I think it's probably a good bait and switch if you have bee hives, but I read that traps don't reduce the wasp population, as the queen can birth an almost inexhaustible supply. If you really want to reduce wasp population, you need to kill the queens.
This time of year, they are not laying more eggs and are focused on developing larvae and will be capping them for the pupae stage. Trapping foraging wasps does impact the ability of the nest to protect and rear brood successfully, they need defenders and foragers more now than ever. If you also watch my 117 wasps in 30 minutes, you'll see how quickly wasps can be caught. A medium sized yellow jacket nest/colony, has 100-200 residents. They actually become vulnerable to wasp attacks themselves. For example, Bald-Faced Hornets (which are actually wasps) will come across a poorly defended yellow jacket or paper wasp nest and completely clean it out in less than an hour. Using traps or collection tools such as bugzooka will reduce the guard and provisions, resulting in fewer numbers in spring. My goal is not to wipe them out completely, but simply to reduce their numbers so the bees have less to contend with.
Remember to add just a drop or two of dish soap into the liquid so that it breaks the surface tension! I saw a wasp fall into the liquid at one point and still fly out of it unscathed. Wouldn't happen with some soap in there!
Somebody laid an egg while watching your video! 😉 Absolutely amazing footage. So crystal clear. You could teach entire biology classes with just your skilled videos. 👍
Around here (I'm in Alberta) we try to keep traps ready and baited all summer but especially in spring and fall. Spring to catch overwintering queens as they emerge from hibernation and start to forage to build their new nests. Fall to catch the multiple new queens which emerge from each nest to mate and then overwinter in the leaf litter, etc.
If you can access where the wasps are entering their nest, sprinkle ant powder near the entrance. They will track it into the nest which will eventually kill the queen
@@darrenpatrick2609 Better yet. Mix that powder into the sugar water. Take multiple nest out including next years queens. Boric acid or a little Borax will do it.
Exactly! Feeding them to go back to nest is ridiculous. It borax in that sugar water and wipe out the nest. What good is a trap that they fly in and out of? Put soap in liquid . This guy is a dufus.
Fred, I have used these Rescue brand traps for years and they work well till the bait packets wear out after two weeks or so. I've put chunks of bacon or hamberger in the cup and they collect almost all the hornets in the neighborhood. I like the big one shown here, but as with all things that seem to work well, they probably are expensive to purchase. Yeah, Amazon probably has them at a reasonable price. I'd prefer to make my own for free out of 2 liter soda bottles, some glue and pop rivets. I have a plan, but don't have the bottles as we don't drink large amount of pop. I can pick up several at the recycle station in my area. I would use apple juice with a bit of dish soap and hang a chunk of bacon down in the center from the cap. My gig is to make stuff useful out of junk people typically throw away. The thing to remember, in this day and age, with landfills bulging full, is there is no such thing as "AWAY" any longer. My time is free as is my efforts at making stuff. Here's one for you: I made an oxalic acid vaporizer out of cast iron pipe fittings and a length of brass tubing I had in my junk drawer in my shop. A pipe cap filled with OA powder is heated with a propane torch for about 2 or 3 minutes till the powder is sublimated inside the hive. No way do I need to expend hundreds of bucks on a battery powered unit when my cheap torch fired job does the same thing and for around 8 or 10 dollars at a hardware store. Of course, I've had these parts for several years, before I decided to get back into messing with bees and Varroa mites. I took the apparatus to a bee club meeting recently. The guy that was the experienced beekeeper was a bit doubtful as to whether it would work as well his several hundred dollar contraption. I told him I already tried it to see how long it would take it vaporize a dose of OA. He said he'd like me to show him a video. Man, some people!! Why can't they just trust a person who has entered geezerhood like myself. And knows a thing or two. Cheers, Fred. Bob
I also don't have the soda bottles around, haven't had a soda pop for many many years. I also don't use single serving water bottles. I'm with you on adding to the landfill. There are some living "reactors" in the works for breaking down plastics, but there are concerns about those organisms getting "out" and feeding on things we don't want eaten. Imagine if plastic could appear "rusted" the way carbon steel does. Thanks for stopping by. All the best!
@@FrederickDunn Here's another fault I have with those Rescue brand hornet traps-- unless you get them out of the sunlight when not in use, the plastic hanger breaks down, cracks around the slits near the top and leaves a hole where the hornets can get out. I have at least half a dozen that have duct tape across the top in little pieces. I also have one trap where the screw on yellow entrance base is missing. I will cut a 3 3/8 (3.375") hole in the top of a cardboard box and place this trap onto the hole. Let the box and a strip of bacon be the entrance base as your tip suggested. At end of hornet season, get these traps put away till next season. Best wishes, Fred
I'm always amazed in your videos how you do what you can to protect your honeybees, but also marvels at their natural predators - wasps and the mice videos are incredible. Also, these yellow jackets sure can suck some sugar water pretty fast!
Thank you for making this video! As far as attracting yellow jackets, I have found that apple cider and apple juice work most effectively (with local, homemade apple cider being most effective due to the high concentration of organic sugars). But, I also insert chopped red apples and smoked turkey lunch meat with the apple cider or apple juice, allowing the meat to remain above the liquid as the apples float on the surface of the liquid. I also use the Rescue Why Trap. The trap you use works well for what you are doing. But, the Rescue Why trap does not swing as often in the wind when hanging due to its slimmer and taller stature. This taller stature allows a greater volume of liquid inside the trap, increasing both the weight of the trap (making it more difficult for the trap to swing) and the amount of time it takes for the greater volume of liquid to evaporate. And also . . . larger, European hornets can enter the trap. With the Rescue Why Trap, there are two segments divided into top and bottom-(1) [the top] for liquid bait, solid bait, or both and (2) [the bottom] for solid bait (i.e. apples, bacon, lunch meat, etc.) exclusively. I love this video. Your idea of leaving a portion of liquid outside of the trap to attract more wasps is brilliant. I will be applying this to my hornet and wasp trapping.
