8 Natural Home Wasp Repellant Tips

Get Rid of Unwanted Food

Before you can start actually killing wasps, you need to do a few things to prevent wasps from invading your space in the first place. First and foremost, get rid of any food scraps or crumbs that are in the area outside of your home. Wasps love protein, so your grill is an area that they love to visit. Keep it thoroughly cleaned to keep the wasps away.

Wasps also love sugary drinks, so if you store soda cans in your yard, make sure they are thoroughly cleaned out. If there isn't anything yummy for the wasps near your home, they are much less likely to pay you a visit.

Ensure Trash Cans Are Sealed

What do trash cans have in them? Well, besides trash, they often have old food scraps. And wasps love to eat, so they will be especially attracted to your trash cans if they're not sealed up well—and they may even try to make a nest near them. Make sure you seal up your trash bins to avoid any new visitors, and that also includes your recycling bins as well.

Patch Up Cracks

You'll want to seal up any cracks in your home or foundation, as wasps like to nest in cracks and hollows on the ground. Keep these patched up and filled to avoid wasps making nests or getting into your home.

Pay special attention to cracks that you may find on the edges of the house siding or where wires enter the home. This is great to do in the autumn before any spring wasp nests are built.

Add Wasp-Repellent Plants to Your Landscape

One way to repel wasps near your home is to plant wasp-repellent plant varieties like spearmint, thyme, eucalyptus, wormwood, and citronella. Plant these anywhere near your home and especially where you have seen wasps in the past. Flowering plants like marigolds, geraniums, or pennyroyals are pretty and also deter wasps.

There are a few plants you'll want to avoid having in your yard, as they actually attract wasps. This includes sweet fennel, Queen Anne's lace, and yarrow. Don't plant these anywhere where you'd like to avoid wasps.

Use a Soap and Water Solution

Soap and water are a great defense against small wasp nests. Get a spray bottle, add 2 tablespoons of dish soap, and fill the rest of the bottle with water. After shaking well, liberally spray the soap and water mixture on the nest. The soap will clog up their breathing pores, causing them to die instantly.

Blend Together Essential Oils

Mix together a few drops of clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils to naturally repel wasps. You can add this essential oil blend to a spray bottle along with a few tablespoons of dish soap, fill the rest of the water bottle up with water, and shake.

Spray this solution on any established wasp nests, and make sure you look under porch roofs, eaves, and any other ledges. You can also spray this essential oil mixture in any spots you've seen nests in the past. Some wasps like to build nests in the same place each year, so this is a good defense.

Use a Peppermint Oil Solution

Peppermint oil has also been shown to be a natural wasp repellent. Take a few drops of peppermint oil along with a few tablespoons of dish soap, put them together in a spray bottle, and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Shake well, and then spray the mixture on any established nests or places where you've seen nests before.

Make a Wasp Trap

Another way to get rid of wasps naturally is by building a wasp trap—and the best part about this suggestions is that it uses items you probably already have on hand. Follow the directions to build a wasp trap from a soda bottle that will trap the wasps and drown them in the liquid. The bottle can be placed somewhere in your yard or hung from a tree.