Summer outdoor gatherings can quickly turn unpleasant when yellowjackets crash the party. These aggressive wasps are attracted to our food and drinks, making picnics and barbecues their favorite hunting grounds.
Instead of expensive store-bought solutions, you can create effective traps using items already in your home to keep these unwanted guests away.
1. Soda Bottle Funnel Trap
Cut the top third off a plastic soda bottle and flip it upside down, creating a funnel into the bottom section. Yellowjackets fly in but struggle to escape through the narrow opening.
Add sweet bait like juice or soda mixed with dish soap at the bottom. The soap breaks surface tension, causing wasps to sink when they land. Place these traps around your yard perimeter about 20 minutes before guests arrive.
2. Hanging Jam Jar Lures
Almost-empty jam jars make perfect yellowjacket traps. Leave a small amount of jam at the bottom and add a splash of water to thin it slightly. Poke several small holes in the lid—just big enough for wasps to enter.
Hang these sweet-smelling traps from tree branches using string or wire. Position them about 20 feet from your gathering area. The wasps enter seeking the sweet treat but become trapped inside, unable to navigate back out.
3. Paper Bag Decoy Nest
Yellowjackets are territorial and avoid areas where other colonies exist. Create a fake nest by inflating a small brown paper bag and tying off the opening with string. Hang it from a tree branch or porch eave.
From a distance, it resembles a wasp nest, fooling yellowjackets into believing the territory is claimed. Make several decoys and hang them around your yard about a week before your event for best results.
4. Meat Bait Water Trap
Fill a wide, shallow container with soapy water and place a small platform in the center rising just above the water level. Put a small piece of lunch meat or cat food on this platform.
Yellowjackets land to feast on the protein-rich bait, then fall into the soapy water. Unlike sweet baits that attract honeybees, meat baits specifically target yellowjackets. This trap works especially well in late summer when wasps seek protein-rich foods.
5. Red Wine Vinegar Attractant
Combine equal parts red wine vinegar, sugar, and water in a container with a narrow opening. The fermented smell drives yellowjackets wild with curiosity. Add a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension.
The acidic scent attracts wasps but keeps beneficial pollinators away. Place several of these traps around your yard’s perimeter, keeping them at least 20 feet from seating areas. Replace the mixture every few days as it loses potency in direct sunlight.
6. Fruit Juice Ice Cube Diversion
Freeze fruit juice in ice cube trays and place them in shallow dishes around the perimeter of your yard. As they melt in the sun, they release sweet aromas that lure yellowjackets away from your gathering.
Position these diversions about 30 feet from your picnic area. The wasps become so preoccupied with the easy sugar source that they ignore your guests. Replace with fresh ice cubes as needed throughout your event for continuous protection.
7. Clove-Studded Citrus Repellent
Cut an orange or lemon in half and stud the exposed fruit with whole cloves. The powerful natural oils in citrus and cloves create an aroma that yellowjackets find repulsive while humans find it pleasant.
Place these fragrant repellents on plates around your outdoor dining area. For maximum effectiveness, make several and position them on tables and nearby surfaces. The scent creates an invisible barrier that discourages wasps from investigating your food and drinks.
8. Brown Sugar Milk Jug Trap
Cut a 3-inch hole in the side of a clean plastic milk jug. Mix brown sugar with warm water inside, adding a drop of dish soap. The dark sweet liquid attracts yellowjackets through the opening.
Once inside, the soap-water mixture prevents them from escaping. Hang these traps from trees using the jug handle or place on flat surfaces around your yard. The opaque sides prevent wasps from finding their way out even if they don’t immediately contact the liquid.
9. Coffee Grounds Smoke Screen
Yellowjackets detest the smell of burning coffee grounds. Place dried used coffee grounds in a fire-safe metal container and carefully light them so they smolder rather than flame.
Position these smoking pots around the perimeter of your gathering space. The distinctive aroma creates a natural barrier wasps avoid crossing. This method works particularly well in enclosed spaces like patios. Keep a spray bottle of water nearby for safety.
10. Apple Cider Vinegar Bowl Trap
Fill a shallow bowl with apple cider vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Poke several small holes in the plastic with a toothpick.
The vinegar’s fermented scent attracts yellowjackets through the tiny holes, but they become trapped inside. The soap breaks surface tension, causing them to drown. Place several of these around your yard at ground level where wasps typically forage.
11. Cucumber Peel Barrier
Yellowjackets strongly dislike cucumber peels. Slice several cucumbers and scatter the peels around your picnic area, focusing on food tables and drink stations.
The natural compounds in cucumber skin act as a deterrent without any unpleasant smell for humans. Replace peels every hour or so as they dry out and lose effectiveness. This gentle method works well when you want to avoid killing beneficial insects while still protecting your space.
12. Peppermint Oil Cotton Balls
Soak cotton balls in peppermint essential oil and place them in small containers around your outdoor space. The strong menthol scent overwhelms yellowjackets’ sensitive smell receptors, driving them away from the area.
Position these aromatic barriers on tables, windowsills, and around food preparation areas. The pleasant minty fragrance is enjoyable for humans but intolerable to wasps. Refresh the oil every few hours as the scent diminishes in open air.
13. Two-Liter Bottle Ground Trap
Cut the top third off a two-liter soda bottle. Invert it into the bottom portion, creating a funnel. Bury the trap in the ground with just the funnel top exposed.
Fill the bottom with sweet bait mixed with soap water. Yellowjackets enter seeking the sweet reward but can’t navigate back out. The in-ground placement makes these traps stable in wind and less visible to guests, while effectively reducing wasp populations in your yard.
14. Dryer Sheet Deterrent
Unused fabric softener sheets contain chemicals that repel yellowjackets. Tuck these sheets under tablecloths, tape to the undersides of tables, or place in decorative holders around your outdoor space.
The strong artificial fragrance confuses wasps’ hunting instincts. For best results, use unscented dryer sheets for humans with sensitive noses. This method is particularly effective in enclosed spaces like screened porches where the scent becomes concentrated.
15. Fake Wasp Nest Decoys
Create realistic-looking wasp nest decoys using gray paper bags. Crumple a small bag into a ball shape, then cover with a larger bag. Cut a small hole in the bottom to resemble a nest entrance.
Hang these from trees around your yard. Yellowjackets avoid areas with existing nests due to territorial behavior. Make several decoys and place them strategically around your property at least a week before your event for maximum effectiveness.
16. Beer Trap With Escape Route
Fill a wide-mouth container halfway with beer. Create a paper cone with a small hole at the tip and place it in the container. Yellowjackets enter through the large opening seeking the fermented scent.
They become disoriented by the alcohol and can’t find the small exit hole. Unlike other traps, this design includes a tiny escape route for beneficial insects like honeybees, which are smart enough to find it. The beer’s yeasty aroma is particularly attractive to yellowjackets.
17. Sugar Water Dish Soap Moat
Create a protective moat around food serving areas using shallow containers of sugar water mixed with dish soap. Place these traps around the perimeter of your picnic table about 10 feet away.
The sweet solution draws yellowjackets away from your food. When they land to drink, the soap breaks surface tension, causing them to sink. This simple trap works instantly and can be quickly assembled even if wasps appear unexpectedly during your gathering.