If you hear those annoying buzzing sounds near your room, it’s an indication that you have wasps around. While these flying creatures are essential pollinators, they can be a real burden, and shoving them away isn’t that easy because you may not know what attracts them. Let’s get this straight – wasps and bees share a lot of things in common, but they are a little different in that not all wasps can produce honey. Bees generally produce honey and are less aggressive than wasps. The latter is an insect controller.
Many things can attract wasps. One of them is color. Surprised? The color of the environment and what you wear can attract them to your house. Wasps hate pale and light colors, such as white. Have you ever wondered why beekeepers wear white? That’s because white repel wasps. Once they see the color, they stay away from you and your surroundings.
What Colors Do Wasps Stay Away From?
Wasps stay away from white, cream, tan, and light, pale colors. Apart from these colors, they are drawn to the rest. Some people assume that dark colors can deter them, but that’s false. Wasps perceive dark colors, such as black and red as a threat, and can attack you for that. They see the color red as black, and get irritated by it.
It isn’t just the white or pale color of the dress that drives the wasps away. If the background’s color blends with the dress, then you have a higher chance of success of keeping the insects away from you. For instance, if your wall’s paint is cream and your dress is also cream, the chances of hearing those buzzing sounds are reduced.
What Colors Do Wasps Like?
Wasps like yellow and bright colors. This is because they assume that yellow is a flower. Wasps are attracted by the nectars in the flowers, so they all fly towards the color.
What Do Wasps Hate?
Wasps hate peppermint oils, white vinegars, and some essential oils, such as ornamental plants. When mixed and sprayed or planted like in the case of ornamental plants, these things can drive them away for good. They are powerful repellents, so having these things around is recommendable.
However, if you want wasps to stay completely away from you, you should take a good shower and apply some baking soda to your body.
Can Wasps See in the Dark?
Wasps have three simple and two compound eyes. The simple eyes provide increased sensitivity to light, while their compound eyes gives them an excellent range of vision. However, their ability to see in the dark is limited because their compound eyes have a lower resolution. This means that they don’t see clearly at night nor do they fly. Their eyesight hasn’t been properly developed yet to see completely in the dark. But, you might ask, how do they find their way home to their nests?
Most wasps make it to their home before sunset. However, hornets and some nocturnal species, such as polybiine can see better in the dark due to their fairly large simple eyes.
What Scents Do Wasps Hate?
Wasps don’t only hate colors; they also dislike certain scents. Wasps have a strong sense of smell, which helps them to find food sources. So, if you discover some wasps coming near your kitchen occasionally, know that they are attracted to a particular scent emanating from the food you’re cooking. However, you can take advantage of this characteristic to harm them by using scents they dislike, such as peppermint, essential oils, plant herbs, white vinegars, ornamental plants, and sliced cucumbers.
Peppermint
Wasps hate this smell due to the menthol compound in peppermint oil. For clarity sake, peppermint oils do not kill wasps; rather, they deter them. So, if you are looking for a more practical way to eliminate them, I recommend having their nests removed. You can use this to deter insects by spraying the solution in wasps-friendly areas.
Essential Oils
Other scents this creature hates are lemongrass, clove, and geranium. These are essential oils when mixed, can deter wasps from coming to your home. This solution is effective at keeping them away, but it won’t kill them. If you’ll be using this solution regularly, know that you’ll have to spend.
Plant Herbs
You can use plant herbs, such as thyme, eucalyptus, and citronella. Like other solutions mentioned earlier, these herbs can deter wasps, but can’t kill them. You should place these herbs in positions that attract wasps. You could even add some of them, such as thyme to your food.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is another fantastic option that repels wasps. The strong sour scent can drive them away. The good thing about this white vinegar is that it’s readily available and easy to use. Just add water to it and spray it in those wasp-infested areas. For more effectiveness, you can add a drop of peppermint oil to the mixture.
Ornamental Plants
Contrary to popular beliefs, not all ornamental plants are attractive to wasps. Some possess the kind of odor that drives the insects away. An example of this ornamental plant is geraniums. This red-colored plant has a pungent smell that repels insects. Moreover, wasps can’t see red because they see light in the UV spectrum of 300 – 650 nm.
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced cucumbers can also do the magic. They are acidic, and wasps dislike strong acidic smells. Unlike some solutions here that require mixing, all you need to do is place the sliced cucumbers in those parts that attract wasps. If you want it to be more effective, add aluminum to it. This mixture produces a chemical reaction that is effective against wasps. The disadvantage of using sliced cucumbers is that when they begin to rot, they can attract flies and other insects.
These solutions can prevent wasps from colonizing your space to a certain extent, but like I said, relying on them isn’t the best. For you to eliminate wasps totally, you need to remove the nests. But, be careful of wasp swarms. They are dangerous and can sting you. They perceive you as a threat if you attack their nests, so be prepared when facing them. Wear overalls and other protective pieces of equipment.
There’s a big chance that the wasps will build another nest sooner than later. This is where you employ a technique called habitat modification. This involves keeping your outdoor space ultra clean by removing any rotten fruits, trimming tall plants and bushes, and getting rid of any food remnants. Wasps settle in places that feel secure, so deny them that comfort.
Cover your bins, whether empty or not. A lot of people leave theirs open all the time because they forget to close it each time they throw something inside. Wasps enjoy food that are rich in protein sources, and if it happens that this type of food is in the bin, expect these flying creatures to infest there. This doesn’t mean that wasps don’t infest on spillage from sports drinks or sweets.
You should try and seal cracks and patch up holes too. Wasps can colonize your space by building their nests in the holes in your wall or tiny cracks from the door edges. Wasps can also take advantage of the gaps under the porch to penetrate your space. You should patch any hole up as soon as you notice them and close all possible entry and exit points.
Many people think that wasps only build their nests up high in tree branches, attics, and rooftop edges. The reason for such an act is to secure their abode from potential threats. But, if they find a good spot in your walls or beneath your deck, they will most likely settle there. This is why you should cover up all spaces.
Remember, I talked about covering your bins properly. Now, you should also do the same to your food. Store it properly so that it doesn’t attract wasps. Finally, avoid decorating your outdoor space with bright colored designs. As I previously mentioned, bright colors entice wasps and even bees. They always think that they are flowers, so they will come flying towards them. So, don’t decorate your outdoor space with bright colors, and don’t grow yellow or white flowers. You can plant them somewhere to redirect the wasps. If you want to plant flowers near your home, the color should be red.
Related Questions
1. Can wasps smell fear?
It’s not been proven that wasps smell fear, even though they have an excellent sense of sight and smell. They can sense fearful behavior, like an abrupt movement, which may force them to attack.
2. Do wasps sting for no reason?
Wasps sting if they perceive you as a threat to their living. If you attack their nests or abodes, they will feel provoked and become aggressive. They will sting you in swarms, and the story might not end up well.
3. Do wasps remember faces?
Interestingly, wasps remember faces, just like humans. Wasps are a social species, and rely on recognition to keep the peace. Scientists have discovered that a particular type of wasp, Polistes Fuscatus paper wasps, also known as Golden Paper wasps can remember each other’s faces. Recognizing faces helps them track who is who hierarchically. The brains of these wasps can process faces all at once because they undergo holistic processing.
Finally
Wasps are dangerous if you let them to your abode. You must do everything to keep them away from your outdoor space. Be cautious of the color of dress you wear around them and try to destroy their nests when you discover one. However, I recommends doing this at night where they are all resting from the day’s activity.