Hornet traps : Quality warning

Prospective buyers—whether individuals or professionals—would be well advised to inquire, before purchasing trap kits, about the materials used and the seller’s knowledge of Asian hornets, bees, and the products they sell.

In fact, with access to a 3D printer, many unscrupulous individuals have sensed an opportunity and are selling sets of «new» traps at unbeatable prices on sites like Leboncoin, Etsy, or eBay, for example. And for good reason: neither designers, nor professionals, nor users—let alone beekeepers—who in some cases have never even seen a hornet in the wild, have simply downloaded free 3D trap design files from the internet—files they often aren’t even allowed to sell, for that matter! (In most cases, free 3D files are only available on the obvious condition that they be used exclusively for personal purposes—and certainly not for business!)

Before you buy, «have fun» asking them about design/efficiency tests carried out with these traps, or about their design skills, knowledge of hornets, bees, size of entrances and exits, and so on.
Provided they're willing to answer (honestly), you'll be surprised to find that these traps are printed with fragile biodegradable plastics unsuitable for outdoor use (PLA, polylactic acid made from corn starch), but easy to print and cheap.

Worse still, some grids are so thin that they can't withstand the slightest shock or, even «funnier», the mandibles of trapped Asian hornets.

Finally, many of these traps are poor, illegal copies of designs protected by intellectual property rights—designs that took their creators months of work to develop (I can tell you all about it—I’ve learned the hard way…).

Buyers of €3 traps thinking they're doing the right thing in the fight against the Asian hornet are being cheated. The winged devourers are free as a bird.

Finally, and without meaning to scare you, you should know that an Asian hornet is a true flying demon, capable of hovering 1.5 meters above the ground before attacking its victim repeatedly. I’ve already been stung while mowing the grass in my orchard, and I can attest to its aggressiveness and relentless nature for no apparent reason. The pain from the multiple stings it inflicted on me is unlike anything else. If it manages to escape from a trap, it will be in a very, very bad mood. Too bad for anything in the vicinity.
An old saying: If you see a beekeeper running, run without thinking.

In conclusion, buy your traps from professionals who work hard every day and pay their heavy bills in France, from French manufacturers who know what they're doing. Why not pay a visit to your local beekeeper? He'll give you some excellent advice and will be delighted that you're taking part in catching Asian hornets, thus protecting his bees, his apiaries and his very business!

Thank you for defending bees and intellectual property.