It’s never a good feeling when you come across a wasp nest while doing chores around the house. Not only can bees and wasps create significant damage, but also deliver painful stings. Infestations must be taken more seriously when family members have severe allergic reactions.
Sure, your first thought may be to pick up a few chemical treatments from the store. What many homeowners fail to realize, however, is that these products can harm the health of you, your family, pets, and the environment as a whole. With that in mind, here a few natural ways to get rid of bees and wasps for good, as referenced from Natural Living Ideas:
Wasp-proof your home and yard
It’s better to be proactive with insects as opposed to being reactive. Wasps, in particular, are attracted to human food, pet food, bird food, and basically anything that’s sweet such as perfumes and lotions.
We also recommend maintaining the structure of your home. The next time you’re outside mowing the lawn or pulling weeds, look for any broken siding, busted panels, or other types of crevices that would make ideal living spaces for wasps. Lastly, double-check that any screens, windows, and doors are in proper working order.
Grow wasp-repelling plants
Your yard has always been packed with beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, such plants are an invitation for too many bees and wasps. So what should you do?
Believe it or not, there are a number of attractive green plants that keep wasps away. These include everything from spearmint and thyme to eucalyptus and wormwood. You and your family will be enjoying a wasp-free yard before you know it.
Use peppermint oil
Wasps aren’t exactly fans of mint, and that’s putting it lightly. One idea worth considering is to plant any type of mint in your garden. Another is to add several drops of peppermint oil to a cotton pad and place them around the outside of your home where wasps tend to build nests.
Don’t forget about porch roofs, as well as under crevices and ledges. As you figure out which spots to target, feel free to place the oil pads where you’ve discovered old nests in the past.
Removing Wasp Nests
Nobody questions the potential dangers of removing a wasp nest. That said, if you really want to make this a DIY project, there are a few tips worth considering:
- Use plain soap and water – Who says you need harmful chemicals to get rid of bees or wasps? Frankly, all you need is some plain soap and water. Just add two tablespoons of dish soap to a spray bottle filled with water and spray directly at the hanging nests. Larger nests, on the other hand, might require the use of a garden hose.
- Drown aerial nests – This method comes with a serious risk of getting stung (more on that in a moment). Your best bet is to do this at night because that’s when wasps are least active, meaning their reaction time is slower. First, place a cloth bag over the entire nest before tying it off at the top. Once the bag is secured and well-sealed, set in a bucket of water and drop a large rock on the bag so that it remains submerged.
- Wear protective clothing – Whatever DIY strategy you take with wasp nest removal, be sure to stand as far back as possible while wearing protective clothing. Long pants, socks, boots, a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and goggles are all musts in this endeavor.
Emergency Pest Control
Is there ever a convenient time to deal with bees and wasps? We certainly don’t think so. At Tom Samples Pest Control in Springtown, we understand the urgency when bees and wasps are wreaking havoc on your property.
If you only take one piece of advice from this entire post, it’s this: wasps are dangerous pests that should be handled by a professional. The risk of injury is far too great, which is why more homeowners are choosing Tom Samples for bee and wasp removal.
Tom Samples, one of the premier pest control companies in town, is proud to offer a wide range of pest control services. We are proud to offer rodent control, termite control, cockroach control, and more.
The choice is easy when you go to search ‘pest control near me.’ Contact us today.