Anyone had luck with wasp traps?

Since finding out a couple days ago that wasps are the reason my caterpillars are being killed at record rates, I've begun paying attention to the wasp populations in my yard. No sooner did I get rid of one wasp nest on the eaves of my house do I find another new one being built today! I just got home from Lowe's, where I bought a reusable trap that is supposed to kill 20 types of wasps, hornets and yellowjackets, without attracting or harming bees.

This is what I bought for just under $14: http://www.rescue.com/products/w_h_y_trap_for_wasps_hornets_yellowjackets.asp. The replacement attactors are not quite $5 and are supposed to be replaced every 2 weeks. It doesn't actually use what they call "killing agents" ~ I guess it just attracts them and then they die since they can't get out?

Emma

Another link to their site: http://www.whyistheanswer.com/?

Update: I've had the trap up for about a day and a half, and so far have not been able to catch any of the wasps that are eating my cats. I do have what I believe are seven Southern Yellowjackets in there, and they are dying fairly quicky (http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/1260/). The ones in the trap could also be European Paper Wasps (http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/1385/), but I think the markings are more like the Yellowjackets. Still keeping my fingers crossed that I can get the wasps!

Finally, a wasp in the trap! Only one though...I'm mostly finding yellow jackets, but (as promised) not a single bee has been lured in! I still don't have any Monarch cats on any of my milkweed, and have only found a few Gulf Frit cats, and one each Queen and Eastern Black Swallowtail chrysalis, so I know the wasps are still the winning team. The trap is also catching a slew of gnats!

Oddly, I have A. tuberosa "Hello Yellow" for the first time, and the one and only surviving Queen refused to eat anything else! She especially loved to munch on the seed pods, managing to consume 3 the day before she decided to go find a spot to hang! I've never seen any milkweed cats prefer anything over A. curassavica.

I just bought the same wasp catcher due to the same problem. I have witnessed many times a wasp attacking the monarch cats. Did you place the trap near the milkweed? I have mine close by, but no wasps yet. I killed 3 today myself. They never once went near the trap but straight to the cats. How high did you place yours? Well at least you caught one so far. Dawn

We've been spraying the wasp nests and killing them. I wasn't getting any monarchs either, found two wasps nests near the back door where I also have a large patch of milkweed. I'll have to spray back behind the barn too, I noticed wasps back there also, and I have about 12 pots of milkweed back there also.

I haven't seen any nests anywhere in my yard that I could spray. Maybe I should look a little harder, they are probobly here somewhere.

Emma....the gnats may actually be a very small parasitic wasp that lays it's egg in the cats. Either one that is a plus!

I just went out to look at the trap. I do have a bunch of gnats in the bottom chamber also.

Well, I'm still mostly catching yellowjacket, and some other waspy-type thing I can't identify, but still no more wasps than the one lucky one the trap managed to lure so far. I've moved the trap twice already, and tomorrow will be replacing the attractant and once again trying it somplace new (though it will sadly be more conspicuous to the neighbors). Still getting hundreds of the little gnats, though it's not occured to me that they could be parasitic wasps since I've only recently found out about them (right about the time I became so distraught at seeing a wasp eating one of my precious monarchs, and discovered they prey on them). I really believe they are also targeting other cats, especially the Queens and Black Easterns.....so frustrating!

I currently have the bottom of the trap at about eye level, and I'm a bit on the short side. Now that I'm paying attention, I have noticed the wasps tend to hug the ground when they hunt, unless they're swopping in for a kill, so maybe I'll lower the trap even more when I move it tomorrow. I'll definitely report updates, even if they aren't successful. At least I'm reducing the yellowjacket population before Fall arrives since they become so aggressive then.

One of the interesting things I read online (or maybe on the packaging) was that Spring is the best time to hang the WHY traps because the chances of killing queens is much higher. I'm hoping by experimenting with the traps now that I'll have a higher success rate at getting the queens next year.

