How to Make the Easiest Yellow Jacket Bee Trap

A yellow jacket's stinger works even when the wasp is dead.

Yellow jackets, sometimes referred to as bees, are actually a type of wasp. Considered a social type of wasp, yellow jackets can become very aggressive when defending their nests against perceived predators and threats. Also known sometimes as meat wasps, mixtures that contain meat and sugars typically attract yellow jackets. Build an easy trap for yellow jacket wasps by combining these ingredients with a pesticide effective at killing yellow jackets.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 2-liter bottle
• Knife or scissors
• Fruit juice
• Sugar
• Cat food or raw meat
• Wasp killer pesticide (optional)
• Bowl
• String

1. Combine 2 cups of fruit juice with 1 tbsp. of sugar and several pieces of wet, canned cat food in a large bowl. Stir mixture thoroughly until it is well blended. Add in an insecticide if desired. Do not use poison products if there is a chance that other animals or people may consume the mixture.

2. Pour the mixture into a 2-liter bottle and seal the bottle using its lid.

3. Cut three or four small holes near the top of your 2-liter bottle. Holes should be large enough that a wasp can go through them, but not large enough to make it easy for the wasp to leave the trap if it attempts to.

4. Set the wasp trap in the area where you believe wasps nest. Use string to tie the trap onto a tree limb or post, if the wasp nest is well above the ground. In order to hang the trap, punch an additional hole in the neck of the bottle to run the string through. Empty the trap when you think the trap is sufficiently full of dead wasps.

Tips & Warnings

• Dead wasps can still sting. Use caution when trapping wasps, as stings can be painful and may cause dangerous allergic reactions in some people.

References

• University of California: Pests of Homes, Structures, People, and Pets
• TipNut: Get Rid Of Wasps: Traps & Tips
• Bees-on-the-Net: Homemade Wasp Trap