Wasps can be irritating, intrusive, downright mean and they’re not going anywhere without a fight. Luckily, I have a battle plan and the best news is you don’t have to expose your kids and pets to dangerous pesticides.
There are 10 natural ways to turn your lawn back into the oasis it should be.
Say Hello to My Little Friend – Soap and Water
Mixing a healthy dose of dish soap in a sprayer with a hose attachment can make quick work of removing wasps. Just be sure get the suds going well before completely soaking the nest with this concoction. The soap will stick to the wasps’ wings and the extra weight will make it hard for them to fly.
They will eventually suffocate. Those lucky enough to survive this treatment will know you mean business and leave to ruin someone else’s 4th of July picnic.
Gotta Catch Em All! – Homemade Wasp Traps
The beauty of this idea is that you probably have everything you need to make a trap that can kill hundreds of wasps. All you need is a plastic bottle, such as a two liter. Cut the top third of it off carefully, invert it so that it fits neatly inside the bigger part and simply add some sort of attractant.
Fruity scents work best, so try fruit juice or even wine (Bonus! Drink a glass or two to toast the demise of your tiny enemies, enjoying the same liquid that will kill them). If you need more ideas of bait, check out this video with a cute young man that really did his homework!
Related: 16 Mosquito Trap Ideas That Will Catch 1,000’s of Mosquitos Daily
Fake Em Out – Fake Nests
Wasps are actually very territorial creatures. They’re also, lucky for us, not that smart.
You can make a decoy nest by crumpling up a brown paper bag and tying it up in a tree near the real nest. Once the wasps see it, they’ll think that the turf has already been taken and leave to avoid a scuffle.
Seal The Exits! Kill Them Where They Lie!
Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic. This technique works for ground nests. It takes a bit of a stake-out. From a safe distance, watch the area that you’ve seen wasps.
See where they’re going in and coming out and seal them up however you’d like, just ensuring that the seal is air-tight. They will be cut off from their food supply and eventually die.
Pretty Scents for Us – Overwhelming for Them
Wasps can’t stand the scents of some plants. Wormwood, Eucalyptus, Mint and Citronella plants will keep your yard free of wasps, along with a lot of other pesky bugs.
The strong scents will be like that co-worker who wears too much perfume or cologne. The wasps will gag, get out of dodge and probably make fun of you at the water cooler.
Related: 12 Best Ways to Get Rid of Spiders Naturally in Your House
Attack of the Killer Pitcher Plants
Why deter the wasps when you can kill them? The pitcher plant is a wasp (and all other small things) predator. This bulbous-looking plant is a carnivore that uses its irresistible scent, nectar and bright colors to attract any unsuspecting insect into its trap.
The slippery surface and downward facing hairs make an escape nearly impossible. The wasp then drowns in the liquid at the bottom and gets digested by the plant.
The bad news is that these are not easy plants to maintain, so I suggest you research their care before spending your money on them.
A Penny for Your Thoughts – The Ole’ Penny in a Bag Trick
All you do is put a penny in a sandwich bag filled with water and hang it on your deck. No one is sure why this works, but it does. Flying insects like wasps, flies and mosquitoes have many eyes and the reflecting light from the water and penny may be too bright.
Other theories include the reflection cast by the bag looks too much like a massive spider web to the wasps, so they stay away. I can’t blame them for that one!
Drown the Suckers, House and All!
This idea takes a quick hand and a whole lot of guts. Wear gloves and a few layers of clothes, just in case. Very carefully, enclose the nest in a cloth bag and tie it off quickly.
This should ensure that it is sealed well (make sure there are no holes in your bag first, these are not going to be happy wasps) and you can then safely submerge the bag in a bucket of water.
Put a rock or something heavy on top of the bag to keep it under water. The wasps will drown quickly, but leave it in the water longer than you think is necessary before throwing it out.
Related: 15 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Those Nasty Bed Bugs Forever
You May Catch More Flies With Honey, But You’ll Kill More Wasps With Vinegar
Mix one cup of vinegar and one cup of water in a spray bottle. You can arm yourself with this spray any time you go outside and effectively kill any wasp that dares cross your path.
While this won’t kill the whole nest, there’s something empowering about killing rogue wasps on site.
Send Them To Bed Without Their Supper
While wasps will eat other insects, they enjoy free meals even more. Put your garbage cans in a shed or garage, make sure all food scraps are picked up, keep your dog or cat’s food inside, don’t give the wasps any reason to choose your yard as their new digs. If you have fruit trees, quickly pick up any fruit that falls to the ground.
Say Good Bye to Those Harmful Chemicals & Get Rid of Wasps Naturally
The battle against wasps is one that you can absolutely win in a natural way. Just be sure to be safe about it. If you try one of the above tips that requires you to get anywhere near the nest, be sure to do so at dusk when the wasps are sleepy and bedding down for the night.
As stated earlier, wear gloves and multiple layers of clothes. Wasps can sting over and over again and they anger quickly. If one of these suggestions doesn’t work for you, try another one. Something will work!
Don’t give up. This is your home, not theirs, and you can protect it chemical-free.