After two years of beekeeping, we know how to catch Asian hornets faster and better than we described earlier in this article.
Now, we make a trap faster and easier from a few plastic bottles. We have also learned that you can lure more hornets with a different mixture. The main difference is that you use fresh yeast and add a little honey.
Bait for the Asian hornet trap in the summer months:
- half a cube of fresh yeast
- 250 ml water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- if you have it: splash of white wine or spirits
A simple hornet trap to make yourself:
Pierce a hole 4 cm under the cap of the large PET bottle on both sides, through which you thread a string. With this, you hang the trap. And in 1 day you will have caught at least 10 hornets!
We’ve also found that traps hanging in the bees’ flight path attract more hornets. We also placed them once next to the beehive, but there we barely caught hornets. Also, traps that are close to the bees’ watering-place do well. So it’s worth experimenting with where you hang the traps. (That can also differ between spring and summer).