Ornetin® Trap for Asian Hornet

01 · FIRST, THE LEGAL PART

The Asian hornet is not just another wasp

Vespa velutina is listed as an invasive alien species of Union concern. That has two practical consequences: captured specimens are not released and not moved alive, and if you find a nest, the thing to do is report it to your regional authorities — not deal with it yourself.

A trap is a tool for monitoring and for easing pressure at the entrance, not a method of eradication. It tells you when the hornet has arrived and takes the weight off the hive front; the nest is for whoever has the means and the authority to handle it.

02 · SELECTIVITY

Wide openings so what should not be caught gets out

The openings in the lid make it easier for non-target insects to get out. Selectivity depends on the whole set-up: design, bait, placement and maintenance.

Neither alcohol nor a sugary bait guarantees on its own that other insects are kept out. Keep track of what stays inside and adjust or remove the trap if the by-catch is excessive.

03 · SPRING OR AUTUMN

Two ways to run it, by season

In spring, for founding queens, it is used upright with liquid: white wine, red-fruit syrup and beer. It is slow to start, because until the liquid reaches a certain level it attracts little.

In summer and autumn, with workers hunting at the entrance, it works upright with liquid or on its side, dry: two spoonfuls of syrup on an absorbent material — straw, cotton or paper. The first hornets caught draw in the next.

For the dry set-up on its side, the manufacturer specifies syrup on absorbent material. Follow the instructions for the version you receive: do not add nozzles or recommendations from the UV version to a Classic. Hornets may still be alive when you check the jar; follow the manufacturer's emptying procedure before opening it.

04 · THE JAR

A format you can find anywhere

It comes with an 825 ml Le Parfait jar, and that is a maintenance advantage more than a design one: when it breaks or gets past cleaning, the replacement comes from any hardware shop or supermarket instead of waiting for a spare part.

The trap itself is reusable season after season: you clean it and put it back together.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a management tool, with what that means and what it does not: