Wasp Catchers

Rosinville, S.C.

This picture in front of the little convenience store in Rosinville. S.C. is a period piece with the chairs lined up and the pay phone in the background, my potential lottery winnings posted in the window, but what caught my eye was the glass jar hanging from the awning. It is a insect/wasp trap. Closer view:

Not that I have a wasp problem but it is interesting. It took me a few minutes but I tracked down these traditional glass wasp catchers from Garrett Wade:

The time-honored way these work is that the wasp (or hornet, yellowjacket, or fly) is enticed by any sweet liquid to fly up into the jar through the hole in the base. Once inside, the bug will invariably drown. When full, you simply pull out the top stopper and empty the Trap. Hang it from any convenient branch, nail or hook; it requires no maintenance whatsoever, except an occasional look-see and cleaning. Leave outdoors all the time, except if freezing.

These are still made in modern forms today, but ours are exact replicas of an antique Victorian wasp trap which we came across years ago during trip through the Lake District in England

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