12 Simple Ways To Keep Wasps Away
February 4, 2020
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I’m allergic to bees, so I’m always on the lookout for effective tips and tricks to keep bees, wasps, hornets, and the like away from our home and yard. Even if you’re not allergic, getting stung is certainly not a pleasant experience. Thankfully, there are a number of simple yet effectual ways to keep wasps out of your outdoor spaces!
1. Protect Your Food
Eating outdoors during the nice weather is really enjoyable. However, leaving food outside during a picnic or barbecue is a sure way to attract wasps. When eating outside, be sure to cover any food. When you’ve finished your plate, bring it inside so leftover food isn’t sitting out, inviting wasps to the area.
2. Be Wary Of Fruit Trees
Speaking of food, wasps absolutely love the sweet, rotting fruit that falls from fruit trees. If you have fruit trees in your yard, get in the habit of picking up any fallen fruit on a regular basis to prevent wasps from hanging around.
3. Avoid Sweet Scents
You probably already know that wasps and mosquitoes are attracted to sweet scents. This includes perfume, scented body lotion, and even scented hair products. When planning to be outdoors, avoid wearing any scented products.
4. Wear A Repellent
It’s not a bad idea to wear a wasp repellent spray when spending time outdoors. You can buy a wasp repellent spray from a store, or you can make your own by mixing together a few drops of peppermint essential oil and water.
5. Plant Wasp Repellents
Speaking of peppermint oil, there are certain plants that wasps absolutely despise. Consider planting spearmint, lemongrass, thyme, or citronella in your outdoor spaces to naturally deter wasps from hanging around.
6. Use A Decoy Nest
Wasps are funny creatures, and they won’t create a nest in an area where another nest is already present. In the spring, try hanging a decoy nest in your front yard and back yard. You can buy a decoy nest here.
7. Maintain The Yard
Many wasp varieties will nest in holes, tunnels, piles of brush, and rotting wood. For these reasons, try to maintain your yard as best as you can. Fill in any holes and clear away piles of wood, brush, etc.
8. Use A Wasp Trap
If you have a very minimal wasp issue, you can buy a wasp trap from any home and garden or hardware store. For small wasp populations, this is a cheap and easy way to help deal with the issue.
9. Maintain Your Home
We’ve talked a lot about keeping wasps away from your outdoor spaces, but it’s also extremely important to keep wasps out of your home! Be sure to seal any cracks or crevices in doorways, and to ensure window screens don’t have any rips or tears. Performing a regular maintenance check is a quick and simple way to keep wasps from getting inside.
10. Remove The Nest
Now, most extreme wasp cases are the result of a nest in the area. Even if you think you’re up for the task of removing it, we strongly recommend using a professional. Properly removing a wasp nest can be a very complicated job, so it’s best to pay for the services of a professional and save yourself from potentially receiving hundreds of stings – it’s well worth the money.
11. Clean The Area
Once you’ve removed the wasp nest in question, it’s important to clean the area thoroughly. Wasps leave behind a pheromone trail, which can attract other wasps to the area, encouraging them to start constructing a new nest. Be sure to clean the area where the nest was removed from with hot, soapy water before rinsing thoroughly.
12. Protect Your Car
Have you ever been stuck in your car with a wasp? You definitely don’t want to be. To prevent wasps from entering your vehicle (and to encourage them to fly out the window if they do get in), place some mint leaves in a mesh bag to deter them.
Now that you know these quick and simple tips, hopefully you can now enjoy a wasp-free spring and summer!