The last few years we had a horrible issue with wasps and hornets. They love to build nests in the eaves of our old house and underneath the solar panels on our roof. If they kept to themselves it wouldn’t be an issue, but they are obnoxious pests with a terrible sting!
It was getting to the point we couldn’t be outside on our deck which is one of our favorite spots in the summer. When we would try to eat outside, the bees flew around us and landed on our plates and occasionally on us. When it was just us we managed, but this year we have our little nugget. When those nasty wasps and hornets started landing on and near her we decided the bee killing war was on!
We tried using the wasp/hornet spray killer from the hardware store but it was pretty nasty stuff and didn’t seem to make a dent in the population.
Then one day my husband came home with several different types of bee traps from the hardware store. One was a common plastic one you see a lot of other folks using and the other one was a pretty glass hive shaped bee trap.
We were desperate for anything to work so we could be outside on our deck again. We followed the directions for both of the bee traps and hung them up along the deck. Both called for using a “bait” such as rotted meat or fish to lure in the bees and both came with a little capsule of “bait” to use the first try. The glass one had us put in the “bait”, a little juice and a squirt of dish soap.
We were pretty disappointed after the first week. A week later still only 2-3 bees and the “bait” had dried up. My husband rinsed out the glass one and put in just a little fruit juice and hung it back up.
Wow! That was all it took for those bees to start flying in and getting trapped. It is amazing how simple it is! Basically the bees are attracted by the fruit juice and climb in a little hole in the bottom of the glass hive. There is a removable cap on top for easy clean out but the bees can’t get out when the cap is on. The plastic one still wasn’t catching bees even with fresh “bait”.
A week later I cleaned out the the glass hive filled with bees, added fresh juice and less than a half hour later had several bees trapped.
Imagine just how full it gets after a week! There are dozens in there by the time I clean it out, so thick it is solid bees covering the bottom about 1/2 inch deep! I clean it out every 1-2 weeks and put in fresh juice. Easy, simple and all natural.
We’ve noticed a HUGE difference in the wasp and hornet population around our house. We spend a lot of time out on our deck now and rarely have one pestering us.
Who would’ve thought that a simple glass hive and some fruit juice would be the answer to our war on bees?!
We found our glass hive at a local hardware store but they’re also sold here online.
May 2013 update: I’ve had some recent questions from folks who are worried about trapping their “good” pollinator bees in a trap like this. This year when I hung our glass hive trap outside I kept a closer eye on what we were catching. Our intent was to only catch the wasps and hornets, not the “good” bees like bumblebees that I enjoy attracting to my flower gardens. We have always hung our glass hive in the area where the wasps and hornets frequent which happens to not be near my flower gardens.
The results? So far this year we have caught quite a few wasps, hornets and even a few flies! But I have not seen any other bees floating in there. Not to say it won’t ever happen, but with plenty of colorful, scented flowers in our gardens to attract those bees it seems they don’t frequent the area near the glass hive.
Like this? Please share it! 
I am definitely going to look for one of these. I have seen the plastic ones but never a pretty one like this. We have several fruit trees that produce odd and not great eating fruit. So we get a lot of pest bees around this time of year when our pears start to fall. Thanks so much for sharing your solution!
I hope you can find one Brooke! It really is so pretty and much nicer to look at that one of those plastic ones
GERARD says
IF YOU LIVE IN CANADA HOME HARDWEARE HAS THE GLASS ONES
Hi - I hope that you are using terms like bees/wasps/hornets interchangeably and that you are not actually killing bees.
Also, wasps can be very peaceful creatures if you do nothing to threaten them. Hornets, less so, but without photos it is impossible for your readers to tell exactly what insects you have declared war on.
Third,simply hanging an artificial wasp’s nest, you can make one out of a small paper bag, will trick the wasps into thinking the site is already occupied and they will leave. This is a trick used by many outdoor patio restaurants and it never fails.
I hope you will rethink your war. These insects are part of the balance of nature and will keep an organic garden free of garden many pests.
Christine, I debated about not publishing your comment and know some bloggers who would have deleted it and never published it. I decided to publish it since I think you bring up some interesting points and I am always open to feedback from my readers since I think we can all learn from each other.
First off I would like to thank you for sharing the idea about the paper bag; I have never seen anyone use something like that. Around here all you ever see are the ugly plastic wasp/hornet traps.
Over the last few years of not trying to do anything to eradicate the wasps and hornets, it led to a huge population boom. We tried to live in harmony with them and let them be but this year there were even more nests and the population was out of control.
I totally agree that there is a place for all insects and creatures in nature to keep things in balance. I actually plant specific varieties of flowers in my gardens around the house to attract bees, butterflies, birds and other insects.
I can tell you that by us having one successful trap it has lowered the population of wasps and hornets on the south side of our house just in the area where we have it hanging along our deck. There are still many active nests we can see higher up in the eaves of our house and I still see them on my flowers and in the back of the house where there are tall grasses and native perennials.
My goal in sharing this post was for others to know there are non-toxic ways to manage your wasp and hornet problem. I have actually had a number of readers tell me in other venues that they appreciated this post since they were thinking their last resort was buying the nasty wasp/hornet spray at the hardware store so the glass hive with fruit juice at least offers a more natural alternative for those of us who have more of a wasp/hornet infestation.
Wow - I wish I had read this a month ago! We were also infested with hornets, not just outside, but inside as well. They had built a nest behind the shutter in front of our house. We were fine with it, but we have 3 kids under 5 and it got to be the point where they couldn’t play outside. So we, too, tried the spray because we didn’t know what else. My husband did try something similar to your glass hive, but it contained something toxic - UGH. We got them out of the shutter but then found another nest inside the wood on the corner of the house.
We had a painter/contractor we knew in the neighborhood come over and plug up the hole, but we still saw bees flying around for another 2 weeks. After a few days of seeing them trying to get into the plugged up nest, they were getting inside the house somehow, in the master bedroom where I was sleeping with the baby. We had so many in there one day I would estimate at least 30!
We got rid of them by plugging up the windows in the bedroom - we think they were squeezing in somehow looking for their old nest. I am still concerned the queen could be lurking around but time will tell, eh? At least now I have a really great, natural way to get rid of them and drive them away from our house!
I’m wondering if you would mind if I post the gist of what I wrote above and then an excerpt with a link back to your article? Please email me directly if this is okay. vfinn (at) favorcreative (dot) com.
That is so scary that you had hornets get inside your house! We had an occasional one sneak in if we left the back door open but were lucky they didn’t start nesting in the house! I emailed you
I am going to look for one of these. My son and I are highly allergic to bees and wasps. Thanks for the post.
yeah I am highly allergic to bees wasps and hornets so though the balance of nature is life or death unfortunately I had red wasp that actually try to attack you without being threatened, my life is worth more than those wasp! So sorry Christine the things have got to go!
I love the look of the trap. Since my son is a beekeeper I’ll probably never have one on my property but I like that you shared something that will work for many people who are in different situations than us. I might just hang an empty one for decoration!
This is great and I’m going to try it. Nothing like a wasp or hornet bite………….Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
Very useful information and glad you posted your May 2013 update. I definitely like a non-toxic simple way as a solution. Thanks for sharing!
Please join us again Thursday at:
The HomeAcre Hop
~Ann