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Yellowjacket
Wasp Traps
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Can be
used to alter scavenger wasp activity
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Summary:
Yellowjacket wasps can be a real nuisance at
outdoor events during late summer whenever exposed
food is present. Yellowjacket wasp traps
can be used to temporarily move wasp activity away
from outdoor events and guests. The traps
are not, however, useful for eliminating nests.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist
(ret.)
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Synthetic attractants vs. sweets and
proteins
Certain yellowjacket wasps (wasp
family: Vespidae, genus: Vespula) are
attracted to odors that can be used to trap or
confuse these insects. Both meat and sugar-based
foods are attractive to certain species,
at certain times of the year. A few wasp
species can also be lured by a synthetic chemical
called n-heptyl butyrate which mimics the
odor of rotting fruit. Heptyl butyrate traps (see
photo right) are especially useful in the western
US for the western yellowjacket, Vespula
pensylvanica.
Yellowjacket
wasps that are attracted to non-living
food baits such as sugary liquids and meats are
referred to as the scavenger species (see
Which
yellowjacket wasps are the scavenger or
"problem" species?). Most yellowjacket
wasps, on the other hand, are predatory and only
attracted to live prey so are generally
not bothersome at outdoor events like picnics. The
scavenger species also tend to be more aggressive
and prone to sting than their non-scavenger
relatives.
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A commercial yellowjacket
trap that uses a heptyl butyrate
lure.
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Can traps alone eliminate wasp nests?
No. Traps are most effective as
decoys to temporarily move wasp activity
away from human activity such as a backyard
picnic (see below). Traps are not effective
for permanently eliminating wasp nests.
Even mass-trapping with multiple traps is
generally not effective for eliminating
nests.
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Use traps as wasp "decoys"
You can use either food-based traps or
those that use the synthetic lures to
temporarily move wasp activity away from an
outdoor activity where there will be exposed
food. You'll probably need several
traps placed on the border of your picnic area.
Place traps early in the day to "train"
wasps away from the area. Recharge traps
with fresh attractant each time you need to
set up your decoys. After the outdoor
activity you can take down the traps, place them
in the freezer for a day to kill any wasps
inside then empty and clean. Be careful when
approaching "live" traps (see Using Wasp Traps as Decoys
for more information. This is a pdf file.) .
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You can use the combination trap and
attractant (photo above) for
those species that are attracted to synthetic lures. Place traps
so as to lure wasps away from the outdoor event no more than a
few days before the day of the event. The traps should
start attracting yellowjacket workers within a few
hours. If traps are successful at attracting wasp
activity add more traps until you achieve the
desired decoy effect.
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