Good Day Stewart. On one of the beekeeper forums, I read that it's helpful to add apple cider vinegar. Honeybees don't like apple cider vinegar. So they stay away. But wasps and hornets just ignore it. . Also, adding a little dish soap will break the surface tension. Wasps are so light that they can stand on the water. But with dish soap in the mix, they fall through and drown. One chap suggested adding vinegar. The wasps drink the vinegar along with the sugar, and it kills them. Though I suppose it's redundant to add regular vinegar and apple cider vinegar.
when growing up on the farm, the very best bait, for bees, or wasps, is strawberry jelly. Not sure how many of your bees you will catch, but I was astonished in Oregon, during the 50's, how many different types of bee was in the neighborhood. I saw bees, I would never have known existed in this trap. fascinating to an 8 year old. I watched it a lot, because some of the bees were spectacular.
Hi P.A. Thanks for commenting. I've found this year that a little vinegar in the bottle greatly increases the number of wasps and reduces the number of bees that get caught. It also catches quite a few hornets too. Stewart
Hmm ..... In my experience, that kinda trap has a built-in design flaw. It only takes a couple of showers for the bait to become so diluted as to render it almost useless. You then have the hassle of emptying the trap & refilling with full-strength bait - no trivial matter when it has no obvious or easy escape route. So, back to the proverbial drawing board. While eating out recently - alfresco style - I noticed the owner placed a couple of wasp traps just outside the seating area. While enjoying my half English, I observed almost continuous wasp 'traffic' to the trap. You could even say they made a wasp line for it [groaning at this point is not mandatory, btw]. Intrigued, I just hadta make some enquiries about the bait. It was just plain old Coke. But what really caught my attn was the trap. As far as I could tell, it consisted of no more than what appeared to be a large jar with a roughly qtr" hole in the centre of the lid. That's it. The wasp can get in, but once in, it can't get out. I'll let you figure out why. Seems to me this is not only simpler to make than the trap illustrated in this vid., but the much smaller aperture should also be much more efficient at keeping the rain out. And even if it was eventually diluted beyond effective concentration, emptying & refilling should be a breeze compared to the trap shown here. Since witnessing this 'spectacle', I have been saving various suitable receptacles for making my own versions of this trap. I now have around 60-odd, and will be drilling holes in the lids over the next day or two. I will also be experimenting with various types of bait to find out which is most effective at dispatching the little b*gg€rr$. If anyone is remotely interested, I'd be happy to report my results here.
@@janelawrie6464 - Inconclusive Jane!! For some strange reason, we just didn't have that many wasps this year, and I seem to have caught more flies than wasps. Wasps usually attack my ripe/ripening figs, but the only predation I've had this year is from squirrels. Now that I know they are active in my neigh-bourhood again, I have a different countermeasure for them that is very effective. I'll be inspecting the traps again later next week, and I'll let you know if there are any developments, but not expecting any startling revelations from the 'experiment'. I might well repeat the experiment next year at the first sign of any wasp predation, but if you're looking for suitable bait in the meantime, I would go with some of the suggestions recommended in this thread. Sorry I didn't have anything more definitive to report, but some experiments don't always yield useful results. And if the reason is a reduced local wasp population in any event, I won't be shedding too many tears for them. BBQ tomorrow, so that'll be a good litmus test of the # of the local population. I'm usually fighting them off, but hopefully they won't be a problem this time.
@@janelawrie6464 - UPDATE. The BBQ went without a hitch, and not a wasp in sight. Tends to confirm my general impression of a much reduced local population.
I have read that a little meat in with the liquid will stop bees going in altogether! Apparently wasps love the smell of rotting meat but bees hate it. I have yet to try it however so can’t comment on how well it works. I will try it this summer and let you know!
