Nothing’s worse than wasps! Having to look over your shoulder all day to make sure that you, your family, and your pets don’t get stung can get quite annoying. If you’ve got a nest nearby or are just noticing a lot of wasps showing up, is there anything that you can do to help get rid of them?
What are wasps scared of? Well, there are a number of things, namely scents, that will scare wasps off. Anything mint, such as peppermint, spearmint, or any menthol scent. There are many other strong scents that will scare wasps off as well.
But why are wasps so afraid of mint? What other smells will scare them off? Are there any other ways to repel wasps and other insects? Read on to find out all you need to know about what wasps are scared of!
What are wasps scared of?
It’s unclear if wasps actually really feel fear. However, there are a number of ways you can repel them and keep them away from your property. These methods mostly rely on smell, as this is the wasp’s strongest sense, and it relies on it most to find nutrients.
Mint
Mint is probably the most common and one of the most effective natural wasp repellents. The strong scent of menthol, spearmint, or peppermint will certainly repel curious wasps floating around your property.
Simply rip up some of the herbs and place them around your property where you think wasps might be an issue. Near windows and doors of your house are a helpful place as this is normally where they would get in. If you don’t have herbs, essential oils are an alternative we will talk about further down!
Vinegar
Vinegar is another strong, offensive scent to wasps. Vinegar is fantastic because it can always be found around the house, and applying it to repel wasps is very easy.
Put it in a spray bottle (1 part vinegar, 1 part water) and spray the sensitive areas of your house. Vinegar will not only repel the wasps but also cover scents that they might find attractive such as sweetness or flowers, just because it’s such a strong scent.
Scented Herbs
Planting herbs may also help with your wasp problem. This is especially helpful in outdoor spaces, such as gardens, where wasps might be common. If you’re having a wasp issue near your flowers, planting herbs such as thyme, basil, citronella, and others can be an effective deterrent.
It’s also great that you can actually get some use out of this method too if you want to use them to spice up some food afterward!
Essential Oils
If you don’t have any of the above materials on hand, essential oils that mimic their scents can be a great replacement. These oils can have the scents of herbs, lemon and another citrus, mint, and many others, and work well as wasp repellant.
You can spread them a bit on windowsills and doorframes where wasps might try to enter the home, or on posts and pots in your garden if that’s a problem area as well. However, essential oils are most effective when put into a diffuser. If you have one, this is no problem, but if you don’t, then this solution has a bit of an upfront cost.
Natural Solutions
Lemongrass, clove, and geranium flowers are all great natural solutions you can use to repel wasps. Wasps hate these plants, so growing them in your garden or around your home will definitely keep wasps away!
Why do you need to get rid of wasps?
You may be thinking, as long as they aren’t stinging you, why should you get rid of wasps? There are a number of reasons wasps aren’t as good as you think.
Firstly, their primary use in an ecosystem is to control the population of other insects. While this is helpful, it makes them unusually aggressive, so you are more likely to get stung with them around than bees.
Their colonies grow very large very quickly. This wouldn’t be a problem if their response to danger wasn’t swarming, but it is. If the nest is in danger, a large number of wasps can swarm and attack you, a pet, or a family member. This can be quite dangerous!
Keep a clean yard
Keeping a clean yard is a big part of not allowing too many wasp colonies to form. A lack of debris will give them fewer places to create nests, and a clean yard will attract them less from afar because it will smell less. Trim your hedges, bushes, and trees regularly, as these are the wasps’ favorite places to make a home.
Cover up your garbage
Covering your garbage up can be a great first step to reducing the number of wasps that are on your property. Garbage is a strong scent, but to wasps, it’s not horrible and gross like it is to us. To them, garbage means the potential to find food.
Wasps do like sweets, but they will also feed on meats and other foods as well if they must, making garbage a perfect target for them.
What are wasps attracted to?’
There are a number of scents that wasps are attracted to that you should avoid if you’re trying to get rid of them. As stated above, garbage is one of the big ones. Covering up your garbage scent with the lids and perhaps one of the above wasp repellants is a good start.
Wasps are also attracted to sweet scents such as fruit, so any fruit bushes or trees will surely bring some wasps into your yard.
Wasps are also attracted to bright colors. This is so they can find flowers and food more easily. If your yard or home is decorated on the outside with bright colors, it could be attracting more wasps than you’d like. Try to cut back on the color in your yard and on the outside of your home if you’re attracting many wasps.