North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Patrick Mulligan <patmul76@hotmail.com>]

During hot dry summers when yellow jackets interfere with raspberry picking, I have found a 5 gal bucket, water, a pint of crushed raspberries, 1.5 T of liquid dish soap and a cup of sugar hold the answer.

The trap is crude but alluring to yellow jackets.  Put the crushed berries, soap, a gallon of water in the bucket.  Place the bucket where yellow jackets seem plentiful.  They go in, get a little soapy water on them and drown.

If you get more than one or two curious honeybees in the trap - ADD water.  Bees won't be attracted to a weak solution.  The traps have lasted until first frost or when the bucket is to full to drown more.

I usually allow the yellow jackets do their work eating insect pests until they start eating the raspberries.  By then most pest populations are dying off.

Pat Mulligan
z 3
Palmer Alaska

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