Thanks for your info. I now have mine 2 feet away from a plant with cats on it and it is 2 feet off the ground. Keep us updated and I will also.

Hi Emma, so how is it going with your wasp trap? I'm an organic gardener so I like the idea that there are no chemicals and I'm thinking about trying it. We have wasps here and all the other flying bugs but no so many honey bees! Which I really miss, although they were covering my native flowers about a month ago.

But that other bug you posted from DG, the Southern Yellowjacket, I think that is the one I saw today and it had captured a honeybee!! So they are on my BAD LIST

Wondering your success and/or any other updates?

Thank you.

I still have not had one wasp enter the trap. I am still killing them by hand. Very disapointed with this trap. I've moved it several times without any luck anywhere.

Hum. That' disappointing for you I'm sure. I was hoping too. But good to know about those yellowjackets!!!!!!

Wish I had a suggestion but can't think of anything yet. I'll let you know.

Well, I'm still catching hordes of yellowjackets, one harmless beetle (junebug, maybe?), but the wasps still seem wise to my ways. Dawn, I must say I'm disappointed too because I had several new monarch cats two days ago, an this morning couldn't find a single one...but still a lot of wasps. On the other hand, I've had two very bad experiences with yellowjackets in Fall, so at least I'm getting them on an almost daily basis, regardless of where it's been hung.

I'm wondering with the cats being as abundant as they are now, the wasp attractant must not smell as good as the fresh options. I don't think the trap is using false advertising that it attracts wasps, but maybe it just works better in a garden at other times of year, like when cats aren't at the height of the season (or in a garden not specifically designed to feed cats). Like the difference between fast food and gourmet grub?

Well, well, well...as soon as typing in the previous reply, I took my pooches out to do their business, and low and behold, there IS a brand new (still live) wasp treading water in the top chamber! Now, I don't by any stretch think TWO wasps since June 27th could be calld a major success, but maybe I've found a spot and height that will work? Could just be dumb luck, too!

So, the trap is apparently a dud for me, unless I want to continually get rid of a slew of yellowjackets! However, the hubby has bought me a new product to try called "The Original Waspinator," which he ordered for me from amazon.com. This is the website he found it on originally, and it's aparently had a fairly good success rate: http://www.waspinator.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

I've only gotten one hung so far (yesterday) because I need more s-hooks, but hopefully will be able to get the other two hung this weekend! Will post progress. There is a disclaimer on the product that states, "There are many species of wasps worldwide and the Original Waspinator may not work for some types of wasps."

That doesn't look like any wasps nests we have here. Plus.... sorry, but I want to git rid of them not scare them off; they eat my butterfly caterpillars!

I'm up for trying ANYTHING to keep them from eating the cats, whether it's killing them or making them feel too intimidated to come into my yard. If these things stop the wasps from wanting to hang about the milkweeds, then my goal has been accomplished. It's just a matter of wait and see at this point!

Well, I wish I had read this thread before I bought two of those wasp traps at Costco this week! Oh, well. I thought if Costco offered it it must work. (Silly me!)

We set one up Thursday and we have 1 wasp so far.

I was hoping to wipe them out with one of these gadgets, but I guess it's going to be a laborious and long process.

I will be interested to hear about your Waspinator.

I wonder if there is a place 'review' these sorts of things on Garden Watchdog? It would be good info to keep track of everyone's findings since these things aren't really cheap.

That's a great question. A product review forum would be wonderful for all sorts of gadets us gullible folks get suckered into buying. Since things like wasps are an issue for butterfly gardeners all over the world, there must be some great solutions somewhere to get rid of them. The bills keep skyrocking for me since I'm now also building caterpillar houses to save the Monarchs and Queens from the waps, and the Black Swallowtails from the ants until a more reasonable soluton can be found!

I moved the WHY trap AGAIN yesterday. Am still only able to get YJs, but at a rate of 2-4 per day. On a good note, not a single bee has even tried to enter it, so they're absolutely right about that part on the packaging.