In summer, while mosquitoes are often feared at night, during the day it's wasps, even hornets, and worse, Asian hornets. While you can easily install a mosquito net to protect the interior of your home to keep them out, this doesn't solve the problem if you want to enjoy your garden. Fortunately, there are now very effective traps, like the Tap Traps I'm introducing to you today. In recent years, wasp populations have multiplied, so much so that every summer it's a real nightmare to be able to relax on your patio. This is apparently due to the milder winters: during the winter, the cold normally kills a large number of wasps, which then spawn again in the spring. With the mild winters of recent years, this phenomenon has considerably reduced. Conversely, the high temperatures of summer accelerate their reproduction. I'm no expert in the field, but the fact is that we have a lot more wasps in the summer, which build nests everywhere: the barbecue, the awning, the pool pillars, under the trash cans, etc. While wasps also play a role in the ecosystem, and I'm not in favor of outright eradication, we must also protect those at risk, such as young children, but also those with allergies, like my wife, for example, who could quickly end up in the hospital with a sting. As for Asian hornets, it's no secret how dangerous they can be to humans and many other species, such as bees. Their numbers have also increased in recent years, leading to an increase in the number of professional interventions.
Looking for a solution, I came across Tap Traps, made in Italy.
Discovering Tap Traps
The Tap Traps I received are sold in packs of 5 for less than €14, a very affordable price. It should be noted that these are only plastic lids:A sturdy plastic, however, designed to withstand prolonged outdoor exposure, and with a very specific shape. On the top, you can see a ring for attaching the trap at a height, wherever you want:
The bottom has three “legs” that can hold a standard bottle:
The goal is to use a standard plastic bottle to make a wasp and hornet trap.
Another important element: the recipes!
In fact, the packaging, in addition to the instructions for using these Tap Traps, also includes recipes for baiting pests, which you will need to prepare with ingredients you can purchase yourself. Here are three recipes:
against fruit flies and olive flies. A practical way to successfully preserve healthy fruit without having to treat it
against hornets and wasps
against common flies. A recipe based on raw fish, which can therefore have a strong odor, for use outdoors only.
You will therefore need to purchase the necessary ingredients. Here, since my goal is to fight wasps and hornets, the recipe consists of white wine, brown beer, and red fruit syrup. Budget-priced products work perfectly: I got them here for less than €10, which allowed me to make several rounds of 5 traps.
- Here, simply mix 200ml of each: brown beer, white wine, and grenadine syrup.
- Mix everything together and divide the recipe between the bottles:
- All that's left is to place the Tap Traps on the neck of each bottle. The three legs on the bottom grip the bottle's collar, like this:
It can be a little tricky to set up the first time, but once you get the hang of it, it's very simple. The Tap Traps hold very securely on the neck, and there's no risk of finding the bottle on the ground.
There's no need to completely fill the bottles; the bottom is more than enough to attract insects. It's then recommended to make four small holes in the top of the bottle to allow odors to escape better.
You can then place the Tap Traps wherever you like. Here in a fruit tree:
Here in the gutter near the terrace, to keep them away from the eating area:
Then all you have to do is let them do their thing!
Tap Traps: They Work!
As we've seen, setting them up is extremely simple. And I was amazed at how quickly the Tap Traps work! The wasps are very quickly attracted to the bait:
So much so that within 24 hours, many were already caught. The wasps are attracted to the bait, enter the bottle, but can't get out because the neck is too narrow, and end up drowning.
I placed the five traps around the house, in areas that might pose a problem depending on our habits (patio, pool, etc.). The effectiveness of these traps is incredible! And while they were primarily intended for our wasp problem, I was surprised to also discover numerous Asian hornets trapped. While we hadn't yet been bothered by Asian hornets on the patio, I'd still rather know they were trapped than around the house… As the manufacturer mentions, however, there are no bees to be missed. They aren't attracted to this type of bait. It's perfect!
Conclusion
We won't debate here whether or not to kill wasps. As mentioned in the introduction, they also play a role in the ecosystem, but if there are too many, they can also become harmful, especially if they endanger people's safety. As for Asian hornets, they are clearly pests that must be eradicated. And in this area, these Tap Traps are extremely effective! They are very affordable, practical, use recycled plastic bottles, and contain no hazardous materials. They are even used by professionals in conventional agriculture to avoid the use of pesticides. There is, of course, the trick of cutting a bottle in half to make a trap, which costs nothing at all. With the same recipe, the effect will be identical. But having used them in previous years, this trick is less practical; in case of rain or bad weather, the traps end up drowned in water or fly away, etc. These Tap Traps are simple, but they're really practical to use and durable enough to last through many seasons! I'm a big fan of them for the war on wasps and hornets! And I'll probably buy another set for next spring, this time to fight fruit flies, which destroy a good portion of my produce every year :/
At €13 for 5 traps (thanks to our code DOMO5), you might as well make the most of them!
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