WHY Trap introduction

SPOKANE, WA, April 28, 2008 – Sterling International, manufacturers of RESCUE!^® Pest Control Products, will unveil the first insect trap for wasps, hornets and yellowjackets – the W·H·Y Trap – at the 2008 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas on May 6, 7 and 8.

Scientists at Sterling have developed the W·H·Y Trap to catch 18 different species, including four species of paper wasps; two types of hornets; and 12 species of yellowjackets. When the W·H·Y Trap lands on retail shelves in spring 2009, consumers will have one answer for these stinging, nest-building, backyard-invading insects.

As with other RESCUE!^® products, the W·H·Y Trap uses attractants rather than killing agents. Once lured inside the trap, the insects die naturally.

The W·H·Y Trap design is cylindrical, with a slightly tapered middle and separate chambers on top and bottom. A combination of two scientifically-developed attractants lures insects into the top chamber, while a third attractant is used to bait the bottom chamber. The attractant kit lasts two weeks and no extra food bait is required.

The W·H·Y Trap will catch the queens of each species in the spring before they build nests, and will capture the foraging workers throughout summer and fall. Refill attractants will be available so the trap can be used for multiple seasons.

The W·H·Y Trap has been in the making for over six years. With the best-selling trap for yellowjackets to Sterling's credit, the company turned its attention to paper wasps in the early 2000s. "We were constantly getting calls from consumers who wanted a solution for the insects that built paper honeycomb nests under their eaves," said Rod Schneidmiller, founder and president of Sterling International. "Those insects were paper wasps."

Callers wondered if there was some ingredient, such as jam or juice, that they could add to the RESCUE!^® yellowjacket trap to get it to catch paper wasps. "We knew it wasn't that simple, because our Ph.D. scientists were trying to crack the code themselves," said Schneidmiller.

Sterling came closer to cracking the code for a paper wasp attractant in recent years, with the assistance of specialized lab equipment and the expertise of new scientists brought on board. They also homed in on hornets along the way. Field testing around the U.S. indicated the need to separate the attractants into two chambers, and the W·H·Y Trap design emerged from there.

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Since 1982, Sterling International, Inc. has created insect traps and attractants as an alternative to sprays. Based in Spokane, Washington, the company sells its RESCUE!^® Fly Traps, Yellowjacket Traps and Japanese & Oriental Beetle Traps through home improvement centers, hardware stores and lawn & garden retailers throughout the U.S. and beyond.

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