Have you ever used wet cat food? I hear this works great! Also have you every tried the tray of water with soap laying a board on it with the bait 1:51 upside down?
Shawn Woods, the true Trap-Master has done that! It's a matter of how active you want to be with your trapping and if you want to take it in every night so animals don't come after it.
2 minutes in and I was thinking "Yeah wouldn't it be better if a few wasps are able to report back and bring the whole colony?" And obviously the trap can't do that or it wouldn't be very good but the few drops of sugar water on the outside is really smart
There are yellow jackets swarming my whole house and workshop and I am very allergic. I put out several traps, using meat, apple juice and sugar water, but they are not working. Even near the one near I've located, only the trap only attracted two victims in several days. I desperately need advice. I'm afraid even to step out onto my porch.
I many buy a few of these traps. If I do I will use a clear two part epoxy to seal the seal before I ever use it. Maybe I will also use a one inch wide fiber cloth to make the joint stronger? Thank you for this! I am having a lot of Yellowjackets around my home this year. Last year we has two nests right near the front door. Now it seems I have a copperhead problem as well!
Wow, they are ornery little farts. I had a yellow jacket zero in on me when I was about 30 feet away from her. She made a bee line (lol) for my forehead. Hurt for 2 days. ...loved the chickens!
wow, I'm sorry you had that experience. when I was making this video, they landed on my arm, my hand and hovered around me without incident. They truly are remarkable and yes, can sting for no apparent reason. AND, it's not a compliment, when a honey bee stings, she dies... when a wasp stings, they live on to sting again and again... (';')
Fred, we have nest in the eves, under the porch, along the fence line etc. They are constantly attacking my two hives located on a suburban lot only .2 ac in size. I have watch them reach in the entrance and pull out bees and fly off with them. I have closed down the entrance but there is only so much I can do. I watched your video a few hours after you posted and sent off to purchase the trap. I had been using the chemical ones and had Ok success. Put the new ones up this morning and already caught over 30 wasps. Thanks for the videos, like many others I learn something new each time I view one.
I've started using a trap I saw from the barnyard bees channel. Just took a cheap tote from the store, cut a hole big enough to fit a 2L bottle top into it but kept it small enough so that it was a tight fit, and then duct taped around the seal just to ensure it remains tight and no wasp can get back out once they've fallen in. The bottom of the tote is filled with sugar water about 2-3 inches high, and I'll put a couple pieces of chicken breast or bacon inside of it and then place these totes at key areas around the house in direct sun-light to really get that fermenting process going, and get them smelling ripe. Within a few days, the entire bottom of the tote is jam packed with dead wasps and it's just a matter of dumping it, and replacing the contents to put it back out for round 2. I usually only do this starting at the beginning of august, when the yellow jackets really start to become a nuisance around my house. Usually by mid October, the temps have come down to the point where wasp activity starts slowing down to an acceptable level again. I live in upstate New York so it gets cold relatively quick up here.
That's great, there are lots of interesting and inexpensive DIY systems.. so glad that is working for you. Thanks for sharing, I'm sure others will find your post helpful!
Should any homeowner use a trap like this? I don't currently see a nest in my backyard but am wondering if I should put a trap up for prevention purposes? Would that attract more wasps to my yard and cause them to build a nest there?
When choosing a type of meat is it best to use bacon in particular or does pieces of pork or ham work as well and also does the meat have to be cooked?
Hello Mr Dunn, first of all we LOVE your videos!!! We are new bee keepers and relish all of the wisdom you have to share. Our hive has been a delight to have and we love our little bee's.... and then, terror struck. Wasps attacked out hive and decimated the population while we were away. Now, We have been battling wasps and our hive is now down to a few hundred bee's. :'( I literally checked the hive minutes ago..We have narrowed down the entry to ONE little hole. For a while we thought the queen was dead, but today I found her. (maybe still hope?). But...The wasps are occasionally entering or attacking the honey bees on the landing board.. We are going to try your apple-juice/bacon medley, with the sprinkled sugar water... but in proximity to the hive, where do you place the trap?
I'm sorry that happened to your honey bee hive! I would suggest pacing the hornet/wasp trap downwind of your apiary. Next week I will be posting the lure results from two other manufacturers to see which attracts more wasps. Wasps will choose honey over bacon and apple juice any day, so we just hope to catch those wasps that aren't already depending on the bee hives. I hope it works for you and sounds like you did the right thing with your hive entry. Wishing you all the best!
Thank you, this is NOT my hives day... I'm pretty sure that I caught my hive being robbed from another colony. At first I thought that the colony was just particularly busy... but then I noticed that honeybees were attacking other honeybees. I'm pretty sure its a robbing situation. I think that perhaps with just one hit, my hive would survive... but with a wasp invasion and then a robbing honey-bee attack, back to back ... they probably are not going to make it. I tried smoking them to disperse the fighting... and I kinda worked.. We shall see... I'm sure an already weak colony is an easy target for robbing...
Another bait idea I tried, is find the crappiest, highest in sugar, HFCS syrup for pancakes. This stuff added in with juice and sugar has been attracting them far greater than anything else so far.
I tried that in the past and they didn't go for it much, but maybe I need to do some re-testing. Was there a favorite brand? And was there butter flavor added? Thanks for the information.
This syrup brand is Shur Fine, and it is butter flavored. This is the first time I’ve ever tried placing traps for these varmints so I’m still learning as I go. I bought the trap you recommended here and tried the 2-liter soda bottle cut-in-half idea too. Both traps do work but the yellow jackets aren’t flying in in droves like I was hoping. More like one here and there. It could be early enough in the season still that they have natural food sources still. Actually where I did see them really swarming while out walking yesterday was around some Golden Rod flowers, so that’s an idea too. I have tried the bacon, root beer, apple juice, pineapple juice, beer, and another video suggested wet cat food as a protein source. Nothing has attracted them like I see in the videos, but again, it may be too early in the season still. Any thoughts? Thanks!
