Hardware cloth funnel traps are simple and cheap to make. Take some 1/4" hardware cloth, bend it into a square or circular cylinder and secure the joint. So now you have a tube cage, basically. Add a funnel of either hardware cloth or another material to both ends and secure it. Place this at the base of the wall where the animal is most likely to encounter it. You can either bait it or not. This trap works well for snakes, rodents, and many other small creatures that exhibit wall hugging thigmotaxis.



Though this trap sounds safe, and it can be, like all traps it needs to be checked often. A smaller snake will try to squeeze through the mesh openings and can injure themselves. Nose rubbing on the mesh surface can also cause damage. Solid plastic traps are safer because of these problems, but large ones can be difficult to make and tend to have a lower success rate.

To make a plastic funnel trap, take a 2 liter pop bottle. Cut the top away 1 inch below where the neck widens out. This creates a wide mouthed funnel with a 1 inch long lip. Turn this upside down and secure it in the pop bottle using duct tape.
It will look similar to this (though laid on its side):
Bottle Funnel Trap

This is a one-way trap, so it is better to place it in corners or make several and place them end-to-end.
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Lincoln, NE
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