Four household ingredients create perfect wasp trap to avoid garden problem

Wasps are common insects that can be pesky, particularly in summer, and are known to sting if they feel threatened or if their nest is disturbed.

You might notice an increase in wasps in late summer as this is when their colonies grow and it can be annoying when these insects enter your home or garden. They're attracted to sugary drinks, ripe fruit and other sweet treats that can be a nuisance at gatherings, like picnics.

However, wasps play an important role as pollinators, but they are often overlooked in favour of bees. Michael Griffiths is known for sharing gardening tips and tutorials on social media and he is also a brand ambassador for Dobbies Garden Centres.

He acknowledges that where possible, wasps should be left alone as they are "beneficial predators and pollinators" but he has observed they can be an issue in gardens during this time of year by harming bees. Due to this, he has found a way to make a wasp trap and shared his method in a video on Instagram.

At the beginning of his clip, Griffiths said: "How to make a wasp trap that bees won't go near. August and September are peak times for wasps as their colonies are at their largest."

The expert gardener then demonstrated how he makes the trap, starting by cutting off the top of a large plastic bottle and then flipping it upside down to make a funnel to be placed in the bottom section later on. He added: "For the ingredients, you want to fill it with half a cup of water, half a cup of apple cider vinegar, half a cup of sugar and a few drops of washing up liquid."

Griffiths' next step is to mix all the ingredients together with a spoon before placing the funnel on top and finally secure it if needed. The Dobbies ambassador continued: "Add string if you prefer to hang it and place it where the wasps are most active."

In the caption of his Instagram post he cautioned: "Where possible wasps should be left alone and treated as the beneficial predators and pollinators they are. Unfortunately wasps can be a problem this time of year in gardens so management may be necessary."

The gardening expert further claimed that as a beekeeper, you can "lose colonies of bees to wasps robbing hives or eating the bees at this time of year". His Instagram post has racked up 2.2 million views, 4,857 likes and more than 800 comments, at the time of writing.

One user said: "I had no idea they would do that to bees. [You] learn something new every day."

Another added: "Yes - I also had no idea!" A third shared: "Put mine out a few weeks back - sadly had three bee nucs (nucleus colonies) destroyed by wasps already this year."

A fourth viewer commented: "If we're sitting outside with any type of food, they come around instantly this time of year. I put a piece of lunch meat (turkey/ham/whatever you have) on a dish far away and the wasps go crazy for it and leave us be(e). Try it! It works."