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How to Build a Bug Trap. Outdoor pests making your skin crawl? Make a wind tunnel to trap
bugs and ruin their best-laid plans. You will need 4-in. diameter coffee can Can opener
Ruler Felt-tip pen Metal shears Screwdriver Small motor Superglue Light socket Blue light
bulb Ruler Perforated hanger iron Lamp cord Scissors Wire strippers Electrical tape Clean,
empty, plastic jug Electric drill and drill bits Hook eye 5 nuts 4 bolts Pantyhose Rubber
bands and small desk fan or record player (optional). Step 1. Remove the bottom lid
of a coffee can with a can opener. On the lid, draw the outline of a double fan blade
measuring 3 inches across. Step 2. Cut out the blade with metal shears. Then, punch a
small hole in the center with a screwdriver. Step 3. Slide the blades onto the shaft of
a 10- to 20-watt, 120-volt AC motor that runs at 1,500 to 3,000 rpm. Secure the blade to
the shaft with superglue and bend each end at a downward pitch of 30 to 45 degrees, so
the motor's rotation causes downward airflow. You can find a usable motor in most small
desk fans or old record players. Step 4. Screw the bulb into the socket and place it on a
flat surface opposite the motor, with 1/2- to 1-inch between the bulb and the blades.
Measure the distance from the socket's bottom to the motor's base. Double this distance
and add 7 inches. Then, cut a piece of hanger iron measuring the total length to act as
a bracket. Step 5. Bend the iron at right angles to form a rectangle, with the 2 vertical
sides separated by 4 inches. Using the motor's original screws, screw the ends of the hanger
iron to either side of the bottom of the motor's base. Make sure the blade clears the bracket
on either side. Step 6. Cut a 1-foot length of lamp cord, and set aside the piece with
the prongs. Strip both ends of the 1-foot cord, and attach one side to the motor's wires,
covering any exposed wires with electrical tape. Tape the cord along the interior of
the hanger iron bracket. Step 7. To make the light cover, cut off the bottom of a 5-inch
diameter plastic jug at a height that exposes 1 1/2 to 2 inches of the bulb. Place the socket
on the cover and mark 2 holes for bolts. Mark a third hole in the center and a fourth close
to the edge for the lamp cord with prongs. Step 8. Drill the 4 holes in the cover. Then,
slide 12 inches of the lamp cord with prongs through its hole in the cover. Strip the cord's
end, separate the wires, and touch one to each of the socket's hot terminals. Step 9.
Touch the wires from the piece of lamp cord that's taped to the bracket to the hot terminals
to form a circuit between the motor, socket, and wall. Tighten the wires against the terminals
with a screwdriver. Step 10. Place a hook eye in the cover's center hole, securing it
with a nut. Then, put a 3/4-inch bolt in each of the 2 holes on either side. Place the bracket
and socket inside the cover, sliding them over the bolts and securing each bolt with
a nut. Screw in the bulb. Step 11. Slide the coffee can over the motor, so the blades are
an inch below the rim. Make holes on opposite sides of the coffee can just above the blades.
Place a 3/4-inch bolt in each hole and fasten the bracket to the coffee can, securing each
bolt with a nut. Be sure that the bolts and nuts do not prevent the blade from turning.
Step 12. Cut an 18-inch-long section of a leg of undamaged pantyhose, turn it inside
out, and tie a knot at 1 end. Slip the other end over the bottom of the coffee can, and
secure the nylon to the can with rubber bands. Then, hang the completed trap outside your
home, plug in the prong from the lamp cord, and prepare for a pest-free summer. Did you
know In 2007, British scientists discovered fossilized remains of a bug, the giant sea
scorpion, which measured 8 feet long.