Retailers pull wasp trap from shelves after photos show it caught birds

Pike says her aunt bought the trap because her 10-year-old son is afraid of the wasps in their backyard.

But she says the boy went outside to find seven small birds stuck to the trap.

Pike says the birds all died.

After the photos surfaced online, Home Hardware said it would be pulling the product from store shelves.

A representative for Home Hardware said the company hadn’t received any reports about the TrapStik before seeing the pictures, but decided to pull the product because it was deemed “unsafe.”

Loblaw is also reportedly pulling the product from its shelves.

Representatives for the manufacturer of TrapStik, RESCUE!, posted a written statement online, saying that it’s rare for birds to be caught in the trap.

“In the 5 years since this product was introduced in the U.S., we’ve sold over 1 million TrapStiks, and have been alerted to a bird catch about a dozen times,” the statement says.

“While rare, we acknowledge that this is an upsetting and traumatizing sight for anyone to see,” it reads.

The company says TrapStiks should be kept away from trees and other places where birds are likely to fly, and should be hung from man-made structures.

Pike says her aunt hung the trap from an eavestrough, and followed all of the instructions.

“I was really sad for the birds. My heart hurt knowing that they suffered, and that’s how they had to die,” she says.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Retailers pull wasp trap from shelves after photos show it caught birds

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