@@andykalnins9846 where I live, the competition increases dramatically as the natural nectar sources begin to fade out. That's also when bee robbing intensifies and the wasps become somewhat desperate. For me, October is the month of maximum trap activity. During a strong natural nectar flow, traps perform as you've described with a few foragers finding their way in. As with many hungry animals, they will basically go after anything at that time if it has a high sugar content. I keep the honey bees out now by adding yeast. thanks for providing additional information!
Ah, so it is as late as October when they become desperate. I live about a half hour NW of Chicago so October makes sense. The festivities are not far off then. Thanks very much for that info, it didn’t seem possible that there just weren’t any around. This story should bring a smile to your face, a friend of my mom “had” an in-ground wasp nest, and it was destroyed by a skunk and all the wasps devoured. Another interesting channel on RUclips is Hornet King which is a guy who removes and relocates nests for a living. In one video he shows a skunk, and in another segment, an opossum tearing apart nests. Up to that point I did not know those buggers had a natural predator. I take back anything bad I ever said about skunks and opossums. Cheers!
Update: apple juice is already working on gnats in the house. Straight apple juice with about 3 drops of Dawn dish liquid mixed in. Cat food in the paste form is already calling in the wasps as of April 4th 2023.
Thanks Fredrick, I clicked on 'Show More' under your words and the link came up. Thanks for your quick response. We must be in the right time zone at present. Have a good day.
hello Frederick thank you so much for your advice. I made the reduced entrance and fitted it this evening as I had my suit on to inspect the 6 frames I bought Friday evening Because there seemed to be a lot of activity within two days. I saw many bees return with pollen and some not. This evenings inspection revealed the bees have only started to work on one of the new frames in this 10 frame Langstroth hive. I could see the queen which has a small white dot on it!. All the six frames feel quite heavy. Is there a particular order the 4 new waxed sheeted new frames should be placed? I was told inspect after a week but because there has been a lot of activity I though it better to carefully inspect. The 6 frames from the beekeeper have been worked on since Friday but the new frames have been hardly worked on although there were a few bees on those unworked frames. I put a 4 ltr bottle with cider sugar water and a few drops of 'fairy' and two tblspoons cider vinegar as you suggested. The only thing I've always done is to cut a oval hole in the top side of the bottle so little rain get's in.
Hello, I realize that this video is not recent, I am wondering where these traps should be placed in proximity to my hives. I am dealing with hornets. I don't want them being lured near the hive. Thanks in advance, I have found your videos very helpful
I'm glad you noticed the squabble between the wasps and I should have explained that. When I allowed the sugar water to dwindle, making the resource more scarce, they started biting each other on the feed and defending the resource, like lions at a watering hole. Then when I put several drops on the board, they stopped fighting. I may re-shoot some of that with macro slow motion just for fun.
In the video there are 4 kinds of wasps. At 4.29 a wasp has an intense black striped back, at 8.48 the wasp has triangles on its back and at 9.41 the black on the back is shaped like a crown. (both visible at 8.08 together).Are these three different hives or the same hive from the same queen? Or even three different breeds of wasps. Also some are larger then others. Oh, and at 7.52 the wasp in the front has almost no black.
Great videography!! I like their little "tail wagging" and the other down on the farm sound effects. I watched this video with a pair of stereo headphones on, and hearing the wasps flying around my head in surround sound was a little disturbing. Fine work!
To some degree, they can pollinate, but they don't gather pollen intentionally as they feed protein to their brood exclusively. Therefore they hunt bees among other animal protein sources. This is local trapping, we definitely want them out in the environment and wouldn't want Vespids eliminated.
Are wasps and bees attracted to the same ratios with sugar water? Or another way of saying this, is can you adjust the sugar water ratios differently to only get wasps, or only get bees but not both? Thanks. Very cool idea.
That's a great question Noah, bees and wasps will go for all levels of sweetener including solids. You can make a mix that repels the bees, but not the wasps as wasps have a wider acceptance range than bees.
Thanks for this awesome video, Frederick! I went ahead and purchased the trap since it seems more appropriate and well designed than my soda bottle trick haha! I do have a question though, should we add a drop of apple cider vinegar to the apple juice so it doesn't attract bees and how far should you set the trap from the hive, and in which direction. Thank you again. Happy Fall!
I am curious why the wasps haven't figured out that they can climb out of the trap in the same tunnel that they came in. Maybe, the smell of the food is so enticing that they are unable to go in the direction away from the smell?
have you tried Pepsi, you don't need the meat factor which reduces any bad odour and the bees don't care for it. It also is loved by those bald faced hornets. That is what I use in my apiary and I am quite impressed with the results. It is also less expensive and does not need to be changed unless you caught so many the bottle is full. Tried coke but not as effective , in this challenge Pepsi wins. (never drink the stuff myself though). You have great informative and well photographic vids, thanks for making them.
I'm sorry not to have noticed your comment sooner! I will definitely get some Pepsi from someone who drinks that stuff and give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion!
you need to put a drop of dish soap in the sugar water so that the surface tension of the water is broken so that the wasps drop below the surface of the water and drown thereby not escape back out of the holes.
Wasps overall are extremely beneficial. Yellow Jackets specifically give my bees a hard time, so I practice local control only. Wasps control a broad spectrum of insect pests, including bag-worms. I culture and keep the paper wasps around just for that purpose :)
Yes, to some degree so we don't want to eliminate them, they are valuable for pest control more so. BUT, when they set up camp near an apiary, those need some thinning out.
very interesting..because there were so much food available, natural enemies did not fight. we as humans could learn alot from this LOL...abundance of resources for everyone will bring peace to the world!
Are you sure that leaving sugar water outside the trap helps at all? As far as I know the only wasp that's capable of marking a food source with pheromones is the Asian giant hornet. (But I got this information from Wikipedia or a TV documentary or the internet so it may well be inaccurate.)
HI Gled, I didn't realize I said they use pheromones to mark the food resource. I intended to suggest that they fly to the nest and share the sample, then return in groups, not pheromone-based. Apologies for giving that impression.
Wasps are pollinators, and some of us understand that pollinators are necessary for the survival of the human race. However, that doesn't mean we want them flying around where we are, and stinging us. So a trap and release would seem to be a good alternative. As I have been stung 3 times in the last week, after I destroyed some nests that were built inside the doorframe on a car that had not been drive in a while. I had never been bothered by the wasps prior to that point. Now they swarm me every time I step outside, soI plan to destroy the rest of the nests, and kill the remaining wasps. And hang fake hornet's nests to discourage wasps from hanging around and building new nests. And this method will also reduce the risks of killing any bees.
I just bought four of these traps and put apple juice in them and I am watching them go in but they are crawling back out! Have you had this happen or possibly the trap holes were made too big? Let me know - thank you!
@@FrederickDunn I did notice someone else had suggested that as well so I have added some dish soap. They aren't crawling out the bottom holes however they are crawling out the top ones. The level of apple juice is below the bottom holes so I am not sure why but I watch them fly up to the trap, crawl in the hole and then crawl and fly right out!
🛫📖🛬 Thanks Mr.Dunn, As per your reply yesterday (7/17/22): This trap should catch all of the yellow jackets that trouble my apiary area. Seems logical enough and brilliant idea you had to feed them sugar syrup so they could go back and give the GPS coordinates and invite their family to their own funeral. "AWW!!! Fresh bacon fellas" (Alas,a meal to die for!) BTW: Is "Grubbly" a good brand of chicken feed and are they priced Right. ie:60lb bag/$89. GOD bless 📖🛐✈️🐆
@@FrederickDunn 🛫📖🛬 It's (G)rubbly, a brand that is advertised on the internet when I inquired about buying some chickens. Watching your videos made me aware that there are some awfully pretty show chickens. Always wanted to get involved but didn't have the time, But now things are different and would be a good time to try something new. (As if bees are not enough!?, Lol) Your videos are more impactful than you think. I've been binge watching your videos and some more than once or twice and you never fail to enlighten and stimulate our thoughts. 📖🛐✈️🐆
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
I think it's probably a good bait and switch if you have bee hives, but I read that traps don't reduce the wasp population, as the queen can birth an almost inexhaustible supply. If you really want to reduce wasp population, you need to kill the queens.
This time of year, they are not laying more eggs and are focused on developing larvae and will be capping them for the pupae stage. Trapping foraging wasps does impact the ability of the nest to protect and rear brood successfully, they need defenders and foragers more now than ever. If you also watch my 117 wasps in 30 minutes, you'll see how quickly wasps can be caught. A medium sized yellow jacket nest/colony, has 100-200 residents. They actually become vulnerable to wasp attacks themselves. For example, Bald-Faced Hornets (which are actually wasps) will come across a poorly defended yellow jacket or paper wasp nest and completely clean it out in less than an hour. Using traps or collection tools such as bugzooka will reduce the guard and provisions, resulting in fewer numbers in spring. My goal is not to wipe them out completely, but simply to reduce their numbers so the bees have less to contend with.
No - we control Hornets & Yellow Jackets by trapping controls each "nest" has only a few hundred not the thousands that Honey bees have.
Fire to nest
The problem is finding where the nest is especially when I’m camping. These little buggers can absolutely ruin an otherwise glorious camping vacation.
I just follow one to the nest and smoke it out for a few hours
You have such a calming voice, i feel as if anyone with a phobia of wasps will always feel calm watching your videos.
Remember to add just a drop or two of dish soap into the liquid so that it breaks the surface tension! I saw a wasp fall into the liquid at one point and still fly out of it unscathed. Wouldn't happen with some soap in there!
Mr. Dunn, why are your videography skills so advanced that you can even make yellow jackets look adorable? haha
Thanks Wendy! :)
Please excuse me for taking issue, Wendy, but...adorable?? (lol!)
@@user-md4di6yg2p :o)
Thanks so much. I bought a pair of these right after watching your video. Used pineapple juice and turkey bacon, and immediately saw results.
Thank you for letting me know! :)
I love these videos for the close up shots of these wasps
Somebody laid an egg while watching your video! 😉 Absolutely amazing footage. So crystal clear. You could teach entire biology classes with just your skilled videos. 👍
Ohh thank you...
I love yellow jackets👍 they stopped an agonizing back ache i had for weeks in under a minute 👍
Wow, what a great result :)
@@FrederickDunn thank you my friend it was amazing
As always. A pleasure watching your videos.
Thank you so much!
With the number of times I've been stung by wasps over the years, I must admit...I love watching wasps die! Thanks for the video!!!
I enjoyed that you used a trap you bought... I’m tired of making homemade ones g
Around here (I'm in Alberta) we try to keep traps ready and baited all summer but especially in spring and fall. Spring to catch overwintering queens as they emerge from hibernation and start to forage to build their new nests. Fall to catch the multiple new queens which emerge from each nest to mate and then overwinter in the leaf litter, etc.
If you can access where the wasps are entering their nest, sprinkle ant powder near the entrance. They will track it into the nest which will eventually kill the queen
@@darrenpatrick2609 Better yet. Mix that powder into the sugar water. Take multiple nest out including next years queens. Boric acid or a little Borax will do it.
Exactly! Feeding them to go back to nest is ridiculous. It borax in that sugar water and wipe out the nest. What good is a trap that they fly in and out of? Put soap in liquid . This guy is a dufus.
Soothing and fascinating explanation
This was so educational, thank you. I think I got how you placed the bacon inside ☺️☺️
Glad it was helpful!
Good thinking about feeding some hornets so they go back to the nest and provide location of trap.
I learn something Every time I watch your videos. The drops of sugar water is genius. Thanks again for an excellent video.
Always nice to see your comments Alan, thanks!
Fred, I have used these Rescue brand traps for years and they work well till the bait packets wear out after two weeks or so. I've put chunks of bacon or hamberger in the cup and they collect almost all the hornets in the neighborhood. I like the big one shown here, but as with all things that seem to work well, they probably are expensive to purchase. Yeah, Amazon probably has them at a reasonable price. I'd prefer to make my own for free out of 2 liter soda bottles, some glue and pop rivets. I have a plan, but don't have the bottles as we don't drink large amount of pop. I can pick up several at the recycle station in my area. I would use apple juice with a bit of dish soap and hang a chunk of bacon down in the center from the cap. My gig is to make stuff useful out of junk people typically throw away. The thing to remember, in this day and age, with landfills bulging full, is there is no such thing as "AWAY" any longer. My time is free as is my efforts at making stuff. Here's one for you: I made an oxalic acid vaporizer out of cast iron pipe fittings and a length of brass tubing I had in my junk drawer in my shop. A pipe cap filled with OA powder is heated with a propane torch for about 2 or 3 minutes till the powder is sublimated inside the hive. No way do I need to expend hundreds of bucks on a battery powered unit when my cheap torch fired job does the same thing and for around 8 or 10 dollars at a hardware store. Of course, I've had these parts for several years, before I decided to get back into messing with bees and Varroa mites. I took the apparatus to a bee club meeting recently. The guy that was the experienced beekeeper was a bit doubtful as to whether it would work as well his several hundred dollar contraption. I told him I already tried it to see how long it would take it vaporize a dose of OA. He said he'd like me to show him a video. Man, some people!! Why can't they just trust a person who has entered geezerhood like myself. And knows a thing or two. Cheers, Fred. Bob
I also don't have the soda bottles around, haven't had a soda pop for many many years. I also don't use single serving water bottles. I'm with you on adding to the landfill. There are some living "reactors" in the works for breaking down plastics, but there are concerns about those organisms getting "out" and feeding on things we don't want eaten. Imagine if plastic could appear "rusted" the way carbon steel does. Thanks for stopping by. All the best!
@@FrederickDunn Here's another fault I have with those Rescue brand hornet traps-- unless you get them out of the sunlight when not in use, the plastic hanger breaks down, cracks around the slits near the top and leaves a hole where the hornets can get out. I have at least half a dozen that have duct tape across the top in little pieces. I also have one trap where the screw on yellow entrance base is missing. I will cut a 3 3/8 (3.375") hole in the top of a cardboard box and place this trap onto the hole. Let the box and a strip of bacon be the entrance base as your tip suggested. At end of hornet season, get these traps put away till next season. Best wishes, Fred
What bait did you use for the home made trap?
Apple juice, table sugar, bacon strip, teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, dash of yeast.
I'm always amazed in your videos how you do what you can to protect your honeybees, but also marvels at their natural predators - wasps and the mice videos are incredible.
Also, these yellow jackets sure can suck some sugar water pretty fast!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate this comment.
Thank you for making this video!
As far as attracting yellow jackets, I have found that apple cider and apple juice work most effectively (with local, homemade apple cider being most effective due to the high concentration of organic sugars). But, I also insert chopped red apples and smoked turkey lunch meat with the apple cider or apple juice, allowing the meat to remain above the liquid as the apples float on the surface of the liquid.
I also use the Rescue Why Trap. The trap you use works well for what you are doing. But, the Rescue Why trap does not swing as often in the wind when hanging due to its slimmer and taller stature. This taller stature allows a greater volume of liquid inside the trap, increasing both the weight of the trap (making it more difficult for the trap to swing) and the amount of time it takes for the greater volume of liquid to evaporate. And also . . . larger, European hornets can enter the trap.
With the Rescue Why Trap, there are two segments divided into top and bottom-(1) [the top] for liquid bait, solid bait, or both and (2) [the bottom] for solid bait (i.e. apples, bacon, lunch meat, etc.) exclusively.
I love this video. Your idea of leaving a portion of liquid outside of the trap to attract more wasps is brilliant. I will be applying this to my hornet and wasp trapping.
Thanks for sharing your ideas and methods!
Very enjoyable video... what was that tussle at 5:04?
They love canned salmon, sardines, or a small fish.
Also, vinegar, or stale beer. A little vinegar in any juice, they love.
fun watching the wasp 'wagging' her tail :-)
You're like a one man National Geographic.
deviously smart way to let some wasps go back to their nest to bring others ;)
lose-to-win principle made practical
Thanks :)
Have you ever used wet cat food? I hear this works great! Also have you every tried the tray of water with soap laying a board on it with the bait 1:51 upside down?
Shawn Woods, the true Trap-Master has done that! It's a matter of how active you want to be with your trapping and if you want to take it in every night so animals don't come after it.
@@FrederickDunn as always-thank you. The yellow jackets are so bad I can’t do an inspection.
I'm thinking of buying a few traps of that design.
2 minutes in and I was thinking "Yeah wouldn't it be better if a few wasps are able to report back and bring the whole colony?"
And obviously the trap can't do that or it wouldn't be very good but the few drops of sugar water on the outside is really smart
There are yellow jackets swarming my whole house and workshop and I am very allergic. I put out several traps, using meat, apple juice and sugar water, but they are not working. Even near the one near I've located, only the trap only attracted two victims in several days. I desperately need advice. I'm afraid even to step out onto my porch.
You can reach out to your local dept of agriculture extension office. They can give guidance about local species.
@@FrederickDunn thank you
Love it, the Bob Ross of bad bee control!
your one smart guy
I many buy a few of these traps. If I do I will use a clear two part epoxy to seal the seal before I ever use it. Maybe I will also use a one inch wide fiber cloth to make the joint stronger?
Thank you for this! I am having a lot of Yellowjackets around my home this year. Last year we has two nests right near the front door. Now it seems I have a copperhead problem as well!
Do these traps have a wide enough opening for european hornets?
Yes.
Do you know if you use fish/kelp fertilizer if it will attract yellow jackets or not? Thank you.
they are fond of fish scents, so it's highly possible.
Wow, they are ornery little farts. I had a yellow jacket zero in on me when I was about 30 feet away from her. She made a bee line (lol) for my forehead. Hurt for 2 days. ...loved the chickens!
wow, I'm sorry you had that experience. when I was making this video, they landed on my arm, my hand and hovered around me without incident. They truly are remarkable and yes, can sting for no apparent reason. AND, it's not a compliment, when a honey bee stings, she dies... when a wasp stings, they live on to sting again and again... (';')
Can this be use without the trap to attract wasp to vegetables to get them to attack pest
They will hunt pests just fine without the syrup.
@@FrederickDunn i want them to build nest in my area
Those water droplets were so satisfying to look at in slow motion
Very very interesting great post
How often do you replace the bacon strip ?
every three days when I also empty the trap
Got it, thx!! You're a smart fella 👏
Brilliant. Thank you very much for the video.
You are welcome!
Fred, we have nest in the eves, under the porch, along the fence line etc. They are constantly attacking my two hives located on a suburban lot only .2 ac in size. I have watch them reach in the entrance and pull out bees and fly off with them. I have closed down the entrance but there is only so much I can do. I watched your video a few hours after you posted and sent off to purchase the trap. I had been using the chemical ones and had Ok success. Put the new ones up this morning and already caught over 30 wasps. Thanks for the videos, like many others I learn something new each time I view one.
Hi Wayne, that's great news, I'm so glad to have been helpful to you and I hope your bees rebound well! Thank you for sharing your success.
How do u mean u strapped the trap down can u show pic I want to do it, I just bought 2
I've started using a trap I saw from the barnyard bees channel. Just took a cheap tote from the store, cut a hole big enough to fit a 2L bottle top into it but kept it small enough so that it was a tight fit, and then duct taped around the seal just to ensure it remains tight and no wasp can get back out once they've fallen in. The bottom of the tote is filled with sugar water about 2-3 inches high, and I'll put a couple pieces of chicken breast or bacon inside of it and then place these totes at key areas around the house in direct sun-light to really get that fermenting process going, and get them smelling ripe. Within a few days, the entire bottom of the tote is jam packed with dead wasps and it's just a matter of dumping it, and replacing the contents to put it back out for round 2. I usually only do this starting at the beginning of august, when the yellow jackets really start to become a nuisance around my house. Usually by mid October, the temps have come down to the point where wasp activity starts slowing down to an acceptable level again. I live in upstate New York so it gets cold relatively quick up here.
That's great, there are lots of interesting and inexpensive DIY systems.. so glad that is working for you. Thanks for sharing, I'm sure others will find your post helpful!
Thank you ))) Nice video
Do you cook the bacon or use raw bacon?
15 second microwave warmup puts more of the scent in the air, but they find it either way.
I have a big red wasp problem would this method work for them too?
it does indeed.
Thanks for the link, should arrive by Saturday.
Oh, thank you for using it, I think they give me 4% of a "qualifying" purchase. It's like donating to my channel :)
You are a sinister genius
That's what my Mom always said.... (';')... must be true...
Should any homeowner use a trap like this? I don't currently see a nest in my backyard but am wondering if I should put a trap up for prevention purposes? Would that attract more wasps to my yard and cause them to build a nest there?
If I didn't have bees, I don't think I'd bother.
Any recommendations for September. I have a pool and I feel like it’s partly the wasps...
Our most successful traps right now have grape jelly and apple juice in them - just a tad of apple cider vinegar to keep the honey bees out.
When choosing a type of meat is it best to use bacon in particular or does pieces of pork or ham work as well and also does the meat have to be cooked?
the meat doesn't have to be cooked, just find one that puts out lots of smell, cooked lasts a little longer. Some people claim hot dogs also work.
I'm viewing nature differently now, thanks for educating me.... Cathy wv
That's wonderful Cathy and you're welcome as always :)
Have you had any experience with the new version they replaced your link with?
The new version doesn't have a seem on the bottom, so it's actually better :)
can you use fully cooked bacon?
Yes, you sure can.
Hello Mr Dunn, first of all we LOVE your videos!!! We are new bee keepers and relish all of the wisdom you have to share. Our hive has been a delight to have and we love our little bee's.... and then, terror struck. Wasps attacked out hive and decimated the population while we were away. Now, We have been battling wasps and our hive is now down to a few hundred bee's. :'( I literally checked the hive minutes ago..We have narrowed down the entry to ONE little hole.
For a while we thought the queen was dead, but today I found her. (maybe still hope?). But...The wasps are occasionally entering or attacking the honey bees on the landing board.. We are going to try your apple-juice/bacon medley, with the sprinkled sugar water... but in proximity to the hive, where do you place the trap?
I'm sorry that happened to your honey bee hive! I would suggest pacing the hornet/wasp trap downwind of your apiary. Next week I will be posting the lure results from two other manufacturers to see which attracts more wasps. Wasps will choose honey over bacon and apple juice any day, so we just hope to catch those wasps that aren't already depending on the bee hives. I hope it works for you and sounds like you did the right thing with your hive entry. Wishing you all the best!
Thank you, this is NOT my hives day... I'm pretty sure that I caught my hive being robbed from another colony. At first I thought that the colony was just particularly busy... but then I noticed that honeybees were attacking other honeybees. I'm pretty sure its a robbing situation.
I think that perhaps with just one hit, my hive would survive... but with a wasp invasion and then a robbing honey-bee attack, back to back ... they probably are not going to make it. I tried smoking them to disperse the fighting... and I kinda worked.. We shall see... I'm sure an already weak colony is an easy target for robbing...
Generally this happens to colonies that are already not going very well. A sad truth.
Another bait idea I tried, is find the crappiest, highest in sugar, HFCS syrup for pancakes. This stuff added in with juice and sugar has been attracting them far greater than anything else so far.
I tried that in the past and they didn't go for it much, but maybe I need to do some re-testing. Was there a favorite brand? And was there butter flavor added? Thanks for the information.
This syrup brand is Shur Fine, and it is butter flavored. This is the first time I’ve ever tried placing traps for these varmints so I’m still learning as I go. I bought the trap you recommended here and tried the 2-liter soda bottle cut-in-half idea too. Both traps do work but the yellow jackets aren’t flying in in droves like I was hoping. More like one here and there. It could be early enough in the season still that they have natural food sources still. Actually where I did see them really swarming while out walking yesterday was around some Golden Rod flowers, so that’s an idea too. I have tried the bacon, root beer, apple juice, pineapple juice, beer, and another video suggested wet cat food as a protein source. Nothing has attracted them like I see in the videos, but again, it may be too early in the season still. Any thoughts? Thanks!
