Wheat stem sawflies, Cephus cinctus Norton, show marked oviposition preferences for certain wheat varieties. The spring wheat variety ‘Reeder’ produces significantly higher amounts of the behaviorally active compound (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate than ‘Conan’ spring wheat and is preferred as a host. To test if the differences in attractiveness between ‘Conan’ and ‘Reeder’ could influence the effectiveness of a trap crop to manage this insect, a field experiment was conducted for 2 consecutive years. We compared the efficacy of another preferred host, winter wheat, as a trap crop to protect these two varieties against infestation by the wheat stem sawfly. Infestation in ‘Reeder’ and ‘Conan’ was assessed by dissecting wheat stems to count the eggs and larvae of this insect. Infestation levels in the spring wheat next to the traps were significantly lower than infestation in the traps. Infestation in ‘Conan’ was significantly lower compared to infestation in ‘Reeder’, both years of the experiment. These results suggest that a winter wheat trap crop shows considerable potential for management of the wheat stem sawfly in an unattractive host variety like ‘Conan’, more effectively than in an attractive host such as ‘Reeder’. A stimulo-deterrent diversionary strategy involving attractive and unattractive varieties, or manipulation of semiochemicals should be considered when using trap crops to manage the wheat stem sawfly.