@@TheNorfolkHoneyCo Hi, I read that in Spring wasps look to feed on protein (meat) but the rest of the year just sugar..so maybe the meat thing is seasonal
That is correct. In the spring, wasps are attracted to meat (the more rotten the better). But after they've gone through their protein/building stages, they switch to sugary sources for building up energy reserves for the cold months and winter. So, meat in the spring and early summer, sugar in late summer and fall.
If you put a bit of meat 🥩 in there too, it will attract even more wasps/yellow jackets once it starts to rot... And even better, the bees hate the smell, so they will keep there distance 👍😊
Used some stale beer, strawberry jam, golden syrup and about 50ml malt vinegar. Caught many european wasps (yellow jackets in the USA) along with a few european hornets. Works like a charm.
@@krooksie I cannot say an exact formula. However, honey bee doesn't like rotten smell of any food just like Apple vinegar. And vinegar produces co2 with sugar of the soda. I guess you can find more practical mixtures on the Internet.
Does the trap attract bees to it too? If the answer is yes then one should try something else. Or at leas make small holes at the top big enough for the bees to get out and small enough to prevent the wasps from getting out.
Bees don’t fly downwards in the way that wasps and hornets do, so aren’t caught in these traps. I’ve been using these in the spring for years to catch queen wasps and hornets and have never found a bee in any of the traps.
I hung mine but later noticed the wasps tend to patrol the ground near the hives so low is best but not along the.bee flight path or you'll catch falling bees.
Hi Jay, Happy to offer up any help I can :) I tend to look at my colonies and see which are the ones that seem to be worst affected. These get a wasp trap and I normally leave a couple placed around the apiary as a precaution. Stewart
Hi Graham, Not really, out of a single bottle I might find 6-10 workers the rest being filled with wasps and hornets. I'll post a picture on my instagram/twitter accounts when I go back to check them. Stewart
@@TheNorfolkHoneyCo How about a manky piece of meat instead of sugar water? Wasps are attracted to that but bees are not. I know my bees will go for anything sweet lying around. Might make the bottle a disposable item however.
@@TheNorfolkHoneyCo Yes, I thought it amusing that so many people call it duck tape by mistake and then a company actually names it as "duck tape" as a brand name.
@@shegocrazy I believe it was called "duck" tape first (because it was made of waterproof duck cloth), and later, imitators called their tape "duct" tape.
Awesome content as always :)
Can't believe wasps seen in a hive in July (2023)
Thank you for sharing all your knowledge :)
Good Day Stewart. On one of the beekeeper forums, I read that it's helpful to add apple cider vinegar. Honeybees don't like apple cider vinegar. So they stay away. But wasps and hornets just ignore it.
.
Also, adding a little dish soap will break the surface tension. Wasps are so light that they can stand on the water. But with dish soap in the mix, they fall through and drown. One chap suggested adding vinegar. The wasps drink the vinegar along with the sugar, and it kills them. Though I suppose it's redundant to add regular vinegar and apple cider vinegar.
This is exactly the info i needed. Thank you!
Thanks Stewart. I secretly made you my mentor. Tough finding good advise these days.
Made one up today and put it out this morning. I added a glug of ACV as well as the cola. Three wasps in it already. Result!
Wasp trap video very useful. BUT it would be helpful to have ideas where to place in the apery.
Thank you,, Caroline
when growing up on the farm, the very best bait, for bees, or wasps, is strawberry jelly. Not sure how many of your bees you will catch, but I was astonished in Oregon, during the 50's, how many different types of bee was in the neighborhood. I saw bees, I would never have known existed in this trap. fascinating to an 8 year old. I watched it a lot, because some of the bees were spectacular.
Hi P.A.
Thanks for commenting.
I've found this year that a little vinegar in the bottle greatly increases the number of wasps and reduces the number of bees that get caught. It also catches quite a few hornets too.
Stewart
Hmm ..... In my experience, that kinda trap has a built-in design flaw. It only takes a couple of showers for the bait to become so diluted as to render it almost useless. You then have the hassle of emptying the trap & refilling with full-strength bait - no trivial matter when it has no obvious or easy escape route.
