[Lab] yellow jackets and electricity

[Tom Burns]

An Arduino-powered stun gun is not something I would want to fall into the
hands of a species as devious as the squirrels ;)

If it's not high powered enough, and you're not against using chemicals, I
dealt with a nasty bee (my fiancee is allergic) problem in my backyard using
Raid "One Shot" wasp killer.

Tom

On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 12:19 AM, Darcy Whyte <darcy at siteware.com> wrote:

> Hi Richard,
>
> Thanks for the note.
>
> I figured keeping a coil charged might be expensive on the batteries. Seems
> the next place to go is keeping a capacitor charged. As I mentioned in the
> blog post, a disposable camera may have enough hardware to do this. May not
> be as high a voltage but it might work.
>
> So it just comes down to triggering the high voltage thing.
>
> I'm all ears on how to trigger it but I figured I could just use an arduino
> because the labor content may be lower. There might be something that can
> save some pennies but I think for the pain a community of yellow jackets
> causes, it's okay if it uses an arduino for a couple days.
>
> Even if the Squirrels steal it.
>
> Darcy
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 8:59 PM, Richard Guy Briggs <rgb at tricolour.net>wrote:
>
>> On Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 01:32:19PM -0700, Darcy Whyte wrote:
>> > What about this angle:
>> >
>> > A motion detector of some sort.
>> > a coil
>> > a relay
>> > a 6v battery
>> > a wire grid over the opening
>> >
>> > When a yellow jacket is detected we charge the coil and then let it
>> > discharge through the grid.
>>
>> I think the idea is to keep it charged so that it does its work on
>> contact.
>>
>> > The relay is to isolate an arduino from the coil charging action...
>> >
>> > What sort of coil would I need?
>> >
>> > If this will work at all....
>> >
>> > Also, what about detecting the bug when it touches the grid? I suppose
>> the
>> > problem with that is I'd need to isolate it from the arduino somehow
>> since
>> > the high voltage will zap the arduino too....
>>
>> Does it really need an arduino, or just a wired power supply and a way
>> of forcing all entering and exiting wasps of touching the charged wires?
>>
>> > On Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 12:58 PM, Darcy Whyte <darcy at siteware.com>
>> wrote:
>> > > Perhaps this can be DIYed:
>> > > http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1421.html
>> > >
>> > > I could then just hang the thing near the hole and place some
>> electrodes
>> > > right there.
>>
>> I've seen one of those at a friend's cottage.  It is only $10, so it
>> might be worth just buying one to find out how it works and adapt it for
>> automatic use with your wasp nest.  We had one in the floor of our
>> balcony.  It was a nuisance...
>>
>> You might want to adapt it with very fine wires brushing around the hole
>> (but if the wire is too fine, it might fuse instead of delivering the
>> intended shock to an insect...)
>>
>> > > On Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 12:54 PM, Darcy Whyte <darcy at siteware.com>
>> wrote:
>> > >> Let's say I have a nasty yellow jacket nest that's starting to cause
>> > >> problems.
>> > >>
>> > >> I've dealt with these in the past when the next is very exposed but
>> this
>> > >> time I only have access to an opening about an inch where they are
>> coming
>> > >> and going.
>> > >>
>> > >> Has anybody ever tried to put some sort of zapper near an entrance?
>> Seems
>> > >> that should be an easy way to get them.
>> > >>
>> > >> A trap seems to take long because they only go into it once in a
>> while so
>> > >> it takes a long while.
>> > >>
>> > >> I figure if I put a couple of electrodes near the hole, they could
>> > >> complete the gap.
>> > >>
>> > >> If this would work, I wonder how many bugs a couple of D-cells could
>> zap?
>>
>>
>>         slainte mhath, RGB
>>
>> --
>> Richard Guy Briggs               --  ~\    -- ~\            <
>> hpv.tricolour.net>
>> <www.TriColour.net>                --  \___   o \@       @       Ride yer
>> bike!
>> Ottawa, ON, CANADA                  --  Lo_>__M__\\/\%__\\/\%
>> Vote! -- <greenparty.ca
>> >_____GTVS6#790__(*)__(*)________(*)(*)_________________
>>
>
>
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