Trapping:
It is easy and inexpensive to create a Wasp and Hornet trap. All you need is a tub like a cat litter box, a board long enough to fit over the tub, a piece of chicken or fish (as bait), a bit of wire to attach the meat to the board and some water and dish soap.
The Wasps and Hornets need to drop about 2 inches to turn over to fly after eating the bait and will fall into the water before they can turn over. The dish soap reduces the surface tension of the water so that the insects cannot float.
I have found slugs and mice also drowned in the tub.
There are several brands of Wasp traps available in stores. The bait supplied with these traps may or may not work on the species of Wasp or Hornet you are trying to eliminate.
The yellow jackets in this container were all caught in a 24 hour period in early September using apple juice and water (50/50) as bait instead of the bait sold with the trap.
Using Poisons
Sprays:
The Wasp and Hornet sprays sold in stores will also kill Honeybees, so if you choose to use one of these, be careful to only use them in the late evening or early morning when Honeybees are not out foraging. That way, the spray is less likely to drift to a colony of Honeybees.
Other Poisons:
Another way to poison the entire colony of Wasps or Hornets is to use Fipronil mixed into Friskies ocean fish canned cat food (10 drops to 3oz) and allow them to take it to their nest.
You need to place the cat food in a place where cats cannot get to it since it will poison cats as well as Hornets and Wasps.
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