How to Keep Wasps Away From Your Balcony
Wasps aren’t necessarily the guests that you want to host on your balcony, though they’re likely going to be persistent when it comes to building their nest and making a home. There are several wasp prevention tips that you can use to keep wasps away. Be sure to remain diligent during the warm weather months to establish a wasp-free area where you can gather and relax.
Clean Up After Yourself
The area of your balcony should be kept very clean to prevent any interest from wasps. Try not to keep your garbage bins out there. If you have to have them located there, keep all of your garbage items closed up inside of trash bags to prevent odors from escaping. If you gather outside with friends or have recently had a meal out there, you should clean up any food that has been left.
Wasps Eat Many Different Things
Social wasps, such as yellow jackets, paper wasps, and bald-faced hornets, are attracted to fruit because of their sugar content, so if fruit is left outside, you can expect some of these unwanted guests.
Wasps are also very opportunistic and will seek out any protein that they can find, including chicken scraps, beef, turkey, and even other insects like bees.
What Can You Put Outside to Keep Wasps Away?
You can keep a variety of plants in pots or planted around your patio that are known for repelling wasps. You’ll want to do your research before planting anything. You could do more harm than good if you plant something floral-scented that would attract more wasps. If you like gardening, this can be a fun and effective for keeping wasps at bay while developing a hobby.
Some very fragrant plants that wasps don’t prefer the smell of include lemongrass, clove, citronella, sage, wormwood, geraniums, thyme, rosemary, and wintergreen. Not only will you be able to repel wasps naturally, but you can also take advantage of some of these great plants for medicinal and edible use.
Use Essential Oils
Wiping down furniture, tables and other areas of your balcony with essential oils that repel wasps is a safe and effective pesticide method. Some of the most commonly used essential oils to repel wasps include eucalyptus, mint oil, citronella oil, and clove oil.
They all smell really good, so you may enjoy the smell of these oils on your balcony when you go out there or open your door to let some fresh air inside.
Make sure that you dilute your essential oils before using them on surfaces. Otherwise, some of these oils can be damaging. They can also be irritating to humans when inhaled straight out of the bottle. For a natural w repellent, you can mix a few drops of the essential oil of your choice with some water in a spray bottle.
Be Mindful When You Head Outside
If you’re planning on sitting outside on your balcony, be careful about the scent that you’re wearing. Whether you’re wearing body spray, perfume, or scented deodorant, wasps will be attracted to any scents that have floral notes to them.
If you can plan ahead, it’s best to go outside without any products on. Otherwise, you may be attracted wasps to an area that they’ll find to be quite comfortable for a nest.
Close Up Holes Outside
Wasps are attracted to safe spaces, especially when they’re looking for a place to nest or want to hide away for the winter. In some cases, these insects will make their home in any opening on your balcony.
Avoid Wood if You Can
If you have wooden furniture on your balcony, you may be increasing the odds of attracting different types of wasps. Wasps and hornets use wood fibers from things like furniture and decks to build their nests. If you would like to avoid replacing your wooden chair or benches, we suggest using the proper sealant, stain or paint on your furniture.
Using Repellent
There are insect repellents that you can wear on your body if you’re going to be outside, and you can use repellents that are designed to be sprayed on the areas of your balcony. Make sure you’re using the appropriate products for the proper use. Never use home defense products on your body.
Always take precautions when using wasp spray around your home to avoid direct contact with them.
How to Safely Remove a Wasp Nest From Your Patio
If there is a nest on your balcony or patio, you can remove the nest yourself if you’re comfortable. You’ll want to start by spraying the nest with wasp killer in the late evening hours or early morning. Once you’ve noticed activity has decreased, you can remove the nest wearing protective clothing just in case there are a few leftovers.
Avoid Fake Wasp Nests
A common wasp decoy that many people use when trying to avoid wasps is to place a paper bag in the shape of a wasps nest outside in the hopes that a wasp will view the fake nest as a rival nest and move along. There are no studies that show that this common strategy works, so we can not recommend it.
There are plenty of ways to keep wasps off your balcony, many of which are completely safe to use around humans and pets. With a little planning, you can maintain a wasp-free residence. Since these critters can sometimes sting, you’ll want to avoid them whenever possible. Get Professional Help
