Every summer it's almost the same. Eating and drinking on the balcony or terrace is disturbed by wasps who are looking for food and don't let us humans stop them. Wasps are protected and therefore entire colonies cannot simply be destroyed. But there are home remedies that help keep the annoying insects away from the table.
Fly swatter
The simplest and most common means is the fly swatter, which can be ready to hand on the table. These are now also available with an electrical surface to which the wasp gets stuck and burns. This means that you no longer have to hit it as hard as with a traditional swatter. However, it's not exactly nice when the owner of the house spends the entire time sitting comfortably at the table gossiping. Only a few animals are caught, others immediately follow in search of food. The wasps react aggressively in this way and could sting.
Coffee powder
Lighting coffee powder is an old trick from grandmother's times. However, everyone has to decide for themselves whether this is really that helpful. The procedure is as follows:
- Use coffee beans or powder
- put in fireproof dish
- place on or in the immediate vicinity of the table
- light
- releases roasted aromas
Wasp researchers, however, are skeptical as to whether this method has any effect, as wasps are not irritated by the smell. However, the burning coffee does not give off an unpleasant smell, so it is worth a try.
Basil, tomatoes and co
Wasps don't like some smells from different plants. Therefore, in the spring, the outdoor seating area on the balcony, terrace or in the garden can be taken into account for the summer. If the right plants are cultivated around the seating area, the wasps usually stay away. These include:
- Basil
- Lavender
- Tomato plants
- garlic
- Garlic can also be placed directly on the table
It is also up to you to decide which smells you tolerate at the table, for example if it is a sweet-smelling coffee table. Basil and lavender always smell pleasant, but things are a little different with garlic or tomatoes.
Tip:
Wasps don't like the smell of tomato plants, basil or garlic. The attack on the table can be avoided if the plants are well distributed in pots on the balcony or terrace and around the free-standing garden table on a lawn.
Lemon and cloves
The tip has long been around to pepper lemons with cloves to keep all kinds of insects away from tables and outdoor seating areas. But it has not yet been proven whether this remedy really helps. But it has the side effect of giving off a pleasant scent at the table. The lemon is prepared as follows:
- use whole lemon
- stick four toothpicks
- Put the fruit on four legs like this
- drill six to eight holes with a screwdriver
- Ideally in the upper half of the fruit
- insert a clove into each hole
Tip:
This not only creates a means of repelling annoying wasps and other insects. Set up like this, the lemon hedgehogs become a decorative eye-catcher on the table or the balcony railing.
Lighting incense
Incense is best known from church, but lit at the table can also help drive away annoying wasps. Fragrance lamps on the table are a good idea here, and incense sticks can also help. But these smells are not for everyone and should therefore only be lit if they do not disturb the table.
More smells
There are other smells that the wasps don't like and therefore leave a table with treats alone. This is how they react to ammonia. If cloths soaked in ammonia are hung around the table, at the entrance to the terrace or balcony from the outside, the wasps will not fly further to the table or seat but will turn away again beforehand. Hairspray is also something that everyone has in the house. Simply spray around the table, the wasps don't like the smell of hairspray at all. The following other smells can also keep wasps away from the table:
- Lemon oil in aroma lamp
- Candles scented with cloves and lemon
- other essential oils
Tip:
However, we also warn against putting hairspray in your hair, as all kinds of scents on humans attract wasps.
Dispelling through distraction
Wasps can also be distracted from the table, so animal lovers can come to terms with the insects. It is important that the wasps always get food in the same place. You should proceed as follows:
- eaten outdoors, also feed the wasps
- offer overripe fruit
- or a piece of grilled meat
- Create a feeding station a short distance from the dining area
Wasps are considered capable of learning and will happily fly to the feeding area if there is enough to offer them. However, you should avoid feeding honey or jam as this makes the animals aggressive.
Tip:
However, distracted feeding can also have the unpleasant side effect that the wasps can reproduce better due to the food provided and the wasp nest grows faster than usual. Then it can happen that the wasps get out of hand due to the attractiveness of the area.
Pick up fallen fruit
Especially the fruit in the garden in summer attracts wasps from the surrounding area, even if no nest has been built in your own garden or on the house. It is therefore advisable not to leave ripe fruits on the tree or bush for too long. The wasps sting them and the fruits become rotten and mushy. A quick harvest is therefore advisable. You should also pay attention to the following:
- often there is fallen fruit under a tree
- common with apples, plums or cherries
- picking up fallen fruit, even if it's a lot of work
- because otherwise the wasps from the neighborhood hang out here
- you can quickly find your way to the dining table or grill from here
Tip:
If the collected fallen fruit is placed on the compost, it should have a cover, otherwise the wasps will collect here. If the compost does not have a cover, it is advisable to put the mushy fruit in a bag with the residual waste.
Hanging bird nesting boxes
Many birds in the garden are good against wasps, because the insects are used as food by many local birds. Therefore, if the house has a garden, it is advisable to distribute bird nesting boxes here. This way the birds feel attracted and the wasps' population is naturally reduced.
fly screen
So that the wasps cannot find their way into the apartment, all windows and doors that are opened to the outside should be protected with a fly screen. This means you can ventilate unhindered in summer. The kitchen in particular is often affected by wasps when cooking is being done or fruits and other foods are left open. When protecting with fly screens, you should proceed as follows:
- Measuring windows and doors
- get the appropriate fly screens from the store
- there are big differences here
- Nets that are stretched on the frame
- Nets hanging in front of a door like a curtain
- Both are usually available very cheaply
- Fly screens installed by a professional
- can be pulled up and down like a blind in front of the window
- they are pushed aside in front of doors
- are a little more expensive to purchase
The fly screens not only keep the annoying wasps out, but also flies and mosquitoes have little chance of getting inside. Especially if a wasp nest has formed on the house, for example under the canopy, which cannot be removed over the summer, fly screens are ideal for protecting the interior.
Proper clothing
If you spend a lot of time outdoors in midsummer, you should wear the right clothing. Wasps are actually attracted to colorful clothing. White clothing, on the other hand, is neutral and is not confused with food by the annoying animals.
Tip:
In summer you should also avoid perfume and strong-smelling shower gels or body lotions. This smell also attracts wasps. However, if they do not find any suspected food, they could react aggressively
Find wasp nest
If a lot of wasps head to the terrace or balcony, then it may be that there is a wasp nest in the immediate vicinity of the house or directly on the house. However, wasps are protected and cannot be killed. Therefore, the nest usually needs to be left where it was built. The nest can only be removed in autumn, when the colony has died. But there are also exceptions:
- Ask the local nature conservation authority
- Exception is when the nest hangs directly above the only entrance
- in an otherwise very inconvenient place
- they are earth wasps that have built directly on the path
- there is a person allergic to wasp stings in the household
In such a case, you can ask the local municipality for an exemption so that an exterminator can be hired.
Tip:
The wasp nest should never be removed independently, as the wasps react very aggressively and the risk of many stings that could harm your own he alth is far too high.
Under nature protection
Wasps must not simply be killed, especially a nest must not simply be removed. Even if it could appear very threatening in some places on the house, you must check with the local authorities in advance whether removal is permitted. According to Section 39 Paragraph 1 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, it is regulated that animals may not be killed or injured without a reasonable cause, and this may not be done intentionally. Failure to comply will result in severe fines.
