Wasps, bees and Yellow jackets are beneficial insects but encounters with them can also be painful. In today’s guide, we will talk about some ways to keep wasps from building nests.
1. Keep kids’ hands clean and free of sugary foods
Stinging insects like wasps are attracted to sugary foods. So make sure children wash their hands after eating food at picnics. This is an important step to prevent stings.
2. Protect yourself before handling nests
If you plan on handling a wasp nest, make sure you use protective gear first. Wear boots and protect your hands with rubber gloves. Also wear thick coveralls over your clothes. A beekeeper’s hat and veil can help prevent wasp bites on face.
3. Leave them alone!
Another easy way to keep wasps away from you is to simply leave their nests alone. However, if you see a large wasp nest near human activity, use an aerosol wasp and hornet spray at the entrance of the nest. Observe the nest for the next 24 hours. If you do not see any wasp activity then you can safely assume that all wasps have been eliminated. You can now seal the nest. If however you do see wasps, you need to repeat treatment for the next 3-4 days. To seal the nest, place a heavy plastic bag on the nest and seal it shut. You may also place the nest in the sun or freeze it.
4. Use the right wasp control products
There are many products that repel wasps and bees that are readily available in the market. Make sure you use one that is cleared for use in lawns and soils. Also, always choose dusts instead of liquid insecticides. Here are some top products for wasp control: Carbaryl (available as dust or concentrate), chlorpyrifos (dust), diazinon (liquid concentrate). These are suitable for ground wasp nests. For wasp nests hidden in building voids, use Bendiocarb (dust), or Boric acid. The latter is slow acting.
5. Limit water sources
In order to keep wasps away from decks, limit the water sources in the area.
6. Use soapy water filled toy guns
This is an effective way of repelling soft bodied insects like bees, yellow jackets and wasps. Simply use a toy water gun filled with soapy solution (water and soap in 50:50 ratio).
7. Make wasp decoy
A wasp decoy is also known as a wasp trap, bait or lure. You can use commercial baits or use them in combination with home remedies like apple cider, cranberry sauce or juice. You can place these traps directly on dumpsters at least 50 ft from your picnic site. An easy homemade DIY wasp trap includes a narrow neck bottle with fruit juice, vinegar and detergent. The wasp flies in but cannot fly out.
8. Use essential oils
There are no studies present to prove that essential oils effectively repel bees and wasps. However, some people have successfully used mint oil for wasp control. You must apply the oil on exposed nests of paper wasps or hornets. Spray at the entrance of the nest and continue spraying until you finish the entire bottle. Note that with this method of wasp control, some pests might still survive. So you need to repeat application.
9. Use detergent
A strong detergent used at the entrance to the nests can prevent the wasps from coming back to it.
10. Lemon slices with cloves
Wasps make themselves scarce when they smell lemon slices studded with cloves. Use this remedy to repel wasps from your picnic tables.
11. DIY natural wasp repellent vinegar
Heated vinegar is another easy way to keep wasps away from you and your picnic.
12. Coffee smoke
Buy some cheap coffee filters and some cheap ground coffee. Put the filter in a heat-proof vessel. Add the coffee on the filter. Light the filter paper. The acrid coffee smoke will drive the critters away.
13. Place open beer cans to lure wasps away
Keep an open bottle of beer or sugary water away from your picnic table to lure insects away from you.
Try these 13 easy ways to repel wasps and prevent stings.