Warmer weather brings plenty to look forward to, but it also means wasp season is well and truly here.
With thousands of different wasp species buzzing around the UK, most of us would rather they stayed well away from our homes, gardens, and picnics altogether. Luckily, there are some relatively simple, science-backed tricks that can help keep them at a distance, from what you wear to what you plant near your windows. Here’s everything worth knowing to make your summer a little less wasp-filled.
Wasps can’t actually see the colour red.
Most insects, including wasps, simply aren’t able to see the colour red the way we do. This makes it one of the safest colours to wear if you’re trying to avoid attracting unwanted attention from them while you’re out and about.
Wasps are naturally drawn to brighter shades like yellow, blue and white, since these colours closely resemble the flowers they’re instinctively attracted to. Darker colours like brown and black tend to be far less appealing to them too, but red specifically has the advantage of being essentially invisible to a wasp’s eyes altogether.
Your perfume might be attracting more than compliments.
It might not come as a huge surprise, but sweet-smelling perfumes and aftershaves can work against you during wasp season. Anything with a floral scent smells remarkably similar to flowers as far as a wasp is concerned, making you far more appealing to them than you’d probably like.
Opting for something more neutral, or simply skipping fragrance altogether on days you’re spending outdoors, can make a real difference. It’s a small change, but one that removes one of the clearest signals drawing wasps towards you in the first place.
Certain herbs make wasps want to stay away.
While basil and garlic might sound like a wonderful combination to us, wasps apparently disagree entirely. Keeping basil plants and garlic cloves near windows and doorways can help discourage wasps from wandering indoors in the first place.
It’s a low-effort solution, too, since both are easy to grow or simply keep on a windowsill without much upkeep. Placing them strategically near entry points gives you a natural barrier that smells pleasant to us but distinctly unpleasant to any passing wasps.
Mint is another scent wasps can’t stand.
Alongside basil and garlic, mint is another smell that wasps generally try to avoid. Mixing peppermint oil with a bit of dish soap and spraying it around your home can help keep wasps at bay, while leaving your house smelling fresh at the same time.
If you’d rather skip the spray bottle, simply placing mint plants near windows or on tables works just as well. It’s an easy, natural option that doubles up nicely as a bit of home decor while quietly doing its job in the background.
Copper coins could be helpful if you’ve got some lying around.
Wasps are also reportedly put off by the smell of copper, which opens up a surprisingly simple trick using something most of us already have lying around the house. Rubbing a handful of copper coins and leaving them scattered near windowsills or doorways may help discourage wasps from settling nearby.
It’s not a guaranteed fix on its own, but combined with some of the other tricks, it adds another layer of natural deterrent without needing to buy anything special. Sometimes the simplest solutions really are sitting in the bottom of your coin jar.
Combining a few tricks works better than relying on just one.
None of these tricks are likely to completely wasp proof your home or garden on their own, but combining a few of them together tends to work far better than relying on just one. Wearing red while sitting outside, keeping mint or basil near your windows, and skipping the perfume all work together to make your space considerably less appealing to wasps overall.
It’s worth remembering that wasps aren’t out to specifically target you, they’re simply following scent and colour cues that happen to lead them your way. Removing those cues, rather than trying to fight wasps directly, tends to be the most effective and least stressful approach to keeping them at a comfortable distance this summer.
