Wasps
How to deter wasps and keep them away from your patio
Wasps come for sweet food and drink, especially in late summer. Cover food and drinks outdoors, pick up windfalls, keep the bins away from the patio and do not swat at wasps. Smells such as cloves and mint help at most around the spot where you sit, and a fake wasp nest is something for spring. A nest usually does not need to go.
In this article
Why do wasps come to your table in late summer?
Wasps come to your table because they want sugar: adult wasps live mainly on sugars, and in spring and early summer they get them as a sugary liquid from the larvae they feed with insects (NHM). Once the young have been reared, in August and September, the workers turn to the sweet food they prefer (BPCA), which is why they land on cake, squash and ripe fruit. If you swat a wasp, it gives off a pheromone that calls other wasps to defend it (BPCA).
How do you deter wasps from your patio?
You deter wasps from your patio by giving them fewer reasons to come:
- Cover food and drinks and drink outdoors through a straw or with a lid on your glass.
- Pick up windfalls, because rotting fruit draws wasps in.
- Keep lidded bins away from the patio and the house (BPCA).
- Stay calm and do not swat at wasps.
- Fit fly screens on windows and doors (BPCA).
- Check eaves, sheds and the loft in spring for small nests, while they are still the size of a golf ball (BPCA).
Which smells do wasps hate?
Mint, rosemary, cloves and citronella are the smells most often named; the Dutch public information centre Milieu Centraal lists them as smells wasps dislike. A smell makes a spot less attractive at most; it will not move a whole colony, so always combine it with covering food and drink.
Do vinegar, cloves, lemon or coffee keep wasps away?
A little at most, around the spot where you put them: for none of these home remedies is there known research that shows how well they keep wasps away. Remedy by remedy:
| Home remedy | What it does | What is known | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloves, for example in half a lemon | Strong smell; Milieu Centraal names cloves as a smell wasps dislike | In trials, concentrated clove oil kept wasps partly away from bait (Pest Management Science, 2013); for a clove in a lemon we know of no research | On the table, alongside covering food |
| Mint, rosemary and citronella | Strong smell (Milieu Centraal) | In the same trials, oils of mint, rosemary and citronella also put wasps off (Pest Management Science, 2013); for plants or sprigs by the patio we know of no research | As plants or sprigs by the patio |
| Vinegar | Strong, sour smell | No research known | Not as your only measure |
| Smouldering coffee grounds | Smoke and smell | No research known | Hardly: smoke next to your food is not pleasant for you either |
| A brown paper bag hung up | A homemade imitation nest, the same idea as a fake wasp nest | No research known | Only in spring, see below |
| Rotting fruit far from the patio | Draws wasps to another part of the garden (Milieu Centraal) | Named by Milieu Centraal | In a large garden, far from where you sit |
Does a fake wasp nest work?
A fake wasp nest is meant for spring: the idea behind it is that a queen looking for a nest site prefers not to start next to an existing colony. It does not lure or kill wasps, and it does nothing against a nest that is already there or against wasps at the table in late summer. So hang it before the queens start their nests, as the weather warms up in spring (BPCA), in a sheltered, visible spot by the patio or shed, and combine it with the tips above. Have a look at the fake wasp nest.
How do you stop wasps building a nest near your house?
Stopping wasps building a nest near your house starts in spring: check the loft, garage, shed and eaves each spring, when a new nest is still the size of a golf ball and easy to deal with (BPCA). Keep windows and doors secure or fit fly screens, keep bins closed and away from the house (BPCA), and hang a fake wasp nest by the patio or shed before the queens choose a site.
Do you need to remove the nest to get rid of the wasps?
To get rid of the wasps you usually do not need to remove the nest: a nest that is not in the way is abandoned after the summer and wasps do not return to it (BPCA). If you keep seeing wasps indoors without finding a nest, it is often hidden in a cavity wall, under the roof tiles or in the loft; do not block the hole yourself, but call a pest controller. Read how to get rid of wasps and a wasp nest.
How do you get a wasp out of a room?
You get a wasp out of a room by staying calm and not swatting: open one window wide and close the curtains on the other side of the room, and the wasp will usually find its own way out. If that does not work, put a glass over the wasp, slide a piece of card underneath and let it go outside.
What should you do after a wasp sting?
Wash the sting with soap and water and cool it with a wrapped ice pack or a cold, wet cloth for at least 20 minutes (NHS). For most people a sting is painful but not dangerous. Call 999 straight away if the lips, mouth, throat or tongue swell, or if someone struggles to breathe or becomes dizzy, because it may be a serious allergic reaction (NHS).
Want to know more? Our guide explains how to get rid of wasps, with the wasp year month by month.
Sources: British Pest Control Association (BPCA), Worried about wasps? PestAware advice sheet; Natural History Museum (NHM), What do wasps do?; Milieu Centraal (Netherlands), wespen; NHS, Insect bites and stings; Pest Management Science (Zhang, Schneidmiller and Hoover, 2013, field tests of essential oils with wasps).
