Rain Gauge Spider and Wasp Repeller by sfcorrell

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

I have an AcuRite wireless rain gauge (less than $25 on Amazon) that works very nicely, but unfortunately is an extremely attractive home for spiders and mud dauber wasps, which build webs and/or hives that restrict the movement of the tipping bucket. Over the years I have found that moth balls or urinal cakes work nicely to repel various pests and decided to try them in this situation as well, but needed some way to hold the mothballs without interfering with the tipping bucket and limit the diffusion rate. I designed the small bucket to fit over the antenna post and added drain holes in case rain splashes in and to allow air circulation. The snap fit cover has vent holes with a drain system to limit water intrusion but allow the vapors to escape. The moth balls will vaporize over time and will need to be replaced every few months.
UPDATE 2-28-18
After about 8 months I needed to replace the batteries and was pleased to find no signs of insect nesting and about 25% of the mothballs were still in the container. This idea has really solved the problem.
I printed these parts using CraftWare medium auto slice without support or raft.