We’re all looking forward to warmer weather this summer, but we’re not looking forward to uninvited guests—namely pesky hornets and wasps.
Luckily, you can buy products to keep these pests from infesting the areas in and around your home. The most common types of traps for flying pests with stingers (wasps, hornets, bees, yellow jackets, etc.) are split into two types:
- Containers with entry holes
- Adhesive-style paper or block
We will review different types of both of these kinds of traps, as they each have their merits. Then, we’ll dive into our top recommendations for wasp and hornet traps.
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The video below shows a live example of how flying insect traps work:
What Should You Use as Bait in a Wasp Trap?
Every trap that uses a barrel or a receptacle to catch the wasps or hornets will also use a lure or attractant.
This is typically a sweet-smelling liquid that will appeal to the pest’s senses from afar and drive them toward the trap, bringing them inside. Though commonly referred to as just “attractant,” this liquid can sometimes be called “bait” as well.
Because wasps drink nectar in the wild, they’re attracted to sweets whenever and wherever they can find them. This means that your kids’ fruit punch, your sodas, and the fresh fruit you enjoy on the patio this summer could drive the wasps and hornet straight to your backyard get-together.
Keep this bit of information in mind when you’re formulating your own wasp attractant!
If you’re cooking up a recipe to bring the hornets and wasps directly to a trap you’re setting out, be sure to blend a mixture of water with ample sugars that the pests can smell a mile away. This will mimic the nectar they crave naturally.
Does Vinegar Work as Wasp Bait?
Vinegar is actually a prime bait for German yellow jackets, according to findings from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The report confirmed that vinegar, in combination with a fermented form of molasses, is one of the strongest known attractants for this type of yellow jackets (a cousin of wasps and hornets).
So, if you’re wondering whether vinegar will repel or attract these pests, wonder no more.
Read Also: What’s the best spray for wasps and hornets?
Where Should You Hang Wasp Traps?
If you’re looking out across your yard, you may be asking yourself where the best place is to hang the traps to catch the most wasps or hornets.
First things first: go where there’s food.
If you have outdoor trash bins that only get collected once a week, invest in some traps to hang next to the garbage area. Wasps and hornets will swarm around the garbage cans for food (especially once the temperatures rise in the summer months), so this is a great spot to take out a large number of pests.
Also, make sure to target areas with standing water. If you have a pond or a pool, hang a few traps around the perimeter of the water. These insects are drawn to water, so you want to draw them to the trap instead of your water source.
Lastly, make sure that you place the trap 20 to 30 feet away from where you and your family members normally spend time. This will draw the pests away from the area of activity and keep a pest-free zone while trapping the wasps and hornets simultaneously.
Do Indoor Wasp Traps Exist?
Typically, wasp traps are marketed and sold for outdoor use only, but you can make a trap yourself with a few supplies.
Here’s how to make a wasp trap from a jar to be used indoors:
- grab a glass jar (something like a Weck jar or a Mason jar will work just fine) and remove the lid
- mix honey with vinegar and place the attractant in the jar
- take a sheet of wax paper and make a funnel with the small end pointing inside the jar
Place these traps around your home and empty them frequently.
How Should Reusable Traps Be Cleaned?
This brings us to the next topic…how should you empty out a reusable trap?
We’ve included a few types of traps that can be used several times over, which is awesome from a sustainability standpoint. But how does one go about emptying and cleaning these traps (especially with dangerous stinging pests involved)??
The process is actually really straightforward: the lid simply screws off, the trap comes apart, and you can clean it out without a problem. Just as easily as you put in the attractant liquid, you can hose the trap out with some detergent and water, and it will be as good as new.
Be sure to place your clean traps outside in the early months of spring, as this is when the queens wake up from hibernation and find a suitable place to build a nest. Even if you think it’s too early to hang your traps, it can’t hurt to be prepared!
Our Review of the 5 Best Wasp and Hornet Traps
Take a look at our picks for the best wasp and hornet traps of 2023. Then, continue reading for a breakdown of each product recommendation in a little more detail.
- Aspectek Trap For Stinging Insects
- Rescue! Traps For Wasps
- Outdoor Hanging Wasp Nest Decoys
- Young Motto Hanging Wasp Trap
- RESCUE! Wasp TrapStik
Aspectek Trap For Stinging Insects
Aspectek has designed a simple, seamless trap for everyday use and upkeep in a yard or garden, and we’ve set it as our top contender for its simplicity.
This trap combines functionality with utility, luring the hornets and wasps to the sweet smell of the sugar attractant inside the trap, while the pear-wall design creates a barrier that confuses the insect, making it impossible to fly out.
Once a wasp or hornet flies into the entryway chamber, it’s unlikely that the pest will ever make its way out.
We recommend this product because it’s inexpensive, it’s effective, it’s reusable, and it delivers on its promise to trap wasps and hornets.
Rescue! Traps For Wasps
Forget about having to identify which type of stinging insects you have. Now you don’t have to with the Rescue Wasp Trap. It attracts over 19 species of flying pests.
The Rescue Wasp Trap has a dual-chamber design that uses three different attractants. Wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets climb in through either the top or bottom chamber. Once inside, they can’t escape, and they die.
Disposal of dead insects is easy and the attractants are refillable.
Outdoor Hanging Wasp Nest Decoys
You no longer have to rely on toxic spray applications or messy traps to eliminate wasps around your home. Just install a few of these hanging wasp decoys, and you’re done. They do the heavy lifting for you by chasing flying, stinging pests away for good.
They work by sending a message to wasps that your territory is already taken. They won’t build a new nest around an established one. So, they find another area to invade.
These paper hives are realistic. But they won’t get damaged as easily as the real ones. So, when hung in 12-foot intervals, they’ll keep chasing wasps away for several seasons.
Young Motto Hanging Wasp Trap
These wasp traps from Young Motto feature ultraviolet light to attract several species of wasps, including yellowjackets and hornets. Also, they are environmentally safe and easy to use.
The design is simple but effective. Once the wasp enters the trap, it cannot get out, and it eventually drowns in the sugar water.
The Young Motto Hanging Wasp Traps are simple to install over porches and patios. They’re made from a quality, durable material, and they contain no pesticides, toxins, or chemicals.
RESCUE! Wasp TrapStik
The RESCUE! Wasp TrapStik captures wasps and hornets using a strong attractant lure. The unique design prevents animals from being harmed, and it uses no insecticides or harmful spray chemicals.
The secret is in its appealing color. It also uses a scented lure that stinging insects can’t resist. In addition, the woven mesh around the trap prevents non-target animals from being harmed.
The RESCUE! Wasp TrapStik is ideal for catching wasps, mud daubers, and carpenter bees around your home, and each trap is made in the USA.
Now that you know the best wasp and hornet traps, you’re ready to rid your home of pests. Think you’ll need some help with your wasp problem? Use the form below to get pest control quotes from experts in your area:
