# Honey Bees and Yellow Jacket traps?



## brac (Sep 30, 2009)

as long as you, or they don't bait it with something sweet, it will be fine.


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## slwethrs (Aug 16, 2010)

I have yellow jacket problem this year and have tried this home made yellow jacket trap recipe I found on the internet. It did not work overnight and being impatient I tried putting sugar water in a bottle with the banana peel and unfortunately it attracted both bees and yellow jackets. Obviously the sweetness of the straight sugar water attracted the bees.
After about a week or so the original traphad started catching not only yellow jackets but moths as well. The bees are not interested at all. Others on this forum have suggested using rotten meat or cat food in a bottle as well-saying the rotten smell will attract the yellow jackets but that only attracted my dogs and I found this one does not attract my dogs.


•1 Recycle a 2-liter soda bottle.

•2 Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water.

•3 Shake the bottle until the sugar is dissolved.

•4 Add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar.

•5 Shake to mix.

•6 Add a banana peel.

•7 Add more water until the bottle is approximately half full.

•8 Cut a 3/4-inch diameter hole in the curved area near the top of the bottle.

•9 Put the lid on the bottle and tie it to a tree limb near hives or any place you see wasps.

•10 Throw the trap away when it's full and make a new one to replace it.


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

How far is the hole supposed to be cut, from the top?
Can you post a pic?

Thanks!


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## wkinne (Jul 17, 2010)

slwethrs said:


> •2 Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water.


So you said you added sugar water and it attracted bees, yet you posted water and sugar as part of the recipe, can you confirm you added more sugar and water or is the recipe wrong?

Just want to be sure, TIA

wkinne


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## ZZZnature (Jul 17, 2008)

I am attaching instructions for the European Hornet Trap in Adobe. I hope you are able to open and print it.

I use them in our aparies and around our lawn. They also trap moths, flies, gnats, hornets, wasps. But the banana peeling smell is the key to keeping out the honeybee.


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## Eddie M (May 6, 2008)

I just poked to holes near the top, inserted a stiff wire , and hung a raw strip of bacon on the wire. Worked like a charm and didn't catch even one bee.


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## slwethrs (Aug 16, 2010)

wkinne said:


> So you said you added sugar water and it attracted bees, yet you posted water and sugar as part of the recipe, can you confirm you added more sugar and water or is the recipe wrong?
> 
> Just want to be sure, TIA
> 
> wkinne


wkinne: This recipe does not attract the bees even though it has sugar and water. I think it is the vinegar that keeps the bees out.

(I put a bottle out with only sugar, water, and banana peel :no: and that did attract 3 or 4 honey bees and I removed that after two days and -but that is not the recipe.)

This recipe I posted does contain 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 banana peel but it does not attract the bees. I was skeptical and did not see how it would work with sugar in it-but one trap has been out for about 4 weeks now. I look in it everyday and there are no honey bees. It attracts yellow jackets and moths and an occassional bumble bee. If you are concerned about catching bees, follow the recipe-check it daily if possible to bee sure. It really does work for me, even though it took about a week before any yellow jackets found it- and there are no honey bees getting into the bottle.


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## slwethrs (Aug 16, 2010)

MichaBees said:


> How far is the hole supposed to be cut, from the top?
> Can you post a pic?
> 
> Thanks!


MichaBees:

I put hole maybe 2 inches down from the top of the bottle. (along the curved neck of the bottle above where the bottle straightens out)


here is the link to the page on the internet where I found it and there are pictures of it on this page.
http://www.ehow.com/how_1740_make-trap-yellow.html


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## slwethrs (Aug 16, 2010)

Here is the link to the webpage where I found the recipe for this trap- 

http://www.ehow.com/how_1740_make-trap-yellow.html


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Thanks for the information...


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

We have good luck with a spoonful of fish flavored canned cat food. As yellow jackets are omnivores, and honey bees aren't at all attracted to the smell of meat, yellow jackets and other wasps are the only ones attracted to the trap. Works well!


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## wkinne (Jul 17, 2010)

BigDaddyDS said:


> We have good luck with a spoonful of fish flavored canned cat food. As yellow jackets are omnivores, and honey bees aren't at all attracted to the smell of meat, yellow jackets and other wasps are the only ones attracted to the trap. Works well!


What kills or "traps" the Yellow Jackets?

TIA

wkinne


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

The traps we have here are a plastic 2-liter soda (pop) bottle, which the user supplies. The trap itself looks like a small plastic pylon, made of a plastic mesh. (It actually looks like a JZBZ Queen Cell Protector, if you know what that looks like!) The small end of the mesh pylon fits down into the bottle neck and has an opening just slightly larger than a yellow jacket.

The way it works is, after placing an attractant inside the bottle (canned cat food), the yellow jackets enter through the pylon and can't find their way out. (Like a one-way honey bee trap out screen.) After a while, the bottle fills with yellow jackets. Once it's full, you screw on the cap and simply dispose of it.

Returning for deposit, or recycling the full bottle, is NOT recommended. 

DS


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## Tia (Nov 19, 2003)

Whichever recipe you decide on, make sure they're a good distance from the hives. The first time I made up wax moth traps I placed them too close to my hives and was overrun with wax moths! Be warned.


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