Yellow Jackets and Tasty Green Fruit

As an organic avocado farmer and beekeeper, Kurt Bantle of Bantle Avocado Ranch in DeLuz-Fallbrook, California could not be a better example of the RESCUE! "Smarter Pest Control" philosophy in action.

Bantle produces award-winning avocados in a pesticide-free and herbicide-free environment in northern San Diego County. He and his wife Jennifer keep a dozen hives of honeybees to aid in pollination of the 12 acres of avocado and lemon trees, and use the RESCUE! Reusable Yellowjacket Traps to protect the hives.

Kurt says, “I found the traps after yellowjackets killed a beehive of mine a couple years back and have been a fan ever since. The traps have been amazing at protecting my hives.”

Aside from their yellow and black coloration, yellowjackets and honeybees could not be more different.  Yellowjackets are aggressive, while honeybees are gentle unless the hive is threatened. Yellowjackets bite and sting, doing so repeatedly without losing their stinger.

But the additional threat for beekeepers is that yellowjackets will attack the hive. If a honeybee colony is weak, the yellowjackets will consume the honey and pollen along with the honeybee workers and larvae. Keeping yellowjackets away from hives with the RESCUE! Yellowjacket Trap ensures healthy bees to pollinate the plants. 

“Whether they are in charge of a large growing operation or raising hives in their backyard as a hobby, beekeepers play such a vital role in ensuring we have healthy honeybee populations to pollinate flowers and crops each year,” says RESCUE! President and founder Rod Schneidmiller. “We became acquainted with Kurt Bantle when he reached out to us on social media with photos of his yellowjacket traps in action. We appreciate his dedication to producing quality food and caring for the environment, and we believe he is deserving of the inaugural RESCUE! Honeybee Award because he promotes non-toxic insect control methods that protect beneficial insects while targeting the pests – which was the goal when I founded the company.

For his efforts, Kurt Bantle will receive $350 worth of RESCUE! products, along with a gift certificate to a local lawn & garden retailer.  

Where to buy the RESCUE! Yellowjacket Traps