Wasps will stay away from your garden if you make DIY trap using three natural items

Enjoying a meal outdoors is a quintessential part of the British summer, but the pesky wasps that are drawn to our food can put a damper on things. Garden designer and TikTok creator Ish has shared a handy tip for dealing with these unwelcome guests.

In a recent video, he demonstrated how to create a natural wasp trap using just three kitchen ingredients and an empty fizzy drink bottle. His caption read: "Wasps can be an utter nuisance around your garden when food and drink are out at a BBQ or meal, so if all fails to keep them away (like citronella candles and lemongrass or fake nests) you can make your own wasp trap!"

He added: "It should be noted that wasps are also accidental pollinators and beneficial for your garden by eating aphids too. So if you do find yourself resorting to this after trying citrus or other natural ideas then I strong advise to do so only when you've got food and drink nearby as a LAST RESORT. And don't leave them out to catch them when you're not outside."

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How to trap wasps in the garden

So, before you bin your two-litre fizzy drink bottle, give it a rinse and set it aside for this DIY wasp trap. All you'll need is some sugar, water, apple cider vinegar, and a bit of garden wire, reports the Express.

Grab a pair of scissors or a sharp blade and snip off the top bit of the bottle, flipping it to create a funnel. Ish revealed: "What will happen is the wasps can easily get in, but they find it almost impossible to get out."

Whisk together equal measures of sugar, water and apple cider vinegar and tip it into your homemade trap. Ish continued: "The sugar water alone is enough to entice it in, but the reason I like to add the apple cider vinegar is, on its own, it's not attractive to wasps, but mixed in with a bit of sweetness and they go absolutely mad for it.

"However, bees still don't like the smell of this. So while it's trapping the wasps, luckily the bees are not interested."

After adding the concoction to the bottle, Ish suggested giving it a good stir – just try not to be too vigorous. Next, slot the funnel-lid back on.

Make a hole through the side of both the bottle and funnel, threading through garden wire to fashion a handle.

This nifty garden wire trick keeps the trap intact and lets you hang it anywhere outdoors. Ish added: "Another perk of the apple cider vinegar is, because it's yellow, it's a more attractive colour for those wasps, so they'll go for this."

He recommended placing the trap near your al fresco dining spot, but not too close, so you don't 'compete' with the aroma of your grub.

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