Homemade Hornet & Yellow Jacket Traps

Yellow jackets and hornets can be dangerous around the home.

While social wasps can be beneficial in the garden, hornets and yellow jackets are another story. You can get rid of hornets and yellow jackets by setting a protein bait trap to lure the insects in. Without spending any extra money you can make homemade hornet and yellow jacket traps using basic household goods you already have around. After you have trapped your problem insects you can discard their dead bodies outside or into the trash.

Things You'll Need

• String or wire, two feet long
• Two to three slices of lunch meat or a piece of fish
• Bucket with handle
• Water
• Dish liquid
• Mesh strainer

Instructions

1. Spread out your string or wire and place a piece of lunch meat or fish onto the center of the string or wire. Tie the string or twist the wire around the piece of meat.

2. Attach one end of your string or wire to the bucket handle where it connects with the bucket on one side. Suspend the meat so it hangs down inside the bucket and tie or loop your string or wire to the other side of the bucket where the handle attaches.

3. Fill the bucket with water up to an inch or two from the meat. Depending on the size of your bucket you may need a lot or a little water. Add approximately a tablespoon of dish liquid for each gallon of water you used.

4. Set the bucket out in a shady location where your hornets and yellow jackets are known to be and leave it for two to three days.

5. Replace the meat as often as needed when it has gone bad or is gone, and scoop out the dead hornets and yellow jackets from the water with a strainer.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a large mesh screen over the top of the bucket and set a rock on it if you think pets or other wildlife might try to get to the protein bait.

References

• "Vegetable Gardening: Your Ultimate Guide"; Robert J. Dolezal; 2000
• University of California: Yellow Jackets and Other Social Wasps