Wasps can be very annoying in the summer. Not only can they ruin our pub lunch or make your child run away in fear, but they also cause significant problems in the garden, damaging fruit crops, disturbing flowers, and becoming aggressive around compost bins or outdoor activities.
To ease the issue Michael Griffiths, a gardener known for his social media tips , shared a video on Instagram with over 2.2 million views explaining an easy trick to keep the wasps away. In the video, he said: “How to make a wasp trap that bees won’t go near. August and September are peak times for wasps as their colonies are at their largest.” The gardening expert then demonstrated how to make the trap, starting by cutting off the top of a large plastic bottle and inverting it to form a funnel, which would later be placed into the bottom section.
He added: “For the ingredients, you want to fill it with half a cup of water, half a cup of apple cider vinegar, half a cup of sugar and a few drops of washing up liquid.”
Griffiths’ next step is to stir all the ingredients together with a spoon before placing the funnel on top and finally securing it if necessary.
He continued: “Add string if you prefer to hang it and place it where the wasps are most active.”
In his Instagram post’s caption, he cautioned: “Where possible wasps should be left alone and treated as the beneficial predators and pollinators they are.
“Unfortunately wasps can be a problem this time of year in gardens so management may be necessary.”
In the comments section, he added: “Unfortunately as a beekeeper, you can lose colonies of bees to wasps robbing hives or eating the bees at this time of year.”
Here’s a list of all you’ll need to make the trap:
- A bottle with the top cut off to act as a funnel
- Half a cup of water
- Half a of apple cider vinegar
- Half a cup sugar
- And a few drops of washing up liquid
- Mix it all together and place the funnel on top.