@@andykalnins9846 where I live, the competition increases dramatically as the natural nectar sources begin to fade out. That's also when bee robbing intensifies and the wasps become somewhat desperate. For me, October is the month of maximum trap activity. During a strong natural nectar flow, traps perform as you've described with a few foragers finding their way in. As with many hungry animals, they will basically go after anything at that time if it has a high sugar content. I keep the honey bees out now by adding yeast. thanks for providing additional information!
Ah, so it is as late as October when they become desperate. I live about a half hour NW of Chicago so October makes sense. The festivities are not far off then. Thanks very much for that info, it didn’t seem possible that there just weren’t any around. This story should bring a smile to your face, a friend of my mom “had” an in-ground wasp nest, and it was destroyed by a skunk and all the wasps devoured. Another interesting channel on RUclips is Hornet King which is a guy who removes and relocates nests for a living. In one video he shows a skunk, and in another segment, an opossum tearing apart nests. Up to that point I did not know those buggers had a natural predator. I take back anything bad I ever said about skunks and opossums. Cheers!
What about adding a bit of soap?
Use Dawn lemon scent, it's also an attractant in very small drips only.
Update: apple juice is already working on gnats in the house. Straight apple juice with about 3 drops of Dawn dish liquid mixed in. Cat food in the paste form is already calling in the wasps as of April 4th 2023.
Hi Fredrick, thank you for sharing your videos. I didn't see where I could purchase the traps, did I miss something?
Thank you Shirley
Hi Shirley, it's in the video description... please let me know if the link doesn't work. Thank you so much :)
Thanks Fredrick, I clicked on 'Show More' under your words and the link came up. Thanks for your quick response. We must be in the right time zone at present. Have a good day.
You are super welcome and I'm glad it worked! :) I just happened to be at my editing station for a quick response :)
hello Frederick thank you so much for your advice. I made the reduced entrance and fitted it this evening as I had my suit on to inspect the 6 frames I bought Friday evening Because there seemed to be a lot of activity within two days. I saw many bees return with pollen and some not. This evenings inspection revealed the bees have only started to work on one of the new frames in this 10 frame Langstroth hive. I could see the queen which has a small white dot on it!. All the six frames feel quite heavy. Is there a particular order the 4 new waxed sheeted new frames should be placed? I was told inspect after a week but because there has been a lot of activity I though it better to carefully inspect. The 6 frames from the beekeeper have been worked on since Friday but the new frames have been hardly worked on although there were a few bees on those unworked frames.
I put a 4 ltr bottle with cider sugar water and a few drops of 'fairy' and two tblspoons cider vinegar as you suggested. The only thing I've always done is to cut a oval hole in the top side of the bottle so little rain get's in.
thanks great video
Thanks Frances :)
Hello, I realize that this video is not recent, I am wondering where these traps should be placed in proximity to my hives. I am dealing with hornets. I don't want them being lured near the hive. Thanks in advance, I have found your videos very helpful
HI Erin, these traps are more than 150 feet from my apiary.
Neato! I'll have to get one of those contraptions. Were those wasps fighting?
I'm glad you noticed the squabble between the wasps and I should have explained that. When I allowed the sugar water to dwindle, making the resource more scarce, they started biting each other on the feed and defending the resource, like lions at a watering hole. Then when I put several drops on the board, they stopped fighting. I may re-shoot some of that with macro slow motion just for fun.
Frederick Dunn - That would be fun. I love macro.
Would microwaving the meat also deter flies from laying eggs in it?
Flies look for thicker resources than pieces of bacon :)
@@FrederickDunn That makes sense.
You make some really good videos BTW.
In the video there are 4 kinds of wasps. At 4.29 a wasp has an intense black striped back, at 8.48 the wasp has triangles on its back and at 9.41 the black on the back is shaped like a crown. (both visible at 8.08 together).Are these three different hives or the same hive from the same queen? Or even three different breeds of wasps. Also some are larger then others. Oh, and at 7.52 the wasp in the front has almost no black.
Time to think "zebras"
Great videography!! I like their little "tail wagging" and the other down on the farm sound effects. I watched this video with a pair of stereo headphones on, and hearing the wasps flying around my head in surround sound was a little disturbing. Fine work!
great info for fall an queen hornet not layin,,baldface hornets arent as bad as y-jackets,,THANX
Don't the also pollinate?
To some degree, they can pollinate, but they don't gather pollen intentionally as they feed protein to their brood exclusively. Therefore they hunt bees among other animal protein sources. This is local trapping, we definitely want them out in the environment and wouldn't want Vespids eliminated.
@@FrederickDunn thank you. That explains things
Did you put raw or cooked bacon in there? Thanks so much for the vid!!!
pre-cooked and then just warmed up
His WIFEY heated it up cause he didn't think it needed to be.
Good info
What to do with the trapped wasps ❓
I have 2 liters and 20oz bottles with the top 1/4 cut off and turned upside down hung around my house, filled with koolade and balogna. I catch a few.
Where can I buy a couple of these traps? Thanks.
Links should be in the video description :)
Are wasps and bees attracted to the same ratios with sugar water? Or another way of saying this, is can you adjust the sugar water ratios differently to only get wasps, or only get bees but not both?
Thanks.
Very cool idea.
That's a great question Noah, bees and wasps will go for all levels of sweetener including solids. You can make a mix that repels the bees, but not the wasps as wasps have a wider acceptance range than bees.
Wasps love raspberry jam, strawberry jam, and Orange Crush soda.
Thank you very much both of you for replies on this. And happy holidays!
Science!!!
Hi, looked hard for this trap , couldn’t find one!
amzn.to/3vZjWI9 I bought these this year. The original versions aren't in stock. I hope that helps.
