Building a trap for the Yellow-legged hornet is easy and cheap: you can use common plastic bottles, filled with specific baits to attract the hornets.
How to build and install a trap for the hornets
- Take a transparent plastic bottle.
- Cut the upper end of the bottle, turn it upside down and insert it into the lower part. Alternatively you can apply a cheap but effective commercial tap (TapTrap®).
- Make some small holes (5 mm) to allow other insects to get out of the trap.
- Place the trap wherever you want it, hang it onto trees or artificial supports, at a height of 1.5-1.8 metres from the ground.
What kind of attractive baits to use
- Many types of baits can be used: we recommend the use of light beer (0.33 liters with 4.7% alcohol), because it is attractive for the hornets, economic and selective towards honeybees.
- The bait should be replaced every 15 days.
When placing the traps
- The best time of the year to place the traps for the hornets is between February and May, so to catch the queens; from August until November they are still useful to detect the presence of the species in new areas or catch the reproductive adults.
Send us the results of your monitoring activity: whether you were able to capture the Yellow-legged hornet or not. In this way you can help us create a monitoring network throughout Italy.