Blame Canada. At least in this instance, the title of the Oscar-winning 1999 song from the South Park motion picture might ring true, if only for those individuals that happen to have been a part of the angry social mob that just attacked Spokane-based RESCUE! Pest Control over the past couple of days. This angry, misguided gang of idiots also decided it was worth attacking yours truly based upon a 2014 review that I’d written about the TrapStik Non-Toxic Wasp Trap, followed by some social posts over the past few years – most recently, this past May. Part of my mission is to guide families toward products that work, and when it comes to controlling the Wasp population, there is nothing that I’ve found that works as well as the TrapStik – and it does so without pesticides of any kind. Now, they’re being voluntarily pulled from the market pending a redesign, and that’s a decision I don’t agree with. The reason for the fiasco? The occasional unintended creature (bird or bug) may get stuck on the TrapStik. Personally, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
Summer 2017: A RESCUE! TrapStik for Wasps, working as it should here at Rock Father HQ.
It’s important to note that I’ve never had any kind of paid relationship with Rescue!, but they did first hit my radar through a PR agency whom they no longer work with. I’d received samples of their various traps a few years back, but the TrapStik is the one that really stuck. If you read this site regularly, then you probably know that I’m always looking out for the safety of my girls, and that means eliminating pests from the property surrounding Rock Father HQ. In particular, the three major battles have been fought against wasps, ticks and mosquitoes (I did destroy a bald-faced hornet’s nest this year as well, so there’s that!).
The wasp situation has been turned into a non-issue here, and I credit the TrapStik for doing it. Ever since those few samples, I’ve been buying them over and over again. We’re now in our fourth sting-free season here (my oldest suffered three stings the year prior to our TrapStik use), and the amount of nests discovered is tiny. They used to be everywhere. So how were these TrapStiks so effective? Here’s what the manufacturer said about them:
“The RESCUE! Non-Toxic TrapStik for Wasps effectively catches paper wasps, carpenter bees and mud daubers. The TrapStik for Wasps uses new VisiLure technology to lure these stinging insects with appealing colors and a multi-dimensional pattern. Wasps are attracted by the colors and patterns on the TrapStik, then get stuck to the adhesive surface. Wasps are lured to the sticky surface and once stuck, they expire on their own. You can hang TrapStik for Wasps under eaves to catch nesting paper wasps, mud daubers and carpenter bees. RESCUE!’s goal is to design, manufacture and market the safest, most effective pest control solutions available. Our products are the result of exhaustive and ongoing research and development, decades of experience and a commitment to solutions that respect the environment without sacrificing results. Established in 1982, RESCUE! pest management products have never used poisons or toxicants to kill pest insects.”
As with any product, there can be instances where some unintended side-effects occur, and with TrapStik, that’s the occasional non-wasp getting stuck. There are occasionally other bugs that get caught, and in rare occasions percentage-wise – a bird might be snagged as well. The latter happened here for the first time this year, and only due to my own error – I’d hung a trap in a tree (something not recommended unless a nest is known to be present). Sad to see birds on the TrapStik? Sure, but I value the safety and well-being of my children more than that of a bird or bug. If I’m being blunt, I’d call these “collateral damage” in my war against wasps.
TrapStiks have helped save HUMAN lives as there are many people out there who are allergic to stings. And even for those who aren’t allergic, a swarm is no laughing matter. The good outweighs the bad, and in this case, I’m not going to shed a tear for the wrong bug (or bird) getting caught on the trap. I could spray, but then we’re dealing with chemicals and all of that.
Hundreds of thousands of birds are killed each year by windmills. Around once a week, a bird flies into one of our windows. Should we no longer pursue renewable energy because wind turbines are “death machines” for the occasional bird? Should we invite all of the elements inside our home by not having windows that a bird might fly into? By the logic of those calling for the “banning” of TrapStik Wasp Traps, yes. After all, these people jump straight into lighting the torches and grabbing the pitchforks with calls to “put RESCUE! out of business,” and the like.
They made a non-toxic product that does what it’s supposed to.
And then there’s the complete morons crying about the traps being “inhumane.” Give me a break. I have ZERO sympathy for wasps, and I actually love seeing the little buggers twitching around. Like this 2015 video I posted:
Last year, I experienced some similar nonsense when a few people played the “inhumane” card about the DynaTrap XL I have in our backyard to kill mosquitoes. Again, it’s a non-toxic, pesticide-free solution to a big problem, but there were people out there crying about the mosquitoes! The DynaTrap, essentially a vacuum that lures the pests before sucking them into a cage, was said to be “inhumane” in that it holds the bugs until they dehydrate and die. And yes, it can catch more than mosquitoes, with occasional flies and such making their way into the trap. So cry for them as well. Absolute nonsense.
Now, after some Canadian retailers pulled TrapStik Wasp Traps following the viral spread of a bird catch, RESCUE! has voluntarily pulled the products pending a redesign – likely a cage of some sort to be placed on the outside. What’s certain is that any messing with the design will likely effect the amount of wasps it will catch, and that’s not a good thing. Someone on social even suggested having such a feature be removable, and that’s something I can get behind – put the freedom of choice in the hands of the consumer. Should that be the case, I’ll be using mine cage-free.
In the meantime, today’s announcement of the recall prompted an immediate stock-up by yours truly. A few seasons worth of TrapStik Wasp Traps are now en route, so while RESCUE! sorts out their redesign, I’ll at least have the right tools to keep our yard as wasp-free as it can be.
The idiots may have won this battle, but they’ll never win the war.