Thanks for this awesome video, Frederick! I went ahead and purchased the trap since it seems more appropriate and well designed than my soda bottle trick haha! I do have a question though, should we add a drop of apple cider vinegar to the apple juice so it doesn't attract bees and how far should you set the trap from the hive, and in which direction. Thank you again. Happy Fall!
You can add a pinch of yeast instead of the apple cider vinegar, but both will work to deter honey bees.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you so much!!
I am curious why the wasps haven't figured out that they can climb out of the trap in the same tunnel that they came in. Maybe, the smell of the food is so enticing that they are unable to go in the direction away from the smell?
I will say that honey bees figure it out pretty fast.
Une guêpes en toutous pour dormir
Je n'ai aucune idée de ce que vous venez d'écrire ici.
have you tried Pepsi, you don't need the meat factor which reduces any bad odour and the bees don't care for it. It also is loved by those bald faced hornets. That is what I use in my apiary and I am quite impressed with the results. It is also less expensive and does not need to be changed unless you caught so many the bottle is full. Tried coke but not as effective , in this challenge Pepsi wins. (never drink the stuff myself though). You have great informative and well photographic vids, thanks for making them.
I'm sorry not to have noticed your comment sooner! I will definitely get some Pepsi from someone who drinks that stuff and give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion!
Pepsi contains a lot of citrus flavors which I'm sure helps. Coke has some too but also has vanilla and cinnamon which repel insects.
Listen to this through AirPods 😂
you need to put a drop of dish soap in the sugar water so that the surface tension of the water is broken so that the wasps drop below the surface of the water and drown thereby not escape back out of the holes.
I'm very curious, what are the purpose of wasps on earth?
They are scavers like vultures
They eat remains of insect and fruits
Wasps overall are extremely beneficial. Yellow Jackets specifically give my bees a hard time, so I practice local control only. Wasps control a broad spectrum of insect pests, including bag-worms. I culture and keep the paper wasps around just for that purpose :)
But arent wasps useful pollinators?
Yes, to some degree so we don't want to eliminate them, they are valuable for pest control more so. BUT, when they set up camp near an apiary, those need some thinning out.
very interesting..because there were so much food available, natural enemies did not fight. we as humans could learn alot from this LOL...abundance of resources for everyone will bring peace to the world!
Hi Jeryl, thank you so much! I appreciate that you took the time to watch and comment.
I’m not seeing the name of the trap…. could you please share it again? Thanks!
amzn.to/2JLPoCi
Nice traps, but currently unavailable at Amazon.
amzn.to/3uqPQen
can I use canned cat food instead of bacon
Some say that works!
Are you sure that leaving sugar water outside the trap helps at all?
As far as I know the only wasp that's capable of marking a food source with pheromones is the Asian giant hornet.
(But I got this information from Wikipedia or a TV documentary or the internet so it may well be inaccurate.)
HI Gled, I didn't realize I said they use pheromones to mark the food resource. I intended to suggest that they fly to the nest and share the sample, then return in groups, not pheromone-based. Apologies for giving that impression.
hope this can be used on Asian Giant Hornets, aka "Murder Hornets."
I looked at the link and it claims and trapping honey bees too. I'm not convinced they won't go in.
If honey bees go into it, stop using it, or change the formula.
Sorry for not being very smart, but why can't they escape your trap?
This Summer, I'm going to load my traps with this combination. Fanta Orange, strawberry or grape jam, bananas, and fish flavored cat food.
Sunkist Orange mixed with water and raw bacon strips on the outside of my trap are drawing in the red wasps, August 24 2023.
I don't mind the red wasps at all, it's the yellow jackets that are the biggest annoyance.
@@FrederickDunn AGREED
I can only imagine your downvote was from someone whom believes wasps should not be killed.
It magically went away :)
Wasps are pollinators, and some of us understand that pollinators are necessary for the survival of the human race. However, that doesn't mean we want them flying around where we are, and stinging us. So a trap and release would seem to be a good alternative. As I have been stung 3 times in the last week, after I destroyed some nests that were built inside the doorframe on a car that had not been drive in a while. I had never been bothered by the wasps prior to that point. Now they swarm me every time I step outside, soI plan to destroy the rest of the nests, and kill the remaining wasps. And hang fake hornet's nests to discourage wasps from hanging around and building new nests. And this method will also reduce the risks of killing any bees.
Bummed we didn’t get to hear the screech of the Pterodactyl in the background.....
I just bought four of these traps and put apple juice in them and I am watching them go in but they are crawling back out! Have you had this happen or possibly the trap holes were made too big? Let me know - thank you!
Sounds like your liquid level is too high, you can also add just a drop of dish soap and the wasps will sink right in and be unable to swim out.
@@FrederickDunn I did notice someone else had suggested that as well so I have added some dish soap. They aren't crawling out the bottom holes however they are crawling out the top ones. The level of apple juice is below the bottom holes so I am not sure why but I watch them fly up to the trap, crawl in the hole and then crawl and fly right out!
🛫📖🛬
Thanks Mr.Dunn,
As per your reply yesterday (7/17/22):
This trap should catch all of the yellow jackets that trouble my apiary area.
Seems logical enough and brilliant idea you had to feed them sugar syrup so they could go back and give the GPS coordinates and invite their family to their own funeral.
"AWW!!! Fresh bacon fellas"
(Alas,a meal to die for!)
BTW:
Is "Grubbly" a good brand of chicken feed and are they priced Right. ie:60lb bag/$89.
GOD bless
📖🛐✈️🐆
I have never heard of "Brubbly". Can't make a recommendation there.
@@FrederickDunn
🛫📖🛬
It's (G)rubbly, a brand that is advertised on the internet when I inquired about buying some chickens.
Watching your videos made me aware that there are some awfully pretty show chickens.
Always wanted to get involved but didn't have the time,
But now things are different and would be a good time to try something new.
(As if bees are not enough!?, Lol)
Your videos are more impactful than you think.
I've been binge watching your videos and some more than once or twice and you never fail to enlighten and stimulate our thoughts.
📖🛐✈️🐆
Evil little buggers!!
Wasp MURDERER!
Kidding.
(';')( ';')....