Yellow Jacket trap

[bbbthingmaker]

After reading the thread  "new respect for yellow jackets" I started thinking about yellow jacket traps.  Does anybody have plans for a simple, inexpensive trap that works ?  Include pictures if you can.

[T Beek]

This has been discussed 'heavily' and usually I'd advise you to look throughout the archives…but its soooo darn cold out  ;) and I HATE YJs! ……….so………….

IMO; take an empty jar, a pint is what I use but any size will do.  Place a little (1/4 lb is plenty) raw meat inside and 'cover' with water, can use some syrup instead but the goal is to attract and drown YJs and sugar will also attract and drown bees IMO.  Put a couple pencil sized holes in the top and screw it on.  Place traps in the shade near your bee yard but at least 50' away.  Place a few or several around depending on the year they are having (I think they had an enormous hatching across the country in 2013 based on posts). 

Keep the traps clean and replace the meat/water regularly, you'll catch lots of YJs.  If you don't want to use meat (YJs are carnivors), some rotting fruit (apples work) will bring them in too.  I even heard of one beek who swore that stale beer or soda over the meat or fruit worked very well, but I never tried that.  Makes sense though if you think how attracted they can be to a can of beer or soda. 

[Variable]

Well this may not answer your question as you are looking for a cheap diy trap it sounds like... but I use the Rescue W-H-Y traps. They work great and I have never seen a honey bee anywhere around them. There are over 100 dead YJ and wasps in mine and I put it up in late September to early October (it has been cold here).... They are like $30 but work great!!!

[rwlaw]

I use two litre soda pop bottles. Make a hole to slip a wire thru & knot the cap, heat a small screwdriver that'll make a 3/8" hole,  make three holes around where the shoulder  starts to narrow. Fill it with syrup or pop about a 1/4 full, a couple hunks of hot dog and a pc of banana skin and hang it a low tree branch, it doesn't take em too long to find it.
 When I see they've figured out how to get back out (they keep bouncing around till they find the hole), I slip a tube of window screen so it sticks into the bottle about a half inch in two of the holes. That's when they really start stacking up.