Make it: Yellowjacket Trap

The yellowjackets are starting to get pesky right around our house, so I'm trying out this home-made trap. The lure is supposed to attract them, but it's not sweet enough to attract pollinators like honeybees.

Here's the stuff you need:
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Cut the top off the 2 liter bottle. Add 2T. cider vinegar, 2T. sugar, 1/4 to 1/3 c. water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Then put in some banana peel.
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Invert the top of the bottle (take off the lid) and staple it into place. Mine had some small gaps at the top edge, so I sealed those with some scotch tape.
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Punch holes in the sides and thread with some twine for hanging.
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It's recommended that you hang the trap away from where people congretate, or else you'll just be attracting yellowjackets to that area. I tried that - I put it in a tree that was away from our house, but all I got were moths, flies and ants. So, mine is on the back deck now. If I get some yellowjackets today, I'm going to make more of them. If not, I'm going to switch the 'bait'. Yellowjackets like sweet things part of the year, and protein items part of the year. If ours are wanting protein, a bit of chicken or tuna or something should do the trick. I'll let you know!

Comments

Anonymous said…
That's pretty cool. Did you know that you could also use the same exact thing to catch minnows? Without the handle, of course. You just cut up and invert the bottle like you showed, put a small piece of bait inside, and place the bottle near the river bank. Minnows swim in after the bait, but they can't swim out. Funny, huh?
texasmcvays said…
I am going to try this we live out in the country too and we have yellow jackets by our above ground pool. This is Texas they cannot have the pool!

I was scrolling your blog and noticed your cutie looks like my three bitties.

Have a great day!
K

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