How to use a wasp trap: bait, place, then empty it
Updated: 17 October 2026
The pot is in the cupboard and wasps are still at your lunch. How to use a wasp trap starts with the liquid you mix, because on 16 October 2026 none of the ten pots on the [wasp trap comparison](/hub/traps/wasp-trap) included a bottle of lure. A trap only meets insects already out foraging. The British Pest Control Association uses traps to watch pressure around bins and seats, and the Royal Horticultural Society says it is not clear whether they cut numbers or draw more wasps in. If you are still choosing the job, use the [wasp trap buying guide](/hub/traps/wasp-trap/sub/wasp-trap-buying-guide). Products Compared checked the listings and UK guidance, and did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
The pot is in the cupboard and wasps are still at your lunch.
The pot is in the cupboard and wasps are still at your lunch. How to use a wasp trap starts with the liquid you mix, because on 16 October 2026 none of the ten pots on the wasp trap comparison included a bottle of lure. A trap only meets insects already out foraging. The British Pest Control Association uses traps to watch pressure around bins and seats, and the Royal Horticultural Society says it is not clear whether they cut numbers or draw more wasps in. If you are still choosing the job, use the wasp trap buying guide. Products Compared checked the listings and UK guidance, and did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Bait the listing names | Fill limit | How it sits | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  CKB LTD CKB LTD glass wasp trap | Sugar, or meat early | Bottom hole stays above liquid | Hang or stand | 8.1 | about £12.99 | View offer |
 ASPECTEK Aspectek wasp trap, 2 pack | Apple-cider-vinegar recipe | Keep the lid hole dry | Hang | 8.6 | about £11.19 | View offer | |
| Best value |  RAM ONLINE Ram hanging wasp trap, 4 pack | None in the box | Check the top opening | Hang | 6.8 | about £5.99 | View offer |
On this page
Bait changes with the season
Early bait is protein. The British Pest Control Association points to meat or fish for queens, then to syrup, jam, fruit, or a sugary liquid from mid-summer through August. Syrup kept from March to September misses the spring hunt. A spoon of jam in April is a weak offer, though workers follow a sweet smell once the colony is large.
The Aspectek listing prints an apple-cider-vinegar recipe and includes no bottle. If hives are nearby, or the title says bee catcher, read the wasp traps and bees page before a sweet mix. A jam jar can stand in: half water and jam, paper under an elastic band, and a pencil hole. After rain, check that softened lid, then keep the smell away from the seats.
Where the pot sits
The smell draws wasps to the pot, so keep it off the table. Between the plates, foragers land on the seats you wanted clear. Hang it by the bin or at the edge of the seating, away from the doorway. The British Pest Control Association says never at a building entrance. The Big Wasp Survey places its beer traps far from seats, windows, and doors.
Keep sweet bait off the flowers. Bag or screen the fruit, and hang the pot by the bin rather than in the plum, or the lure sits on the crop. Moving the hook will not stop wasps that are leaving a soffit.
How full, and why wasps walk out
Keep every hole above the liquid. A wet rim lets a wasp walk out, and a bottom hole spills the bait. The glass CKB trap fills through the cork and enters at the base, and an overfill runs out of that hole. With honey and water, reviewers see insects leave when the bait is only a film. You want real depth, with the holes still dry.
Plastic CKB holes sit low, so less liquid fits than the box drawing shows. A four-pack can leak at the seam overnight and leave a dry, sweet pot by morning. A one-way line, or nest killer, stays a claim until the wasps remain inside. A newer Aspectek lid hole lets them out, and some owners tape the exit. The best wasp trap page sorts which listing is worth that compromise.
Emptying without a drama
Open a live pot in the evening, away from the table. The Big Wasp Survey freezes beer traps for at least two hours after a late collection. That freezer step is survey practice, not a leaflet packed with these pots. A dead wasp can still sting. Empty only when nothing is moving, and keep bare fingers out of the catch.
The glass CKB cork is awkward once the bottle is packed, so empty it before the chamber is solid. Rinse a leaking four-pack away from the seats and refill below the holes. Wash a routine sting, cool the skin, and use pain relief. Most settle within a few days. Call 999 for anaphylaxis, use an adrenaline auto-injector if the person has one, and give a second dose after five minutes if they still need it.
When the method is finished
Keep the pot for foragers at the bin, the fruit, or the patio edge when the bait matches the month. Move it if wasps gather on the chairs, because that smell is then in the wrong place. Call a qualified pest controller when the flight enters a loft, a soffit, or a cavity people use. The pot will not treat that nest. A household spray in the bait is a poor match for a large colony, and a controller uses products you cannot buy.
An empty pot, after the right bait and a fill below the holes, can mean the wasps are leaving a nest rather than passing the bin. More jam will not change that flight. One pot by the waste is enough while foragers are all you see.
Common questions
What should I put in a wasp trap in spring, and what in August?
In early spring use a little meat or fish, the protein the British Pest Control Association suggests for queens. From mid-summer through August, switch to syrup, jam, fruit, or another sugary liquid. The Aspectek listing gives an apple-cider-vinegar recipe and no bottle. A sweet mix in August still only meets foragers, and it will not clear a nest.
Where should I hang a wasp trap if I do not want wasps at the table?
Put it by the bin or at the edge of the seating, off the plates, the windows, and every door. Never hang it at a building entrance. Compared with a pot in the middle of lunch, the bin still attracts wasps, though it keeps them off the food. Stay off the flowers as well, or the sweet smell settles on the border. These sources do not fix one distance in metres.
How full should a wasp trap be?
Pour enough that a wasp drops in, and leave every hole above the surface. On the glass CKB bottle the way in is a hole in the base, so a high fill runs out. Plastic CKB holes sit lower than the box drawing suggests. Wet holes let wasps walk the rim and leave. If the four-pack seam weeps, check the level again the next morning.
Why are wasps flying back out of the trap?
Shallow bait, a wide lid hole, or an entrance under the liquid lets them leave. Aspectek reviews describe a newer, larger hole in the lid, and some owners tape it. A one-way claim does not cancel that report. Check the fill before you change the mix. Jam is a poor April bait, and meat is a poor bait in August.
How do I empty a wasp trap that still has live wasps?
Wait until late evening and keep the closed pot away from the seats. The Big Wasp Survey freezes beer traps for at least two hours first. Treat that as a handling idea from the survey, not as printing on these pots. A dead wasp can still sting, so do not sort the catch by hand. Wasps streaming from a loft or soffit need a qualified controller, not another empty.
What do I do if I am stung, or if someone struggles to breathe?
Wash the sting, cool the skin, and use ordinary pain relief. Most stings settle over a few days. Call 999 for anaphylaxis, including when breathing is difficult. Use an adrenaline auto-injector if the person has one, and a second dose after five minutes if they still need it. Stay with them, and leave the nest entrance alone while you wait.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources on wasps, nests, stings, and hornet reporting. Prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings for these ten ASINs, captured on 16 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.
- RHS, Wasps including hornets (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BPCA, wasp control (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BPCA, low- and no-chemical management of wasps (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BPCA, sugar-seeking wasps (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- NHS, insect bites and stings (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- NHS, anaphylaxis (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, honey bees: pests and diseases (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Historic England, mammals, reptiles and insects on historic sites (retrieved 16 October 2026)