So, back to the proverbial drawing board. While eating out recently - alfresco style - I noticed the owner placed a couple of wasp traps just outside the seating area. While enjoying my half English, I observed almost continuous wasp 'traffic' to the trap. You could even say they made a wasp line for it [groaning at this point is not mandatory, btw]. Intrigued, I just hadta make some enquiries about the bait. It was just plain old Coke. But what really caught my attn was the trap. As far as I could tell, it consisted of no more than what appeared to be a large jar with a roughly qtr" hole in the centre of the lid. That's it. The wasp can get in, but once in, it can't get out. I'll let you figure out why.
Seems to me this is not only simpler to make than the trap illustrated in this vid., but the much smaller aperture should also be much more efficient at keeping the rain out. And even if it was eventually diluted beyond effective concentration, emptying & refilling should be a breeze compared to the trap shown here. Since witnessing this 'spectacle', I have been saving various suitable receptacles for making my own versions of this trap. I now have around 60-odd, and will be drilling holes in the lids over the next day or two. I will also be experimenting with various types of bait to find out which is most effective at dispatching the little b*gg€rr$.
If anyone is remotely interested, I'd be happy to report my results here.
How did you get on with these traps. Did you find a bait that worked better than others?
@@janelawrie6464 - Inconclusive Jane!! For some strange reason, we just didn't have that many wasps this year, and I seem to have caught more flies than wasps. Wasps usually attack my ripe/ripening figs, but the only predation I've had this year is from squirrels. Now that I know they are active in my neigh-bourhood again, I have a different countermeasure for them that is very effective.
I'll be inspecting the traps again later next week, and I'll let you know if there are any developments, but not expecting any startling revelations from the 'experiment'. I might well repeat the experiment next year at the first sign of any wasp predation, but if you're looking for suitable bait in the meantime, I would go with some of the suggestions recommended in this thread. Sorry I didn't have anything more definitive to report, but some experiments don't always yield useful results. And if the reason is a reduced local wasp population in any event, I won't be shedding too many tears for them.
BBQ tomorrow, so that'll be a good litmus test of the # of the local population. I'm usually fighting them off, but hopefully they won't be a problem this time.
@@janelawrie6464 - UPDATE. The BBQ went without a hitch, and not a wasp in sight. Tends to confirm my general impression of a much reduced local population.
I actually saw several yesterday in our garden. I put out my wasp trap and caught nothing but they all disappeared as soon as I put it out. 🙄
@@janelawrie6464 - Where are you based?
I have read that a little meat in with the liquid will stop bees going in altogether! Apparently wasps love the smell of rotting meat but bees hate it. I have yet to try it however so can’t comment on how well it works. I will try it this summer and let you know!
Hi David,
yes, I have heard that too although I never seem to have many bees go near it. Also, some apple vinegar or wine vinegar helps too.
Stewart
@@TheNorfolkHoneyCo Hi, I read that in Spring wasps look to feed on protein (meat) but the rest of the year just sugar..so maybe the meat thing is seasonal
@@snipz__7593 That's what I also believe to be the case after heavy research...
That is correct. In the spring, wasps are attracted to meat (the more rotten the better). But after they've gone through their protein/building stages, they switch to sugary sources for building up energy reserves for the cold months and winter. So, meat in the spring and early summer, sugar in late summer and fall.
If you put a bit of meat 🥩 in there too, it will attract even more wasps/yellow jackets once it starts to rot... And even better, the bees hate the smell, so they will keep there distance 👍😊
Benjamin Andersen cooked or raw?
@@bengibbon9229 better raw. You want it to go bad quick
Bummer, cause the meat stench attracts more houseflies than it traps 😒
Add apple cider vinegar.. they don't like the vinegar but the wasps like the apple part
where do you put it?
