[Lab] yellow jackets and electricity

Mon Aug 29 12:00:35 EDT 2011

Instead of a full DIY what about those $10 "tennis racket"-esque electric
mosquito killers?  They might not be strong enough to kill bees but maybe
just a capacitor change would be sufficient...

On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:58 AM, Darcy Whyte <darcy at siteware.com> wrote:

> Well the beez or going into the ceiling. So I figured putting a mesh across
> their entrance would work. If I zap them on the way up but not down then
> the'd just fall from there.
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:50 AM, mike Jans <mjans at live.com> wrote:
>
>>  Make sure your design allows for the dead to fall down and not clog the
>> mesh. From my experience with bees, when something gets in close to their
>> front door, they'll investigate immediately. From the traffic in the video,
>> that might become an issue. Perhaps make it adjustable. In the beginning,
>> you might sacrifice some kills for smooth operation. Later, you adjust for a
>> more thorough deathrate.
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:42:24 -0400
>> From: krazatchu at hotmail.com
>> To: lab at artengine.ca
>> Subject: Re: [Lab] yellow jackets and electricity
>>
>>
>>
>> You don't need to detect them at all...
>> Just use two parallel meshes at a distance of about 3/4 the length of a
>> yellow jacket...
>> With opposing charges on the meshes, the yellow jackets become the
>> trigger...
>>
>> This is not uncommon in Korea for mosquitoes...
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-Lentek-Biteshield-RZ02-Electronic/dp/B000H7CUSQ
>>
>> And be careful with camera flashes, they can really hurt (and kill)...
>>
>> Michael
>> http://NoMiDesign.net/
>> http://krazatchu.ca/
>>
>>
>> On 8/29/2011 11:31 AM, Darcy Whyte wrote:
>>
>> I don't think the Squirrels are reading my blog so we should be okay.
>>
>>  I've already got some parts on order (including a disposable camera to
>> get a zapper out).
>>
>>  I'm a little concerned about how I will detect when they are in contact
>> with the mesh. Perhaps just a motion detector.
>>
>>  I just took some video of the little buggers:
>> http://mambohead.com/2011/08/arduino-bug-zapper-yellow-jacket-removal/
>>
>>  As you can see, they're going up a hole in the ceiling.
>>
>>  The chemical idea might work but can it go uphill into the ceiling? I
>> guess I have to seal the hole after I get rid of them.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 10:02 AM, Tom Burns <tom.i.burns at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>> 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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>> ---------------------- http://NoMiDesign.net/ http://krazatchu.ca/
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