It’s easy to make homemade wasp traps. If you peek around online, you’ll find plenty of repellents but very few traps. The trick is to understand what attracts wasps and then coming up with a way to keep them contained. The wasp traps mentioned here are three tried and true methods.
Early Spring Wasp Trap
If you want to head the wasps off before they can flourish for the season, use this time-tested trap. You will have to be vigilant about this, but the results are worth it.
Items You’ll Need
- Empty Soda Bottle
- Scissors or Utility Knife
- String
- Packing Tape
- Dish Soap
- Meat ; Its Grease
Steps to Make
- Cut the plastic bottle at the top where it begins to broaden. Turn the top portion upside down and fit it inside the bottom half.
- Tape this top part to the bottom for security.
- Put two holes in the sides and put some string through to create a hanger handle.
- Add a few drops of dish soap into some water, shake it around a little bit to mix it up and distribute the soap throughout the water.
- Then drop in a couple pieces of meat along with the grease.
- Ensure the whole bait mixture only sits a couple of inches from the bottom of the bottle.
- Hang the trap about four feet from the ground on a tree limb or fence post but at least 10 yards from where people frequent and traffic.
Late Summer Wasp Trap
The following recipe is an excellent DIY method to make your own wasp trap for use in late summer and early fall. Most of these items you probably already have around your home. It will trap wasps while averting honeybees.
Items You’ll Need
- Empty Plastic Jug (soda liter bottle or milk gallon)
- Scissors or Utility Knife
- Sugar
- Vinegar
- Dish Soap
- Water
- Packing Tape (optional)
Steps to Make
- Ensure the jug you use is big enough for liquid and some flying space.
- Cut off the top of the bottle right below where the jug begins to broaden.
- Fill the jug with a few inches of sugar, a teaspoon of vinegar and a large glob of dish soap.
- Then fill this with water until it covers the sugar, vinegar and dish soap.
- Take the top cut-off portion and turn it upside down so that it fits inside the top.
- If the opening is very wide, use some packing tape over the hole. Ensure there’s enough room for a wasp to get it but can’t get back out. Either make this into crossed strips or punch a small hole in the center.
Powdered Wasp Killer
Another thing that’s effective, especially for wasps that burrow, is creating a powder mixture. Not only will this kill any wasps burrowing near your home’s foundation or garden, it will repel others from coming into the space.
Diatomaceous Earth and Boric Acid are deadly, toxic and poisonous to wasps. These strip the wax coating on their bodies and destroy their exoskeletons. Cinnamon contains eugenol which is a surefire repellent against wasps.
Items You’ll Need
- Sprinkling/Pouring Container (salt/pepper shaker, empty large spice container and etc)
- Funnel (that fits inside the container’s opening)
- Diatomaceous Earth
- Boric Acid
- Powdered Cinnamon
- Essential Oils (optional: peppermint, clove, lemongrass and/or geranium)
Steps to Make ; Use
For a sprinkling or pouring container, you can use anything that has holes in a screw-on top. If you need a large amount, use a bucket with a cup. Otherwise, you can use a salt/pepper shaker, a used spice container (cinnamon or peppermint will be perfect) or make one out of an old plastic jar while poking holes into the lid.
- Put the funnel inside the top of the container you intend to use as a sprinkling or pouring device.
- Add Diatomaceous Earth, Boric Acid and Powdered Cinnamon in equal parts.
- Put in a few drops of essential oil if you’re opting to use it.
- Put your hand over the top and shake well.
- If using essential oils, give the mixture 24 hours to allow it all to seep together and set.
- Sprinkle the mixture wherever you’ve seen wasps appear and their burrowing nests.
- Continue using this in the same spots on a weekly basis and after a hard rain.
Considerations Prior to Making a Trap for Wasps
Before selecting any one of the methods below, ensure you take a few things into consideration. It will better help you plan your approach while ensuring safety.
Know Thy Enemy
The time of year will greatly determine what you should use in your wasp trap. In late spring and early summer, wasps are mostly attracted to protein. During the late summer and early fall, wasps will love sugars.
However, you want to ensure you set out traps as early as possible. This is because queens move around earlier in the season. Each female you’re able to catch means you prevent nearly 1,000 workers later on.
Wasps are not attracted to bright colors, perfumes or other fancy setups. They solely rely on sweet or protein smells and can remember the location of those odors so they are able to return later on.
Keep Traps Cleaned
Ensure you keep the trap clean once filled with carcasses. The new visitors will be able to get back out because they’re surfing on these bodies without touching the trap. Also keep in mind that you will have to be vigilant and continually clean out and refresh the trap.
Safety Precautions
Before emptying the trap, ensure all the wasps inside are dead. If one escapes and goes back to the hive, it will warn the rest of the colony. Bury dead wasps or put them in a tightly sealed plastic bag for the garbage.
Do not smash or swat the wasps dead or alive. This is because they release a pheromone that notifies other wasps of an immediate nearby threat. If this scent is on you, they will chase you.