Trapping Asian Hornets

The goal of trapping is to capture queens in Spring before they start a new nest and in Autumn before they hibernate. Otherwise, by capturing workers or drones, the trap can inform you that there are Asian Hornets in the vicinity. Of course, if you do capture a hornet, it's imperative that you inform the authorities immediately.

What is a trap?

There are two parts to a trap: the lure, i.e. the bait used to attract the hornets, and the trap itself. Remember that any holes through which queens must pass should be 9mm, and for workers, 7mm. Holes to allow the escape of bycatch should be 6mm.

The lure

The lure is best placed in a small jar or similar container which has a lid. , e.g. a 25g jar. Drill a 4mm home in the lid and use  a piece of cotton cloth (a J-Cloth is ideal) as a wick to present the lure to the hornet without allowing access to the liquid itself.

Alternatively, a piece of sponge can be soaked in the lure instead.
The lure can be a commercial ready-made bait specifically formulated for Asian Hornets:
  • VespaCatch is a commercial lure from VétoPharma (below left) - to use, dissolve 50g sugar in 200ml water and add the contents of one 10ml sachet.
  • Suterra/Trappit (below right) was originally formulated as a wasp lure but it works well for Asian Hornets too - use it as is without adding sugar syrup.
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​You can also make your own bait. There are many suggested mixes:
  • For Spring trapping of queens, use a mix of ⅓ dark beer, ⅓ white wine and ⅓ syrup 
  • For Summer and  Autumn when workers are feeding the larvae, use mashed prawns or cat food. Unfortunately this quickly goes off and starts to smell. Probably a better solution is to use one of the commercial lures.

The trap

One aspect of the trap that has become important is the aspect of bycatch - whatever trap you use, it should allow other species to escape.  You should inspect the trap regularly, preferably every day, to release any bycatch.
You can purchase a pre-made trap from many bee equipment suppliers - the UK suppliers have them in stock and we expect the Irish suppliers to follow suit very soon.  
  • Véto-Pharma produce the Vespa Catch, a very popular trap type - see here for how to use it.
  • Véto-Pharma also have a newer model, Vespa Catch Select, which is designed to minimise bycatch. Use this in an identical manner to the standard version.
  • There are other commercially made traps available from various beekeeping suppliers. One that is quite popular is the JABEPRODE trap which Richard Noel explains how to assemble and use.
Alternatively you can make your own trap - you can find many versions of homemade traps online. 
  • If you (or a friend) have a 3D printer, you can print your own trap, including this trap that minimises bycatch. There are also many parts that can be printed as part of a trap, particularly conical entrances, but make sure that the entrance is 9mm to allow queens to pass through. See below for examples.
  • You can also make a trap using commonly available parts - see this for how to make the trap on the left.
If you think you have seen an Asian Hornet, report it to Biodiversity Ireland's invasive species page. It's better to report something that turns out to be innocuous rather than miss the chance of reporting a real threat.