Used some stale beer, strawberry jam, golden syrup and about 50ml malt vinegar. Caught many european wasps (yellow jackets in the USA) along with a few european hornets. Works like a charm.
All in the same trap?
@@eriobotrya yes - guess the hornets might’ve been after all the other insects caught in the trap
@@Pugwash07 - I'll give that a go too. Thx.
By this way, after carbon dioxide fly away, you will start catching your own bees. Adding some vinegar will keep honey bees away.
How much vinegar to how much soda/pop/fizzy drink?
@@krooksie I cannot say an exact formula. However, honey bee doesn't like rotten smell of any food just like Apple vinegar. And vinegar produces co2 with sugar of the soda. I guess you can find more practical mixtures on the Internet.
@@anypis123 I use apple juice with a good splash of vinegar.
I use apple cyber vinger instead of pop/soda. attracts both Flys and wasps/hornets
Hi Brian,
Great Idea, I'll try some too. Do you get that off the internet (Cyber Vinegar)?
Stewart
i cant remember who but someone on youtube in the southern USA made a video about it. i tried it and with in a week i have to replace the trap.
Do you mean Apple Cider vinegar?
Popular in Portugal, they tend to use beer though.
Worked purrrrrrrrffffeeeeeccclllllyyyyyyyy
Bro is the Jeremy Wade of bees
How do I stop the bees going in? - we are not near a hive
Thanks bud 👍
Does the trap attract bees to it too? If the answer is yes then one should try something else. Or at leas make small holes at the top big enough for the bees to get out and small enough to prevent the wasps from getting out.
Bees
Bees don’t fly downwards in the way that wasps and hornets do, so aren’t caught in these traps. I’ve been using these in the spring for years to catch queen wasps and hornets and have never found a bee in any of the traps.
Cheers stewie
The traps don't fill up with your bees?
Does it not attract the honey bees ?
Hi Stuart,
Where is the best place to put the traps and what is there to stop all my bees getting stuck in them?
I hung mine but later noticed the wasps tend to patrol the ground near the hives so low is best but not along the.bee flight path or you'll catch falling bees.
ACV and possibly rotting meat, as I;ve learned from other commenters here!
I was just about to ask the same question. Just made a couple up. How many is enough tho. 1 per hive. Or just a couple will do.
Hi Jay,
Happy to offer up any help I can :)
I tend to look at my colonies and see which are the ones that seem to be worst affected. These get a wasp trap and I normally leave a couple placed around the apiary as a precaution.
Stewart
This Can also attract bees 😢😢 you need to add some type of alcool like white wine or brown beer which repels bees but that wasps love.
And if You put few eggs there instead of soda it will catch flies
But doesn't it catch Bees to
Hi Graham,
Not really, out of a single bottle I might find 6-10 workers the rest being filled with wasps and hornets. I'll post a picture on my instagram/twitter accounts when I go back to check them.
Stewart
@@TheNorfolkHoneyCo How about a manky piece of meat instead of sugar water? Wasps are attracted to that but bees are not. I know my bees will go for anything sweet lying around. Might make the bottle a disposable item however.
That works on Yellow Jackets, but does not work on Wasps.
why can't they fly out the same way they came in?
Some might, but they generally aren't that smart.
I just lace up my boxing gloves and fuck up the wasps
"DUCT" tape made for ducks.
Hi shegocrazy,
Yes, Duct tape but the brand is "Duck" so I just call it duck tape.
Stewart
@@TheNorfolkHoneyCo Yes, I thought it amusing that so many people call it duck tape by mistake and then a company actually names it as "duck tape" as a brand name.
@@shegocrazy I believe it was called "duck" tape first (because it was made of waterproof duck cloth), and later, imitators called their tape "duct" tape.
Did not trap a single wasp. What rubbish!
@Skizzrrr Skrrt If you use Strongbow Dark Fruits you may also catch a few humans