Wasps are attracted to sweet smells, so they will be drawn to flowers and fruit trees. They are also attracted to the smell of garbage.
There are several essential oils you can use to safely and effectively repel wasps. Peppermint oil on its own has been shown to act as a natural repellent for wasps and bees, or you can use a combination of clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils as a natural pest control method.
They are attracted to fruits, open juice or soda bottles, honey, jam, desserts, and other sweet foods. Wasp's love for sugar is down to the fact that yellow jacket larvae secrete a sugary substance that worker wasps consume. This substance is the primary source of sugar that adult wasps eat during the summer.
Many types of wasps are attracted to sweet smells. Whether is in deodorant or perfume, the scents can attract unwanted attention from insects. They can't tell the difference between perfume and flowers and are agitated when it's not the latter. Avoid wearing scented deodorants, especially florals.
A wasp may also mistake cologne or perfume for nectar, so these aromas will also attract wasps into your yard. Like nectar and other sweet scents, the aroma of sweet food will also attract wasps. Fruit trees, fruit juice, and even soda are all sweet-smelling scents that will attract wasps.
The sweet scent is what attracts wasps, drawn to the aroma the same way wasps are attracted to blossoms. Soda drinks, jellies, cookies dissolved in water, a banana in water or other fruit or fruit juice have enough sugar to attract wasps.
Wasps are attracted by white and yellow. However, like most insects they don't recognise the colour red. Avoid strong smells such as perfumes, hairspray, heavily scented deodorants which attract stinging insects. Wasps don't like the smell of mint.
Wasps can remember each other after a busy week apart, according to new research. It's a level of social memory never seen before in insects, which were long thought to be too small-brained for such a feat.
Wasps also don't like vinegar. As a wasp deterrent, some people place an equal mix of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. They then spray the wasps to get them away. While this method may be somewhat effective, it's also dangerous.
Peppermint oil: Wasps and hornets hate the smell of peppermint oil! So, take a cotton ball soaked in peppermint oil and place it near areas where you've seen wasps and hornets. You can also add a few drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle filled with water and use it to spray areas.
Insects like dragonflies, beetles, and centipedes eat wasps. Many wasps fall into the hands of predators like dragonflies, centipedes, hoverflies, beetles, spiders, moths, praying mantis, and robber flies.
Always remain still if a wasp approaches you. If you have to run away, do so in a straight line, without flailing your arms. Protect your head and face, as these areas are mostly likely to be targeted by the wasps.
If a wasp lands on you, don't flap at it or try to brush it off – it will sting you. Just stay still and let it fly off in its own time.
A cheap and highly effective solution is a simple mixture of dish soap and water. Blend two tablespoons of dish soap into a water-filled spray bottle and shake. Spray the mixture onto nests or individual wasps: the soap will clog the bugs' pores and kill them immediately.
Which Paint Colors Repel Insects? Because bugs see colors on the UV spectrum, they cannot register hues of green or blue. Painters even use blue paint to repel bees and wasps. Painting your porch ceiling in a blue tone could repel wasps, leading to fewer wasp-eating spiders around your home!
Clove-Geranium-Lemongrass Oil Blend
Research has shown that a combination of clove, geranium and lemon grass essential oils effectively repels wasps. You can combine several drops of each oil in soapy water then transferring it to a spray bottle.
Spray the mixture on the nests to get rid of wasps. Sugar, apple cider vinegar, and water – Mix equal portions of water and apple cider vinegar, then add a cup of sugar. Get two plastic bottles and cut them open at the top. Join the bottles together using duct tape and place near the wasp nest.
Wasps do not just like sweet tastes, they like salt and the smell of sweat so wear deodorant if it's hot to avoid them being attracted to you. However overly sweet smelling perfumes will attract them so use sparingly! Clear fallen fruits from your garden as this will attract wasps.
Incense sticks
Almost every type of smoke disturbs wasps, but the more distinctive the smell, the more successful it is to repel it. So light a few incense sticks or burn some incense cones - it smells nice and may well help to drive away the critters.
A recent study conducted by biologists Elizabeth Tibbetts of the University of Michigan and Adrian Dyer of RMIT University in Melbourne published by Scientific American has found that, along with Honeybees, Wasps can now recognize human faces.
Keep your calm.
If a bee or wasp lands on you, try to relax. If you swat at it, it will defend itself and sting you. If you stay calm, it will leave you alone once it realizes you're not a food source. If you've disturbed a nest, move away from the nest without aggravating the bees further.
The answer is simple: they feel threatened and are protecting their nests. Wasps aren't particularly cruel creatures who want to chase or sting you. However, if they feel that they are in danger, they will do anything to protect themselves.
To kill flys, bees, hornets and wasps, spray with Windex. On housefly's it usually only takes a small whiff to knock them out of the air and kill them. Wasps will fall right away too but you may need to hit them with another dose.
Loud noises and vibrations from machines like lawn mowers can cause them to become very aggressive. Even vibrations from footsteps or walking too close to a nest can make them become defensive. Yellowjackets, hornets and paper nest wasps are also attracted to sources of water and certain odors.