Rescue YJTR-SF4 Reuseable Yellowjacket Trap with Attractant
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Rescue YJTR-SF4 Reuseable Yellowjacket Trap with Attractant
Customer Review: Science that works like magic
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the real thing. This trap catches yellowjackets very effectively, by luring them with a yellowjacket sex pheromone. Not only does the included "attractant" massively and visibly work on yellowjackets, it has an advantage over poisons and many other traps in that it doesn't trap other insects, such as bees. It's weirdly fascinating to watch the excited behavior of yellowjackets around the trap, "sniffing" at the vents above, and searching for the entrances below. They even fight one another to get in! Once inside, the yellowjackets simply don't have the brain wattage to crawl back out.
The attractant is so powerful that you'll want to be careful around it, though. The included attractant (one 2-3 week dose) comes in a flexible clear plastic ampoule, somewhat like, but smaller than, the little soy sauce packets that come with Chinese take-out food. While setting up the trap, I tore the ampoule open at the notch, and accidentally squirted a few drops of the attractant on skin and clothes. (Not wanting to be the center of attention of a bunch of randy or disappointed yellowjackets, I quickly went indoors, washed and changed my clothing before continuing!)
If you even suspect you have an allergy to yellowjacket stings (their venom, a neurotoxin, is different from that of bees), be sure that you get someone who is not sensitive to their stings to set up or service the trap. Yellowjacket and bee stings can kill those who are sensitive!
Note that, at least initially, there will be a LOT more yellowjackets buzzing around the trap than there were in the same area. So I'd suggest you don't set up a trap within, say, 6-10 feet of hummingbird feeders, pets, or people.
I got this trap because 1) I've hated yellowjackets since I was stung by seven of them at once as a small boy, 2) yellowjackets have been recently bullying the hummingbirds at my feeder, 3) yellowjackets have been eating my apples, and 4) I've long wanted to see pheromone technology in action.
The trap has been catching about five yellowjackets a day since I've had it. It's been breezy here lately, but I've noted that the trap catches more yellowjackets on the rarer warm, windless days. Twenty-three yellowjackets down so far, and the hummingbirds seem much lest pestered by them. Nothing but yellowjackets in the trap; no bees, flies, etc.
I separately bought an extra 10-week attractant cartridge from the same manufacturer. I haven't used it yet, but it looks to be a lot more idiotproof than the original tiny ampoule.
Criticisms: It would help if the trap came with more generous, and safer, packets of attractants. It would help if some kind of hook were included, even if only a heavy-gauge insulated copper wire a foot or two long, from which to hang the trap.
Overall, an effective and fascinating "green" use of directed, nontoxic, biological jujutsu against a pesky critter. But remember to be cautious: The attractant pheromone REALLY WORKS!
Customer Review: Really works!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm with the others, this works well, and I recommend it highly. I just have a few tips to add:
1. This is a must for hummingbird enthusiasts. After planting flowers to attract butterflies and hummingbirds and setting up a feeder, I started having yellow jackets constantly around the back of my home. They are more of a nuisance than a health threat to me. But since insect stings can kill hummingbirds or keep them from the feeders, this is a required addition for back yard enthusiasts.
2. This feeder allows use of meat for bait. Read the enclosed instructions! A lot of helpful advice on it's use. Yellow jackets start feeding primarily on meat late in the season.
3. Most yellow jackets I have caught get in there early in the morning. By 6pm, most of them are dead, probably from stress and exhaustion of trying to find a way out of the trap. Empty this daily - dead yellow jackets attract ants in the trap and before long you will have a messy trap with yellow jacket parts stuck to the inside. Although the trap will hold many yellow jackets before it needs emptying (as shown in the picture), frequent (read "daily") dumping will save time cleaning and keep from having an unappetizing sight for your back yard picnickers. (The ones I dump out the previous day always promptly disappear, probably eaten by foraging birds.)
4. While this trap touts its double chamber design to prevent escape, an occassional yellow jacket has escaped. But you catch many more than the 1 or 2 that finds it's way back out again.
Customer Review: I am looking at the Trap right now as I write this
Summary: 5 Stars
I put this trap up a little over an hour ago because the yellow jackets have gotten so unbearable that they are actually attacking the hummingbrids that are trying to go to my hummingbird feeder.
As I write this, there are well over 30+ yellow jackets in this trap. I wish Amazon let you put pictures on our reviews because I have a picture of all the trapped yellow jackets...it's unbelievable. I did not use the attractant sold with the unit...I simply poured a little of my hummingbird feeder liquid in the bottom since they seemed so attracted to my feeder. It's worked like a charm!
I have used several traps in the past (my Raid trap sits next to it, and though they go into that trap, they crawl right back out!) and this one has not only worked the best, but worked the best in the least amount of time.
I actually purchased this trap back in May. My husband used it with the included "bait" and we only caught 2 yellow jackets all summer. Today, when the yelow jackets were really terrorizing us (and stung my 22 month old daughter) my husband said "let me try using some of the hummingbird food in it instead of the bait." That did the trick!
How much time I wasted this summer...I could kick myself right now!
If you purchase this feeder, I'd suggest finding a recipe for hummingbird food on the internet...they seem to like that a lot more than the "bait"...cheaper, too!
Customer Review: Works perfectly if assembled correctly
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used these traps for a couple years now. When I purchased the first one I was very disppointed as I could actually see yellow jackets exiting the trap as quickly as they entered. Fortunately before I gave up on the product, I realized I wasn't assembling the screw-on parts tightly enough, and that was leaving just enough space for the insects to escape. Once I had assembled it more tightly, it worked perfectly. I now use three on my one-acre wooded lot and I dump the traps weekly, with about 20 yellow jackets per trap in the peak activity months of June and July. Here's a huge benefit - if you set these traps out early enough in the Spring, like mid-April in my region of Virginia, you'll likely trap a queen or two. Trapping one queen in the early Spring eliminates an entire future nest, which is as effective as killing several thousand yellow jackets during the Summer. I know some who contend that killing yellow jackets that are not an immediate nuisance is undesirable from an overall insect population balance standpoint since yellow jackets kill other insect pests, including mosquitos, to feed their larvae. But I've seen a swarm of accidentally disturbed yellow jackets attack and kill a pet dog, so my feeling is the fewer the better - good riddance!Customer Review: Fast and effective on YELLOW JACKETS
Summary: 5 Stars
I hadn't used my trap in a couple years and started noticing yellow jackets sniffing around our back yard lawn. I didn't want my toddler getting stung so I got out and cleaned the trap, put in the last attractant packet and just set it sideways on the lawn. W/in 30 seconds (no exaggeration) there were five yellow jackets buzzing around it. (Note - as another reviewer has mentioned, DON'T get the liquid on your hands or clothes! Wash thoroughly.) In the first 10 minutes I caught five, then set up the trap about a foot off the ground. This has worked so much better than hanging it higher as I have previously done. In the first two days I caught 32. That more than doubled in the next two weeks. Now it's just a couple a day. It may be time to rebait. One thing I have noticed is that w/out the competition of the yellowjackets, I have seen more bald-faced hornets around. Those are the large, black and white, really evil looking ones. The attractant is NOT formulated for hornets so I guess using meat or fruit juice is the way to go for them. Technically, I know they aren't quite as aggressive as yellow jackets and they eat a lot of bad bugs, but I don't want them nesting in my yard! Good luck with your trapping!