We have been having the worst problem with (not bees)- but yellow jackets, wasps, and even hornets this season. I have been happy to see some honey bees and bumble bees buzzing about- they don't bother me, and they're super important, so of course, we don't want any harm to come to them. In some places, it's even illegal to kill a honey beee- FYI. The yellow jackets and wasps however, are a huge problem. They are all over the place- in our front and back yard, and they have taken up residence on our front porch... a place where we like to spend a lot of time. My hubby has already gotten rid of one wasp nest on the porch, but I fear there are more- in places I don't even realize.

The yellow jackets and wasps are mean. They're extremely territorial, and dive bomb us almost every time we step foot onto our porch. I can't get near my roses during the day, because the wasps are hoovering near them. A week or so ago, I decided that enough was enough, and I was going to take matters into my own hands, and make an easy homemade yellow jacket trap, to see if I could catch some of them and eliminate them from my yard.

You Will Need:

2 Liter plastic bottle

Pair of scissors

Hole Puncher

Wire or Strong ribbon

Tape

Step 1- Clean a see through plastic bottle and cut the top of it off with a sharp pair of scissors.

Your two pieces should look something like this.

Step 2- Turn the bottle top upside down, and fit it inside of the other part of the 2 liter bottle.

Step 3- Use tape to hold it in place.

Step 4- Fill the bottom of the bottle with an attractant for yellow jackets and wasps.

Step 5- Punch or carefully cut holes in the top of the trap- one on each side, and slide ribbon or wire through, to make a hanger.

Step 6- Hang outside, near the area you suspect a wasp or yellow jacket nest may be. Hint- yellow jackets nest in the ground, and wasps make paper-like nests. Hang at least 10 feet away from an area where your family or pets spend time.

Ingredients to use for Attractant Mixture

Sugar + Water

Soda

Fruit juice

Sugar water with a little bit of dish soap

Hummingbird nectar

Jams/jellies

Fruit peels

Meat *Because yellow jackets hunt for protein

The whole idea of the trap is that the wasps and yellow jackets will fly down through the funnel to find the attractant. Once they reach the liquid, they will drown in it. You can use pretty much any combination you can think of that might atract those pesky yellow jackets and wasps. I think of them as picnic bees, because anytime we try to have a picnic, there those things are- after our food!

We have had success in trapping mostly yellow jackets. I check the trap every evening, and each time I do so, there are new ones in it. You can simply dump the bees out and discard them, and re-use the trap. I keep hoping that one day I will see the trap filled with yellow jackets, and perhaps even catch the queen!

If you have a problem with yellow jackets and wasps, try this simple homemade trap & get back to enjoying your time spent outdoors with your family!