New Wasp Trap: Testing Complete

Wasps and heat waves go hand in hand, and we’re experiencing a full-blown invasion from a well-hidden underground wasp nest that’s far enough away from the apiary to be untraceable. In a rush, I dug out the selective Asian hornet traps, which, of course, let most of the insects—including the wasps—escape. The bait, which is usually inaccessible in our Vespa traps, was released for the occasion, and many wasps drowned in it. But now, many are flying back and forth between the inside of the trap and the outside, having a great time.

The high number of Asian hornets captured at the beginning and end of the 2025 season (especially during the trapping of founding queens in the spring) had a very significant impact on the presence of Vespa velutina in 2026. As a result, as of today (June 2026), no Asian hornets have been trapped, neither in the orchard in the spring nor at the apiary.

On the other hand, the current heat wave has caused these terrible predators to become extremely active, and our traps are full of them. Images of an AERO-VESPA trap—2 liters—suspended about 1.5 meters above the ground, designed by Apiobi in 2024

After months of respite, the heat wave drove the female Asian hornets out of their territory in search of food.

Specifically for wasps, I decided to design a trap suitable for capturing large numbers of wasps (in a 5-liter container), which are invasive and very aggressive in this heat. The test is currently in its final stages, and the 3D file for the capture module will be available for download as soon as possible so you can set it up at home on any container with flat sides (a 2-liter fruit juice bottle, a 5-liter jug, 5- and 8-liter mineral water bottles, etc.).

In the test trap shown in the photo, two modules were installed on a 5-liter container that had previously held demineralized water and was filled with less than 1 liter of bait. As soon as they were set up, the wasps swarmed in, entered the trap, and remained trapped.

June 28, 2026: Testing is complete. The X2 and X4 entry traps are incredibly effective. Our expertise in making homemade bait has contributed to the success of this project. The module will go live in the next few hours.
June 29, 2026: The module is online, here