One former sailor-turned-beekeeper made an unexpected discovery and entered the history! 👏🫢 He thought of a trap that eventually won awards and is sold across 1️⃣8️⃣ countries in Europe! 😲 After this breakthrough he even started his own company! ✅💯 This ingenious trap is also widely utilized in governments and private homeowners! 👍🤗 Interested enough? 🧐🤔 I will tell how it works in this article! 👇
In the Brittany region of France, a former sailor-turned-beekeeper made an unexpected breakthrough in the battle against Asian hornets. His innovative trap, which has already won awards and is now sold across 18 European countries, is set to make its mark in the United States.
The story began in 2016 when Denis Jafré, an experienced beekeeper, faced a devastating attack from an aggressive wasp species. In just a short time, he lost half of his bee colonies—50 hives gone. Determined to find a solution, he started working on a defense system to protect his remaining bees. The result? A highly efficient trap that led him to establish his company, Jabeprode, in 2019. Just two years later, his creation earned recognition at the prestigious Lepine competition, setting the stage for an incredible business journey.
What started as a small operation in his own home has grown into a thriving company with an annual revenue exceeding one million euros. Today, Jabeprode’s traps are widely used by beekeepers, local governments, and even private homeowners across Europe. In France, regions like Haute-Savoie have embraced his invention as an essential tool for pest control. The company’s production has scaled up to a 480-square-meter workshop in Bodilis, where a dedicated team of seven employees manufactures the traps.
To expand even further, Jafré is preparing to launch a crowdfunding campaign to acquire a larger production facility. He also envisions offering specialized training on eco-friendly nest removal techniques, using sulfur dioxide—a gas that effectively eliminates nests while minimizing environmental impact.
The genius behind Jafré’s trap lies in its straightforward yet highly effective design. It features a container filled with an attractant and a fabric-covered box with cone-shaped openings. These openings are designed precisely to trap Asian hornets while allowing other insects to escape, ensuring the device does not disrupt local biodiversity.
Beyond just selling his invention, Jafré is on a mission to educate people about the dangers of Asian hornets and the urgent need to control their spread, particularly in areas at high risk. His work has already sparked interest outside of Europe, with the first inquiries from the United States rolling in. As demand for his groundbreaking solution grows, Jafré’s journey from beekeeper to entrepreneur is proving to be as remarkable as his life-saving invention itself.
