How to Make a Chemical Free Wasp Trap
Wasps are interesting insects that play a valuable role in agriculture. However when they take over a space to a point where it becomes too dangerous for adults and children, something has to be done. When children and pets are going to be in an area its best not to use chemicals. This is why when controlling wasps its best to make this chemical free trap.
The trap is very simple to make, and it only takes 2-5 minutes tops. It seems silly but once the wasps fly in, attracted by a sugary water, they can't seem to figure out how to fly back out. This trap can be adjusted to either just trap or trap and kill the wasps. It calls for honey or syrup mixed with water as a bait. Add very little water and they wasps will simply be trapped and you can take them somewhere else to be released. Please do this very carefully as I can imagine they would be very angry! Add more water and they will drown in the sugar water, leaving you a bottle of dead wasps you can simply throw away.
You will need...
- 2 liter soda bottle
- Razor/ box knife
- Tape
- Syrup or Honey
- Water
Carefully cut the bottle.
How well do you know wasps?
view quiz statisticsLooking at your bottle decide where the top stops curving and becomes strait like the rest of the bottle. About 1/2-1 inch into the strait is where you want to make your cut. Carefully use your razor blade to cut all around the bottle until the top and bottom are as shown in the picture.
Making the bait.
You want to create a sweet smelling nectar for them. Use Honey or syrup mixed with water.
As described above you can adjust the amount of water to either trap or kill them. More water equals easier to drown. Only put about an inch worth of bait. Too close to the opening and they might figure out how to escape.
Putting it together
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Turn the top of the bottle upside down and place into the bottom. Press down to make sure its a tight fit and no wasps can escape the sides. If you want place a small piece of tape or two on the edges to secure in place.
Put your trap on the ground, on a table, or in a flower pot around where you see a lot of wasps. Check your trap every day or two. Empty and replace bait as needed.
After your trap has taken care of a lot of the wasps you can knock down their nests. Do this carefully as its unlikely you've trapped every single wasp. Look for their nest under the eaves of houses or structures, holes in the ground, in and under furniture or play things, etc...
A Note on Bait.
Sometimes wasps aren't just looking for nectar. They also feed protein to their young. If what they're searching for is protein a sugar bait won't work very well. If your trap isn't working try other baits. Honey, pancake syrup, corn syrup... also try adding a piece of beef or canned tuna. The beef or tuna has to be sticking out of the syrup in order to work. Empty and refill your trap every day to every few days.