate the bugs.
3. Once dead, open the trap, remove the LED and dispose of the bugs.
4. Refresh batteries if needed, reseal and reuse the trap.
He also suggested via his segment on WPXI to use a 20oz bottle as a handy bug catcher for those who don't want to touch them. Scoop the bugs into the trap and dispose of them.
This guys rambles quite a bit so let me sum it up for you
Click to viewNeed
1. 2 liter pop bottle. This guy recommends and 2 liter bottle with straight and smooth sides. Avoid any bottles when the sides come in at the middle AKA Coke bottles.
2. Masking tape
3. Electrical tape
4. Battery operated LED light. This guy uses SYLVANIA Dot-It Silver LED Battery-Operated Stick-On Tap Light from Home Depot but really any battery powered LED light will work. I swear I've seen something similar in the dollar store.
5. Batteries for the light.
6. Thin blunt object to help turn the led light on and off once it's in the trap. He used a sharpie.
7. Sharp blade for cutting.
Build
1. Cut the top of the bottle off using the top of the label as your guide.
2. Remove the label.
3. Wrap the electrical tape around the bottom of the bottle to black it out. Don't need to go much higher than where the bottom of the label was. See time 3:44 in the video for an reasoning.
4. Remove the cap from the bottle.
5. Place the LED light at the bottom of the bottle.
6. Place the top of the bottle pointing down inside.
7. Use 4 strips of masking tape running from the bottom of the bottle just over the top. This tape gives the bugs some traction to climb up the sides to enter and secures the top of the bottle in place. See time 5:44 of the video to see what I mean.
It is unnecessary to completely tape down the top of the bottle. He explains this in detail (time 6:33) if you really want to know.
Use
1. Place bottle in dark attic or room and leave alone. The bugs will come!
2. After the trap is full, put it in a plastic bag and tie it up tightly for a few hours to suffocate the bugs.
3. Once dead, open the trap, remove the LED and dispose of the bugs.
4. Refresh batteries if needed, reseal and reuse the trap.
He also suggested via his segment on WPXI to use a 20oz bottle as a handy bug catcher for those who don't want to touch them. Scoop the bugs into the trap and dispose of them.