Do you know the first step in natural pest control is to prevent wasp nests around your home and yard? If you can actually prevent the wasps from building the nests in the first place, then you have less to worry about.
How to Prevent Wasp Nests Around Your Home
We’ve talked a lot about getting rid of wasps without chemicals and getting rid of wasp nests naturally, but how about keeping them away in the first place?
It’s usually best NOT to kill the wasps but send them off in a different direction from your home. They are beneficial to get rid of other crop-killing insects so farmers actually prefer not to kill the wasps.
How are the nests built?
According to Thoughtco.com, “wasps are expert paper makers, capable of turning raw wood into sturdy paper homes. A wasp queen uses her mandibles to scrape bits of wood fiber from fences, logs, or even cardboard. She then breaks the wood fibers down in her mouth, using saliva and water to weaken them. The wasp flies to her chosen nest site with a mouth full of soft paper pulp.”
Some ways to prevent wasp nests:
- Place decoy wasp nests around your home. Wasps don’t like to nest near other wasp nests, so the fake ones will trick them into staying away. Decoy nests are a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to using pesticides.
- Move hummingbird feeders away from your home – try hanging from a tree instead of on deck or porch.
- Place wasp-repelling plants around your home and porch.
- Try painting your porch ceiling light blue to discourage wasps from building nests. The insects will feel like it is the open sky and the wasps will not bother with it!
- You might want to consider painting a wood deck or porch with a smooth paint or finish that wasps won’t want to nest on.
I am a New England mama of 3 kids, 3 kitties and 2 puppies! I grew up in the great state of NH and blog about all things healthy and natural near Nashua and Boston.
Great tips! Living near the lake we tend to have wasps in abundance; on all our patio furniture, the house, everywhere. I’ll have to try some of these. Pinned.
These are great ideas. Thank you for sharing at Inspire Me Monday.
This is good info. I had no idea there were faux wasp nests. There is probably a diyer out here that’s already made one. I have pinned it to my Coastal Bohemian Garden board on Pinterest, shared on Twitter and shared on Fb @CoastalBohemian.Thx
Blue paint! This makes me wonder if this is the reason so many porch ceilings are painted blue!
Haha!! I know!