Wasp season comes around every spring and that means dealing with these pesky critters regularly. While wasps are important for the ecosystem, no one wants them buzzing around their head or nesting in their home. This article will provide you with 11 ways to keep wasps out of your home so that you can enjoy peace and tranquility without having to worry about these stinging insects.
Remove Wasp Food Sources and Attractants
The first step to getting rid of wasps is to remove their food sources and attractants. Wasps are attracted to sweet smells, so get rid of any ripe fruit or sugary drinks that might be sitting out. If you have a garbage can, make sure it has a tight-fitting lid to keep wasps from scavenging through the trash. You should also trim back any overgrown vegetation as wasps like to nest in these areas.
Deter Them With Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is a natural wasp repellent that you can use to keep away from your home. Simply add a few drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle filled with water and mist it around the perimeter of your home. You can also put a cotton ball soaked in peppermint oil near entry points to deter wasps from coming inside.
Grow Wasp-Repelling Peppermint Plants
Another way to deter wasps is to grow peppermint plants around your home. Wasps don’t like the smell of peppermint, so having these plants nearby will help keep them away. You can also crush up the leaves and sprinkle them around areas where you’ve seen wasps in the past.
DIY Bottle Traps
You can also make your wasp traps using bottles and a little sugar water. Simply fill a bottle with a few inches of sweetened water and add a drop of dish soap. Place these traps around your yard and check them periodically to see how many wasps you’ve caught.
Lure Them With Commercial Wasp Traps
If you’re serious about getting rid of wasps, then you may want to invest in some commercial wasp traps. These devices use bait to lure wasps inside where they get stuck and eventually die. You can find these traps at most hardware stores or online.
Keep Them Out With Caulk and Sealing Cracks
Wasps can squeeze through small cracks and crevices to get into your home, so it’s important to seal up any openings. Use caulk or expanding foam to fill in any gaps around windows, doors, and other potential entry points.
Kill Them With Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
If you have wasps inside your home, then you can kill them with food-grade diatomaceous earth. This powder is made from fossilized algae and it’s deadly to insects. Simply sprinkle it around areas where you’ve seen wasps and they’ll eventually die.
It works by puncturing their exoskeletons and dehydrating them.
Make Sure All Trash, Recycling, and Waste Bins are Closed and Tightly Sealed
As mentioned earlier, wasps are attracted to sweet smells. This means that they’ll be drawn to any open trash cans or recycling bins. Make sure all of your bins are closed and sealed tightly to prevent wasps from getting inside.
Install a Bug Zapper
Another way to keep wasps away is to install a bug zapper. These devices emit ultraviolet light that attracts insects. Once they’re close enough, they get electrocuted and die. Bug zappers are a great way to keep wasps away from your home without using chemicals.
Use Wasp Nest Decoys
If you’re dealing with a wasp nest, then you can try using a decoy to get rid of them. Wasps are territorial, so they’ll often attack any other nests that they see in the area. These artificial nests can be found at most hardware stores or online.
Remove All Wasp Nests
Removing wasp nests can be tricky business, but it’s often the best way to get rid of them for good. While it’s not essential to do as you can just kill them and leave the next, some people prefer to remove the nest completely.
As mentioned before, leaving a dead nest will deter other wasps from moving in.
How to Safely Remove Wasp Nests Outside Your Home
If the wasp nest is located outside your home, then you can try to remove it yourself. First, you’ll need to put on some protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, pants, gloves, and a veil.
Next, you’ll need something to kill the wasps – either a commercial spray or some diatomaceous earth with an applicator. Spray this on the nest and wait for a few minutes. This will kill the wasps inside and make it easier to remove the nest.
In the case of using food-grade diatomaceous earth, you’ll need to wait a few days for them to die. In either case, it’s better to wait longer.
If you try and remove a nest with live wasps you will get attacked.
After the wasps are dead, use a stick or other object to knock the nest down. Make sure to dispose of it properly so that the wasps can’t rebuild it.
How to Safely Remove Wasp Nests Inside Your Garage or Shed
If the wasp nest is located inside your garage, shed, or inside your home, then you should call a professional to remove it. This is because there’s a risk of being stung if you try to do it yourself.
A professional will have the proper equipment and experience to safely remove the nest without putting themselves or you at risk.
If you do plan to try it yourself, then follow the same steps as above. However, be extra careful not to get too close to the nest and always have an escape route planned in case you’re attacked.
How to Safely Remove Wasp Nests Inside Your Walls
When wasps build nests inside your walls, it can be difficult to remove them yourself. This is because you may need to open up the wall to get to the nest. If you’re not comfortable doing this, then you should call a professional.
In my case when this happened to me last year I simply caulked all the entrances from the outside which lead to a disaster.
Over the next few days, I had over 30 wasps come into the house as they slowly crawled through the cinder block walls till they found a crack in.
I never opened the wall to remove the old nest but in the end, all wasps were killed and all cracks were sealed.
Sealing the cracks was a last resort since multiple rounds of commercial wasp-killing sprays into the cracks did nothing.
If you are comfortable taking on this project, then follow these steps.
First, find the location of the nest by watching for the cracks in your walls or around outlets where they are coming and going.
Next, insert an insecticide dust-like diatomaceous earth into the nest for several days in a row until all wasps are dead and there’s no more movement into and out of the nest.
Lastly, seal up the cracks with caulk or another sealant to prevent them from coming back.
Author Bio
David Miller is a freelance writer and the Chief Editor for Happyhomequest.com. He has been writing for over 10 years and has a passion for home improvement, design, and decor. David has considerable experience dealing with house repairs, as well as home pests and environmental concerns like wasps, radon, and black mold.