You’re out in the garden having a nice evening with some family and friends, and all of a sudden you hear that all too familiar buzzing sound. Yep, wasps showed up to ruin the party. How can you deal with these pests effectively? In this article, we’re going to find out.
Don’t swat at them
Our first reaction when we see a wasp buzzing around is to swat at it. This will make the wasp feel threatened and it will make it more likely to sting you. Your best bet is to stay calm and wait until it goes away. Killing the wasp might seem like a good idea if you can sneak up on it, but its dead body will release pheromones that will attract other wasps.
Avoid wearing bright colors
Wasps are attracted to both smell and color, in particular bright color. It makes sense after all – they are looking for flowers to pollinate and many of their favorite foods are colorful. If you avoid wearing bright colors you lower the chance of drawing in wasps. You can also apply this principle to your garden. Bright, colorful flowers are more likely to attract wasps.
Use citronella candles
Citronella candles are a great way to keep flies, bees, wasps and other insects away from you without having to use any pesticides or other chemicals. The citronella smell repels these insects and you can find these candles in most supermarkets, hardware and hormeware stores.
Cover the food
The longer you keep your food out in the open, the higher the chance that wasps are going to pay you a visit. If you are having a picnic or a meal outside, pack your food containers that can easily be resealed after they are opened. Even a simple mesh cloth may be enough to keep wasps away because they will give up and fly away after they cannot access the food.
Strong smelling plants
Wasps have a hard time dealing with strong smells from plants and plant material such as tomato stems, garlic cloves, ground coffee or fresh mint. You can grow a lot of these plants in your garden in order to keep the wasps away, and you can bring them with you when you want to have a nice evening on the patio without being disturbed.
Dealing with a more serious infestation
During summer, it’s not uncommon to run into a few wasps here and there on your property, but if it seems like you’re dealing with an overwhelming amount, there might be a nest nearby. This is when you want to call over a pest control specialist. Contact us today if you have any problems with wasps.
