Joseph
Can you chase away or keep away wasps? I wouldn’t say I like wasps, and although it doesn’t panic me like others, I find wasps super annoying. So I wondered what to do about wasps. My question on Facebook gave me a lot of tips to keep wasps at bay. Not all directions work for everyone. The effect depends on, among other things, weather conditions, body odor, and time of year.
Wasp deterrent by hanging something
- Wasp trap: The most common wasp trap is the wasp trap. You cut a soda bottle in half, fill the bottom with something sweet and place the top of the bottle upside down in the bottom part. There are now also ready-made wasp trap wasp bags for sale. Opinions differ about which sweets are best used to fight the wasps and put them in the bottle. Lemonade, lemonade, beer, and dish soap all seem to work. I always use a combination of lemonade and washing-up liquid. The latter makes the sweetness thicker, and the wasps cannot get out as well. One wasp trap can work, but you can also hang several. That works even better to chase away the wasps. Do turn them some distance from your tent or patio so that they do not fly into your habitat. Do not hang up until you are bothered by the yellow, black insects. Otherwise, you will attract them.
- Fake wasps: The Waspinator is a fake wasp nest that you hang from a tree next to your tent or patio. Wasps are territorial and then think they are entering the territory of another family and keep their distance. So it naturally repels the wasps. On Facebook, I got this as a tip several times from people who have been using this for several years with good results, and they are also enthusiastic in the video above. I am going to buy one myself for next summer.
- Hanging up the water bag: Fill a sturdy clear pedal bin bag with water or ice, or line it with aluminum foil. The flickering of the water or foil is light that wasps cannot stand. With that, you can quickly chase away the wasps.
- Insect lamp: I have not had such good experiences with this, but several readers indicated that it worked well for them against wasps. The lamp attracts insects with UV light, after which they are electrocuted or burned by touching the lamp. An insect lamp is practical, and you can also see the result nicely. It’s killing wasps like that. I find it annoying that it does indeed attract insects to you, and I wouldn’t say I like the smell of burnt insects during dinner or drinks.
Wasp deterrent by common plants:
Wasps appear to be very sensitive to odors. Especially the common and the German wasp, the most common, also attract that sweet scent. Wasps are therefore also chased away by smells that they do not like. The good news is that most of these scents also keep flies and mosquitoes away. Which scents? Those are the best wasp deterrent:
- Lavender is an anti wasp plant whose scent does not please wasps. It, therefore, works fine to combat wasps. For your home, you can plant a few large bunches in your garden or hang a few planters in front of your window. You can also put some bags of dried lavender in the tent or caravan or rub yourself with lavender oil at the campsite. Lavender is one of the plants that work against wasps.
- Garlic not only works well to keep people away but also against wasps. The scent keeps wasps and humans at bay. Perhaps not always the best option at the campsite if you also want to have a coffee at the neighbors, but effective.
- Filter coffee smelled: Really such a remedy from grandma’s case. Put a little filter coffee and put it on the fire. Coffee pods work well for this too. You will notice that it stinks quite a bit. The wasps think so also, so you can keep them at a distance.
- Copper: Copper also seems to have a scent, although I actually couldn’t distinguish it myself. Wasps can smell it and let it scare away. I let myself be fixed. You would only have to put a few coins on the table for it to work.
- Clove: This method is often used on terraces. Cut an orange or lemon in half and press some cloves in it. You put that on a saucer and put it close to where you sit. The scent will scare away the wasps. There is also clove oil for sale, which has the same effect.
- Vinegar: Yes, most people also think vinegar stinks, and wasps think the same about it. Put a saucer on the table, and the wasps keep their distance. You can also put the cloves in the vinegar; it will work twice as hard.
- Tomato branch or mint plant: These two plants also have a scent that wasps don’t like. However, I experimented with mint myself by putting it on the table bruised, which seemed to have little effect.
- Frankincense: I wouldn’t say I like incense at all, and I don’t know if it makes your camping neighbors happy, but it helps fight wasps. The smell and the smoke are both unpleasant for a wasp.
- Ammonia: A tip from Grandma. I think this smells so bad that I would only use it in case of significant nuisance from wasps. A dish of water with ammonia will keep the wasps at a distance. Ammonia can indeed chase away wasps, according to grandma.
- Onion: Onions not only help against colds but also against wasps. A freshly cut onion has a pungent smell that makes people cry and can fight wasps. Again, it helps to put the onion in a small water layer to spread the fragrance longer.
Rosemary on the BBQ: I also got this tip from a reader. The scent of rosemary is also another remedy that helps against wasps. Also, barbecuing is a lot better when you are frying smoke in the delicious rosemary.
