RESCUE! Reusable Yellowjacket Trap – Includes Attractant

Evil buggers would take over our deck every time we BBQ'd. I searched, and could not locate a nest anywhere. Time for these things to go.I had used the Rescue fly traps with much success, so I decided to purchase their yellowjacket trap. It was inexpensive and the reviews were promising, so I figured I didn't have much to lose...except for a few yellowjackets. I was hopeful.If you've ever purchased the Rescue FLY Traps, or their fly attractant in the past, then you know that adding attractant should definitely be done outside. Knowing what their FLY bait smells like (rotting flesh), and NOT knowing what yellowjacket attractant would smell like, I thought it would be a good idea to put the trap together outside, and decided to set it up, of course, by said BBQ, so I could watch my new trap catch these creatures from hell. It was quick and easy to put together, and even got the attention of a few yellowjackets who appeared out of nowhere to investigate.But while they flew around the trap, they didn't, wouldn't, or couldn't figure out how to enter. So back into the house I went to grab a piece of old lunch meat I had been planning to throw out, and brought it back outside with me. DO NOT DO THIS. Don't make this mistake at home, because the instant I approached the trap with a single slice of processed turkey breast, I was swarmed. Three yellowjackest suddenly turned into thirty. I opened the trap back up, and threw the lunchmeat into the trap, shaking my head and hands the entire time so they wouldn't land on me. Got bit once, thankfully I am not allergic. I quickly screwed the bottom of the trap in place, and tied it back up to the deck railing, and then stepped back to watch.Okay, the the sheer numbers of yellowjackets that showed up were not the paltry group that had invaded our BBQ's Those original buggers quickly told all their friends, and the word spread out in yellowjacket land that there was a slice of processed turkey breast to be had, and they all wanted it. They buzzed around the trap, trying to figure out how to get in. FREE FOOD! They fought with each other to get in through the small holes in the bottom of the trap. Once in, a few of them tried to block the entrance for other comers. Some tried coming in two abreast. And once in, they grabbed a piece of the prized processed meat and flew upwards through the cone, and on to what they believed would be freedom.SIKE!! No freedom for you!! They hit the top of the trap and buzzed around. As they tried to escape, they continued to greedily hold firmly on to their tiny pieces of meat, refusing to let go. And more continued to come, and more, and more. The new arrivals didn't seem to notice their compadres trapped inside. If they did notice, they didn't care. They selfishly were only concerned about getting their piece of the pie...or of the meat as it were.As time passed, the first arrivals finally accepted their fate, dropped their little piece of meat, and clung to the walls of the trap, eventually falling to the bottom where a good amount of no longer wanted meat was now collecting. And still more came.By nightfall, most activity stopped. In the morning, those that had entered the night before were dead, but a host of new arrivals were coming. By the end of the second day, the trap was half full...and still they are coming.This evening I ordered another trap so I can take the first down to empty it without depriving any of the still free yellowjackets of their opportunity of free meat. That just wouldn't be fair, now would it?In all seriousness, this trap works, and works WELL, for what we always called, "Meat Bees", those pesky creatures that invade picnics and BBQ's, any time there is any sort of meat around. They are aggressive and nasty, and they can sting multiple times. It is impossible to enjoy being outdoors with a plate of food if they are around. I understand that the attractant that comes with the trap might work better in the spring when the queens are out; but in the summer (end of August for me), that meat is the bait to use. That worked. It also makes for a great science project, as detailed above. The first two photos are after 15 minutes, the third one 30 minutes, the 4th is one hour later, and the last photo is 24 hours later. And they are still coming. I still haven't found the nest.

I have four of these traps hanging up and I've put two different sets of attractant in each trap. I have yet to catch a single hornet in the traps even though I see them flying around my house. I don't think the attractant works at all.

We just built a house in the woods, and couldn't sit long on our new deck or patio without being hassled by bees & wasps. I bought several traps, and maintained them as instructed from spring through fall. My results:Rescue WHYTR-BB8 W-H-Y Trap For Wasps, Hornets and Yellow Jackets was hands-down the best, never failing to catch at least a dozen wasps, hornets and yellow jackets per week. The refills (Sterling Intl. WHYTA-DB12 Wasp, Hornet & Yellow Jacket Trap) contain 3 different lures and last 2-3 weeks (tip: refill once the liquid lure has evaporated). This trap worked best when hung on the trunk of a smaller tree, where it was head-high and mostly shaded, and at the edge of the woods. It was much less effective hanging from the deck railing. It caught several kinds of bugs that are identified as wasps on the package (mostly ones that look like big yellow jackets), but like all of the traps I tried, it caught none of the all-brown, long-winged, skinny things I think of as "wasps."The yellow-jacket-only version of the W-H-Y trap, Rescue YJTR-SF4 Reuseable Yellowjacket Trap with Attractant, similarly caught at least a dozen each week, but there were several types (presumably wasps & hornets) that I would find in the W-H-Y trap and not in this one. Biggest advantage: the yellow jacket lure (included; refills are Rescue YJTC-SF9 Yellow Jacket Attractant Cartridge) is larger than the one used in the W-H-Y trap, and lasts at least 10 weeks rather than 2-3.The cheapo Trademark Beehive Wasp Trap, Yellow surprisingly did next best, although it was not nearly as effective as the Rescue traps. Using sugar water or fruit punch with a squirt of dish soap (to lessen the surface tension, so bugs drown easier) as the lure, and hung on a tree along the wood line, this trap typically caught a few yellow jackets (?) per week (and on occasion, a bunch of beetles).The best-looking traps, Springstar GWT1 Glass Wasp Trap (which came with a Springstar Wasp & Yellow Jacket Lure) and Garden Delight Wasp Trap (which came with no lure), were, alas, mostly useless, whether used with a Springstar/OakStump lure or the punch/soap mixture described above. I had these on the patio and fence, and tried locations sitting in the shade and hanging in the sun, including a spot that is 20' from a very active yellow jacket nest. I only caught two yellow jackets in these traps all year, along with a bunch of moths and assorted other bugs. I assume they would have been more effective out at the edge of the woods, but I got these traps because they were nice enough to have out where I could see them. They are a bit more trouble to clean & refill than any of the other traps mentioned. I didn't have any problem with the coloring running or coming off, even after several months of fully-exposed weathering & bi-weekly cleaning with a hose sprayer-nozzle.I hung Firemaster 00900 Beee Free Natural Wasp Deterrent 2-pack under eaves on two sides of the house, but it's hard to say how well they worked. (These are fake nests made of thin paper like Chinese lanterns, are supposed to fool wasps into avoiding an area because a nest is already there.) On one side, where I'd previously sprayed two paper wasp nests with Raid Wasp and Hornet Killer, 14 oz. can, we got no more wasps. On the other side, I hung the fake nest above the 1st floor patio; the 2nd floor porch above it still has wasps living between the decking.Next year, I'll stick to an assortment of the Rescue traps (hung out of sight) and lures, along with the Raid spray (which was 100% effective).NB: None of the traps caught any of the (many!) bumblebees that are here. The Rescue traps/lures also claim that they will not trap beneficial honeybees (which I don't have here, AFAIK).