Campsite Critter Catcher

Every time we sit down to eat all the local flying creatures seem to see it as an open invitation to join us at the table. We've tried the citronella candles to ward the bugs away but still they come . . .

So next step is to provide something more tempting from which they will not return . . . the Campsite Critter Catcher

This very simple build lures the creepy crawlies with the promise of something sweet, trapping them via a one way entry hole.

So to make this bug banishing battleship you will need the following:

• a plastic soft drink bottle
• a knife or scissors
• lovely sweet and sticky things such as jam, fruit juice or even beer

Take the plastic bottle and cut into two pieces to seperate the top from the bottom in a ratio of approximately 1/3 to 2/3.

With scissors this is fairly easy but with a knife it is a little bit unbalanced so take your time and avoid cutting off anything useful.

Don't laugh like the family did but I managed to increase the air pressure in the bottle by blowing into it whilst tightening the lid with my tongue. This helped to stop the bottle collapsing whilst I did the initial cut.

Remove any cap from the top of the bottle and you are ready for assembly . . .

Before the assembly place your chosen sticky and sweet things into the bottom of the bottle. I've chosen cherry jam and fruit juice but anything including coke and beer do well.

Upturn to top of the bottle and insert it into the other piece but not so far as for the top to touch the liquid in the bottom.

You have now created a sweet smelling cavity with a large entry hole that the wasps, flies etc find easy to enter but very hard to exit.