VespaCatch Select: New Selective Trap for the Asian Hornet

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The Véto-pharma team announces the launch of its brand-new trap “VespaCatch Select,” a selective and adaptive trap that specifically targets different species of hornets (such as the Asian hornet, also called “yellow-legged hornet”) without impacting other insects.

 

  • Selective because it allows small insects to escape without the risk of drowning.
  • And adaptive because it can adjust the trap’s entrance size in seconds.
    An innovation that will make you ready to capture all types of hornets that might threaten your beehives or green spaces, and to adapt the trap entrance for trapping Vespa velutina foundresses or workers.

    Want to find out more? The article below explains it all!

1. The VespaCatch range: protecting your apiaries since 2010

In 2010, Véto-pharma made available to beekeepers a small yellow trap, now well-known, and a special attractant to trap Asian hornets. This duo has continuously proven its effectiveness against the Asian hornet. Numerous spontaneous testimonials on social networks and regional and national media attest to this effectiveness.

Effective, but unfortunately not quite selective. However, selectivity has become a major concern for trappers in recent years.

That’s why the Véto-pharma team has set itself the challenge of proposing a new trap that meets the following criteria:

  • Effective,
  • Limits the capture of non-targeted hornets (for example, Vespa crabro, European hornet, which does not pose a threat to beehives),
  • Allows the exit of small insects and bees,
  • Affordable, to allow everyone to protect beehives and green spaces. Most selective traps are indeed marketed around 35-45 euros, whereas the VespaCatch Select will be offered at a more affordable price.

Challenge met: the new VespaCatch Select trap arrives this month at beekeeping equipment distributors.

VespaCatch Select Trap

2. VespaCatch Select: Triple selectivity

How is the selectivity of the new VespaCatch Select trap guaranteed?

4 key features to remember:

  • INNOVATION – The entry holes are adjustable: you can choose between 5 different diameters (ranging from 7mm to 11mm – 0.27 to 0.43 in.) to adjust the entry diameter to the hornet or wasp species you want to target. 
    Asian hornet? Opt for 9 mm (0.35 in.) for overall capture (foundresses + workers), and 8 mm (0.31 in.) to target workers only). Victim of the newly arrived Oriental hornet in the Southeast? The 10 mm (0.39 in.) diameter will be most appropriate. Diameters 7 and 8 mm (0.27 and 0.31 in.) will be more suitable for trapping wasps, while 11 mm (0.43 in.) could be used in case of invasion by Vespa Mandarinia, the giant hornet, never spotted in Europe so far. In short, you only need one trap to adapt to multiple invaders.
  • The trap is equipped with an anti-drowning grid to prevent drowning of insects in the attractant liquid.
  • A filtering cone is also present, preventing hornets from reversing into the trap, but allowing smaller insects to do so if necessary.
  • And finally, exit holes are placed in the final container intended to contain the captured hornets. They allow non-targeted insects to escape, maximizing the trap’s selectivity.
VespaCatch Select : Nouveau piège sélectif pour le frelon asiatique
Captures made with one of our VespaCatch Select prototypes in 2023

3. Assembly of the VespaCatch Select: nothing could be simpler!

Even though it has more parts than the VespaCatch Original trap, the VespaCatch Select remains extremely easy to assemble. A complete instruction manual is available on the trap’s box. Here is a short video to explain how to set up the trap step by step: 

VespaCatch Select : Nouveau piège sélectif pour le frelon asiatique
VespaCatch Select trap in detail

4. Will VespaCatch Select replace the previous VespaCatch Original trap?

No, both traps will coexist, as they both meet two distinctive needs:

  • Maximum efficiency for minimal cost = VespaCatch Original (old trap)
  • Efficiency and selectivity for an affordable cost = VespaCatch Select (new trap)

 

So everyone can choose their trapping system according to their budget, priorities, and predation on their beehives. No need to worry, you can still find the old VespaCatch trap at your usual distributors.

 

The attractant VespaCatch for Asian hornets also remains unchanged and can be used at the same dosage in both traps.

5. Where to get VespaCatch Select?

VespaCatch Select is available from the beekeeping equipment distributors. Then we hope to see the product’s availability expand to some garden centers, for the protection of public and private green spaces.

To see the list of retailers, click here.

Contact them to find out when VespaCatch Select will be available in their stock.

For any questions

FRE-33-UK-N01-05/24

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A recently published study conducted in 10 apiaries in the Eure department in the summer/autumn of 2019 compared the effectiveness and selectiveness of three Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) trapping devices