Infestation of wasps can become a serious problem in households. The important thing to remember here is that wasps have the ability to sting human beings along with other animals. So wasps do not belong to the category of non harming insects.
Today, we are going to discuss the preventive measures of deterring insects and find out the smells wasps dislike.
9 smells that wasps dislike and how to use them:
There are a number of smells that are disliked by wasps. The list of smells include lemongrass essential oil, peppermint essential oil, eucalyptus plant, white vinegar, geranium plant, clove essential oil, cucumber, citronella essential oil, and bay leaves.
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There are a lot of different smells that are not enjoyed by wasps at all. Let’s discuss in detail about some of those smells.
Smell of lemongrass essential oil:
According to insect and bug experts, wasps do not like the smell of lemongrass essential oil. So they will do anything to stay away from areas that emit the smell of lemongrass essential oil.
You can try to make a mixture of lemongrass essential oil and water and apply it on the most wasp affected areas of your home. Using lemongrass essential oil is a cost effective way of getting rid of wasps from your home.
Smell of peppermint essential oil:
Another smell that wasps detest is the smell of peppermint essential oil. The sensitive smelling sense of wasps gets troubled by the strong smell of peppermint essential oil.
It is very much possible to deter wasps away from your home by targeting their nesting places and entry points of your home. The peppermint essential oil needs to be diluted with water and used as a spray on the above mentioned areas to keep wasps away.
Some experts even suggest soaking cotton balls in peppermint essential oil and placing them at the most wasp affected places of the house.
Smell of eucalyptus plant:
The smell produced by the eucalyptus plant is also detested by wasps. The important thing to remember here is that the smell of the eucalyptus plant is too much for the sensitive nose of wasps.
So it is no wonder that experts suggest the use of eucalyptus plants as a wasps repellent.
First of all, you can plant eucalyptus plants in your garden to keep away wasps from entering your property. Secondly, you can place eucalyptus plants inside your home to keep away wasps as well.
If you do not want to go through the trouble of growing eucalyptus plants, then you can use eucalyptus essential oil instead.
Smell of white vinegar:
It has been noticed by insect and bug experts that the smell of white vinegar is more than capable of keeping wasps away. But white vinegar alone can not do the job.
You will need to make a solution of water and white vinegar and only then you can use it to repel wasps effectively. Wasps have been known for avoiding areas that emit the disturbing smell of white vinegar.
Smell of geranium plant:
The smell of geranium plants has been known for messing with the smelling sense of wasps. Wasps require their smelling sense in good shape in order to search for food.
But the important thing to remember here is that the smell of geranium plants can keep wasps away from your home and property if you grow them in your garden. However, the use of geranium essential oil also does the job of repelling wasps from your home.
Smell of clove essential oil:
It is believed by experts that wasps have a tendency to avoid areas that emit the smell of clove essential oil. So you can actually use clove essential oil by mixing it with water to drive wasps away.
The strong aroma of clove essential oil is not liked by wasps as it targets their smelling sense effectively. The entry points of your home and the most wasp affected places of your home can be the main focal points while using clove essential oil as a wasp repellent.
Smell of cucumber:
It might be surprising to hear but the smell of cucumber is disliked by wasps. But it is pretty easy to use cucumber as a wasps repellent. But the effectiveness of cucumber does not stay long and the process needs to be repeated.
Placing pieces of cucumber at the most wasp affected places of your home on a regular basis can keep the wasps away.
Smell of citronella essential oil:
Wasps can not cope with the strong aroma of citronella essential oil. It is difficult for them to go near places that have the smell of citronella essential oil. The easiest way of using citronella essential oil as a wasp repellent is by diluting it with water.
Smell of bay leaves:
According to most of the bug and insect experts, wasps do not deal well with the strong smell of bay leaves that have dried. It is difficult for wasps to navigate through places that have the presence of bay leaves in them.
Where to place these scents to get rid of wasps:
Placing the scents disliked by wasps is a key step of getting rid of wasps. Let’s discuss in detail about some of the places.
In the garden:
The first line of defense against infestation of wasps starts from your garden. You can first of all grow plants in the garden whose smell is not enjoyed by wasps. This will keep the wasps from entering your property.
Growing wasp repellent plants in the garden can be a wonderful long term solution.
At the entry points:
The next place you can target is the entry points of your home. If you spray wasps repellent essential oils at the entry points of your home, then the wasps will have difficulty trying to get into your home.
This is one of the most practical ways of getting rid of wasps successfully.
At the kitchen:
The kitchen of your home can become the biggest source of wasps. So placing the scents in the kitchen will keep the wasps at bay. It would be difficult for wasps to overcome the repelling effects of those scents in the kitchen.
What attracts wasps?
There are a lot of things that are able to attract wasps to one’s home. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them.
Presence of food source:
One of the major reasons why infestation of wasps happens is due to the presence of food sources. Wasps are especially attracted to the sweet food items of your home.
The list of food items includes different types of juice, different types of dessert, different types of fruits among many other things. Wasps use their sense of smell to find these food items in your home.
Presence of bright plants:
According to insect and bug experts, wasps are also attracted by the bright plants in your garden. Wasps use these plants for the purpose of pollination and are attracted towards gardens that have lots of bright flowering plants.
Opportunity for nesting:
If your house has potential nesting places for wasps, then they will be automatically attracted towards the house. Once wasps begin nesting, it can become very difficult to get rid of them.
Tips to prevent wasps from coming to your house:
There are a lot of ways of preventing wasps from coming to your house. All of these ways are not equally effective at repelling wasps. Let’s discuss in detail about some of the most effective ones.
Seal the entry points of the house:
The first step you can take to stop wasps from coming to your house is by targeting the entry points of the house. You will need to make sure that there are no gaps and leaks around the entry points for the wasps to go through.
If you happen to find one, then you will need to close it off using necessary tools and equipment such as wood planks.
Use essential oils:
Another way of preventing wasps from coming to your house is by using essential oils. There are lots of essential oils such as peppermint essential oil, citronella essential oil, clove essential oil, lemongrass essential oil whose smell is not enjoyed by wasps.
If you manage to use any of these essential oils as a spray, then it definitely keeps the wasps away.
Grow repellent plants:
You can grow wasp repellent plants such as geranium and eucalyptus in your garden to keep away wasps. Some varieties of wasps are known for nesting inside the garden.
The wasp repellent plants will deter the wasps away from your garden and keep the house safe from infestation of wasps too.
Final Thoughts
Some of the essential oils and plants have been known for producing smells that wasps do not like. These smells disturb the smelling sense of wasps and break their food trail which keeps them away. Additionally, wasps can not make nests in the presence of these smells.