Have An Old Tuna Can? Here's How It Can Be Used To Trap Pests

Before you toss your empty tuna cans into the recycling bin, you might want to keep a few around in order to protect your home from pests. While there are a myriad of ways to repurpose these metal containers around your home and garden, one of the easiest is to transform them into simple pest traps. There are no additional purchases required; you only need your empty can and a sweet ingredient to entice and control your specific pest population. Thanks to their size, tuna cans make for excellent pitfall traps. These are traps that lure pests inside. Once they're in, the walls of the container ensure they can't get back out, causing them to eventually die inside. 

This method of trap can work on all types of ground-dwelling pests around your home, from beetles to slugs. You also don't need a can specifically used for tuna; there are similarly sized cans containing other preserved food you may have at home, like other fish, seafood, tomato paste, chilies, and more. The main steps of this process include cleaning out the can, filling it with a solution that attracts pests, and placing it in your yard where pests are likely to find it. 

Making a pitfall trap for your outdoor pests only takes a few minutes. Once you have your empty tuna can, wash it to ensure it is completely clean. Next, select your location. You may need a small trowel to dig a hole for the can to securely sit in. For pitfall traps, it's important to ensure the opening is as flush with the ground as possible, making it easy for pests to fall inside. You can place your tuna can near the affected area of your property, where you've spotted the pests the most. 

Once you've cleaned your container, chosen the intended location, and made a hole, you can add your pest-attracting contents. You can use simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, like a dish detergent and water mixture, apple cider vinegar, or regular vinegar.  While apple cider vinegar can help kill stink bugs, a brown sugar, yeast, and water mixture can help bait and trap other insects, such as beetles and moths. If you struggle with an ant population in your home, try using basic household castile soap as your pitfall trap concoction. These ingredients should attract the pests, causing them to fall into the trap. With these types of traps, it's important to check on them consistently and empty them out if they become full.