Nontoxic, Recycled Wasp (Yellowjacket) Traps

What you will need:
A hammer
A nail
One, or more, empty water bottles
Some wire
A pair of pliers
Wire cutters
Dish soap
Water
A piece of meat with a good strong scent
A box cutter, or a utility knife
A pair of gloves

A photo of some of the supplies you need:


I start by taking the lids off the water bottles and making a hole through the top with the hammer and nail.


Then I insert the wire through the hole in the lid. Using the pliers, I make a "J" hook to hold the bait and to stop the wire from sliding back out of the bottle.


Using the box cutter (or utility knife), carefully cut out a small opening in the bottle. You want to make that opening near the top of the bottle, about a quarter of the way down from the lid.


Next, grab your scented meat. In this example, I'm using salami. Now place that salami on the "J" hook you created earlier. I like to use salami because it won't fall apart when I'm placing it on the hook. It also holds up well to the elements.


Insert the baited hook back into the bottle and screw the lid on. Be careful not to strip the meat off the hook when you're shoving it through the opening of the bottle.


Make a larger hanging hook on the other end of the wire.


(In the next step, you can unscrew the lid, or choose to fill it through the cutout opening.)
Place a small amount of liquid dish soap in the bottom of the bottle. Now fill it with water to where the water level is right below the opening you cut out.


Hang it in your garden.


You can empty and reuse them as often as you like. Just change out the meat whenever it dries up.