Avoiding Your Backyard? Wasps Will Finally Buzz Off With These Effective Traps
Getting stung by a wasp isn’t fun for anyone, and it’s even worse when it happens to a pet or child. Wasps generally start to come around at the beginning of spring, and once a nest is established, dozens of these intimidating insects can make your backyard straight up uninhabitable. When it’s warm out, you should be able to fully relax in your backyard or home without tons of wasps hovering over you and causing anxiety. Fortunately, there are several solutions to prevent these pests from getting the best of your summer.
While DIY options require a little more preparation and time, they can be equally effective as store-bought wasp traps. Plastic bottles are common wasp catchers, and different kinds of bait are used to lure the wasps inside and keep them there. Baits commonly include: meat grease, pet food, sugar water, or other sweet items that are enticing to wasps and yellow jackets. Peppermint essential oil is also a surprising wasp repellent when mixed with dish soap or water. This is cost-friendly and allows you to enjoy better quality time in your home, garden, or outdoor setup without worrying about toxic chemicals.
There are also several store-bought options available, some of which are made with chemicals and others non-toxic for keeping children and pets safe. Wasp nest removal sprays can be used outside, and more natural solutions allow you to put your own household ingredients in as bait. There are traps with multiple channels designed to lure wasps in, and others that use a sticky substance to glue the pests down. We’ll guide you through all your choices so you can make an informed choice about what’s best for you. Here are the best wasp traps that will help you cherish your quality time outdoors rather than dreading it.
1. RESCUE! TrapStik for Wasps, Mud Daubers, Carpenter Bees
RESCUE! has plenty of insect-related products on the market, but one of their most popular for wasps would be their famous Trap Stik, which also keeps away carpenter bees and mud daubers. With its multi-dimensional pattern and color, these traps attract wasps to their sticky surfaces. A bird guard is included in the design to protect wildlife, but some users comment that these guards aren’t always effective. This product comes without wasp spray, meaning no odors or chemicals, which buyers appreciate.
Buy: RESCUE! TrapStik for Wasps, Mud Daubers, Carpenter Bees $21.86
2. Mowham Solar Powered Wasp Traps
These solar-powered wasp traps can be used again and again, and don’t use anything toxic to run. Mowham’s features a switch on the back of the trap lid which turns on a blue light, luring insects in at nighttime. In the daytime, simply let it charge up in sunlight and you’re good to go! To install, add a sugary liquid of your choice to a balcony, villa, or patio. It’s also a fantastic camping hack that doesn’t require any power.
Buy: Mowham Solar Powered Wasp Traps $23.99
3. RESCUE! Reusable Yellowjacket Trap
RESCUE! Also carries a reusable wasp trap that’s more eco-friendly, and allows you to purchase refills. One user said it “almost works too well” while another suggests using it in the early spring since wasps populate areas most in mid to late summer. He recommends that buyers “get aggressive and win the battle in March-May by catching the queen yellow jackets; then, you won’t have to worry about catching a single worker yellow jacket in the summer”.
Buy: RESCUE! Reusable Yellowjacket Trap $22.47
4. Stingmon Hanging Outdoor Wasp Trap 2-Pack
These attractive traps are designed like no other. With a gourd-shaped silhouette, the trap has multiple tunnels, luring in wasps with the smell of the beeswax bait. These extra channels let the bait odor spread further, bringing more wasps or hornets into your trap. It lets the creatures enter, but not climb out again. In addition, this trap is reusable and durable, for those in extreme climates, or anyone looking to minimize their carbon footprint. These traps can be washed and used year-round. Experiment with adding honey, syrup, or beer to see what works best.
Buy: Stingmon 2 Pack Hanging Outdoor Wasp Trap $17.59
5. ANPHSIN 6-Pack Hanging Fake Wasp Nest Eco-Friendly Decoy
These clever traps are made from a bamboo fiber and cotton blend, and are designed to mimic a wasp’s nest. They come in a six pack so you’ll have plenty to last you through the summer. The materials are more durable than your average paper, which gives them a longer-lasting shelf life. Thanks to the realistic nature of the shape, color, and size, these decoy nests can be hung anywhere, working on trees, corridors, or under the eaves. Since they are made of paper, it’s recommended to put them in a dry place when rainy weather comes your way.
Buy: ANPHSIN 6-Pack Hanging Fake Wasp Nest Eco-Friendly Decoy $11.99
6. Darware Glass Wasp Traps
Glass wasp traps are one of the simplest solutions to trapping wasps, and have the most minimalist look as well. These traps from Darware are made with a vintage-style retro glass design that’ll look great hung from your trees. This value pack comes with two traps, and requires fruit juice or sugar water to be poured into the bottom. A wire hanger is also included, which makes setup easy. One review calls them “beautiful and functional yellow jacket traps”. If bees aren’t your issue, make sure to use something other than honey, since it will attract more bees than wasps.
Buy: Darware Glass Wasp Traps $28.99
7. TERRO Wasp and Hornet Killer Foaming Spray
This is less of an individual wasp trap and more of a nest solution. No one wants to get near an angry nest, and this product helps solve that problem with ease. Unlike certain aerosol sprays, Terro offers an affordable 19 oz foam wasp and hornet killer spray, which allows the nest to be completely coated. It has a jet spray that reaches nests from up to 20 feet, so you don’t have to get up close and risk a sting. The formula is water-based and safe to use both indoors and outdoors.
Buy:
TERRO Wasp and Hornet Killer Foaming Spray
$7.99
8. PIC Yellow Jacket and Wasp Traps (6-Pack)
These wasp traps come in a 6-pack, so you don’t have to reorder when the first few run out. Plus, they’re advertised as being reusable year after year, so a one-time investment might save you big bucks down the road. PIC’s traps also contain environmentally-safe ingredients sans toxic poisons and chemicals. Unlike some of the other products on our roundup, these are specifically meant for outdoor usage and use a cage mechanism rather than sticky glue.
Buy:
PIC Yellow Jacket and Wasp Traps (6-Pack)
$37.96
9. Handcraft Peppermint Essential Oil
While dish soap is a fantastic solution to trap wasps, peppermint essential oil, as we briefly mentioned before, is equally a life-saver when it comes to these invasive insects. If you don’t feel like getting experimental with homemade concoctions just put some drops of peppermint oil in a few cups of water, and add some dish soap for extra power. Lemongrass, clove, and geranium are also said to be an effective blend that deters wasps.
Buy: Handcraft Peppermint Essential Oil $15.95
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