How to Keep Wasps out of Your Home

There are around 30,000 distinct species of wasp which can be found around the world. If you're like most people, you want to keep these stinging insects as far from your home as possible.

By taking the right measures, you can prevent these insects from getting into your home in the first place. This is preferred to needing to remove them after they've settled in.

Keep reading to learn more about wasp control and how you can avoid dealing with having these potentially dangerous insects.

Why Control Wasps

The truth is, there are some benefits to having wasps around. They eat harmful insects such as aphids, flies, and caterpillars. However, they can often do more harm than good, especially when in close proximity to humans.

There are three primary reasons for removing wasps from your home:

Danger of Wasp Stings

First and foremost, wasps can sting. In most cases, these stings are painful but don't require additional medical attention.

However, to people with allergies and small children, a wasp sting can be life-threatening. Some types of wasps also attack in swarms, which can give enough stings for anyone to need medical attention.

Protecting their nest is what provokes many wasp attacks, so if they have claimed part of your home as theirs, they will protect that area of your house.

Wasp Damage to Structures

A lesser concern but one nonetheless, wasps can damage structures. Several types of wasps have paper nests. These are built from wood pulp.

If you have a large number of wasps removing wood from your siding to build nests, this can cause damage. It may not be enough to require repairs on its own, but it can make structures more vulnerable to other types of damage.

Death of Bees

While bees can also sting, they are far more docile than wasps and also play a crucial role in the ecosystem. Their populations are also rapidly declining which is a growing concern among scientists.

There are some types of wasp that prey on bees, which is another reason to keep them away from your home. This will allow bees to have a safe place to come for nectar to allow their populations to grow.

Best Wasp Control Methods

There are a number of ways you can control wasps around your home, but not all of them are equally effective. For that reason, we're only going to show you some of the best methods you can use to prevent wasp infestations.

Seal Your Home

The first thing you want to do is ensure it's not possible for wasps to enter into your home from outside. Wasps inside your home are far more dangerous than those living on the outside of it.

Carefully seal all holes and cracks around the outside of your house. Remember that wasps can fit through even the smallest space. Don't forget to check the foundation as many wasps will build nests in or near the ground.

A favorite area of wasps is in between roofing beams. If you have eaves or a porch area where you can see the roofing supports, you may want to cover and seal it.

If you have holes in your yard, these can be enticing to wasps like Yellow Jackets that like to nest in the ground. Fill in these holes and pack them tightly to avoid providing a welcoming area for wasps.

Keep Food Out of Reach

Wasps are more likely to build a nest close to a food source. For that reason, it's essential to avoid accidentally feeding them.

In the spring and summer months, wasps tend to be more attracted to protein-based foods such as meat or dead animals. Later in summer and through the fall, they favor sugary foods.

Either way, you'll want to keep your trash can lids sealed tightly and avoid leaving any food outside. If you have a barbeque, make sure any dropped food is picked up and thrown away to help limit these unwanted visitors.

If you have pets that are fed outside, you'll want to only leave it out for a certain amount of time. Give your pet about 20 minutes to eat, and then bring their food bowl in so it doesn't attract wasps. Take it back out to them in a few hours if they didn't finish.

Plant Natural Wasp Repellents

There are many plants that have been found to naturally repel wasps. Some plants that can repel wasps naturally include:

• Thyme
• Wormwood
• Citronella
• Spearmint
• Eucalyptus
• Marygold

Although there's no way to guarantee these will keep all wasps from your yard, it can help prevent them from wanting to build a nest so close to these plants.

For best results, you'll want to plant them in two areas. First of all, you'll want them as close to your home or other structures where wasps may want to build a nest as possible.

Secondly, you'll want to plant them along the outside edges of your yard. This will help keep them from wanting to enter your yard in the first place.

As you're planting these wasp-repelling plants, you'll also want to avoid planting anything that would attract wasps to your yard. These include:

• Queen Anne's Lace
• Sweet Fennel
• Yarrow

Wasps are also attracted by sweet-smelling flowers, so be aware if you have a flower bed or garden area. You may want to limit the number of flowers you plant or focus on ones that repel wasps instead.

What to Do If You Have a Wasp Infestation

Now you know several ways you can prevent wasps from making your home into theirs. As you can see, there are plenty of wasp control methods so you can put some or all of them to use at your house.

If you're already dealing with a wasp infestation, then it's too late for most of these to be effective, and some of these measures could even be dangerous. Viking Pest is the expert in wasp extermination throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Contact us so we can safely remove all unwanted wasps in and around your home.

Call Viking at 1-800-618-2847 or schedule a fast, free quote online today!