How to Keep Wasps Away from a Wood Deck

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Keeping wasps away when you’re outdoors may seem like an insurmountable task, but you’ve actually got a ton of options at your disposal. From simple preventative measures to full-blown nest removal, we’ve compiled a list of solutions for you. Keep in mind, if you suspect there’s a wasp nest nearby and you can’t find it (or it’s underneath your porch and you can’t reach it), contact a professional exterminator. They’ll be able to handle the problem for you.

1

Keep food indoors.

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    The easiest thing you can do to keep wasps from showing up is avoid giving them an incentive to show up in the first place. If you’re entertaining guests or just hanging out for the night with family, have dinner indoors before you head out on the deck and don’t leave that bowl of chips out. [1]
    • It’s a myth that wasps will only be attracted to sugary drinks and foods. They definitely hold a preference for items that are high in sugar, but they’ll look into basically any food odor and poke around to see if they like it. [2]
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2

Remove access to the trash.

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    If you keep a garbage bin outdoors, the wasps may pick up on the scent and start hanging around to look for food scraps. Open trash containers also attract flies and other bugs that will attract wasps. If possible, store your trash in the garage or mud room. If it has to stay outside, keep lids on the bins and store them on the opposite side of your home to keep wasps away from your deck. [3]
    • Compost can also attract wasps, so if you keep a compost pile outdoors, aim to place it far away from your deck.
3

Remove open water sources.

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    If there are any standing water sources available, it may attract wasps. Drain bird fountains if they appear to be attracting more wasps than birds. Make sure that your gutters aren’t leading to an area where water pools up, and cover outdoor water spigots when they aren’t in use. If necessary, level your yard to ensure that puddles don’t develop after heavy rains. [4]
    • If you’ve got a pool, either drain it when you don’t plan on using it, or keep a solid airtight cover on it.
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4

Install insect netting around the deck.

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    There are insect nets and tents that you can buy from local gardening or home improvement stores. Depending on the shape and size of your deck, you may be able to completely cover the deck in these nets by hanging them from your eaves or gutters.
    • This might be a tall order if you have a really big deck, but if it’s a smaller deck you may be able to line the entire thing with netting.
5

Set out wasp traps.

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    You can purchase these traps at any home improvement or gardening store. [5] Set them down around the edges of your porch. If you want to make your own traps, hang a piece of raw fish, liver, or bologna from a string and set it just barely above a container filled with soapy water. The wasps will fall into the water and die. [6]
    • These traps work, but be aware that you’re probably going to kill some beneficial insects in the process. If you notice that you’re killing more honey bees and ladybugs than wasps, stop using the traps.
    • This may have an unintended consequence of attracting more wasps than you’d otherwise see. If you feel like the number of wasps you run into is increasing after you put the traps out, opt for another solution.
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6

Try using outdoor fans to blow them away.

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    Grab some large standing fans and set them up so that the air blows over your deck and away from your home. Wasps aren’t the smartest, and if a stiff breeze blows them away from your deck, they’re usually just continue flying away from your deck. [7]
    • If you just have a single fan, set it to oscillate back and forth over your deck.
7

Spot-treat wasps with soapy water.

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    Fill a spray bottle ¾ of the way with water and add a few squirts of dish soap. Shake the mixture up and spritz any wayward wasps who stumble onto your porch. The soapy water will cause the wasps to die on the spot.
    • If it’s just a lone wasp, the soapy water should kill the wasp immediately. If you’ve got a ton of wasps on your deck though, spraying them may cause them to fly into a frenzy, so be careful!
    • You can use a can of insecticide if you really want, but this is probably going to be the safer option if you’re hanging out on your porch with other people.
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8

Clear a nest out with commercial wasp spray.

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    Wasps are most active during the day, so wait until it’s dark out to destroy it. Buy a can of commercial wasp spray and unload the entire thing into the entrance of the wasp nest. [8] If it kills the queen (and it should), the colony will die. If the wasps are still hanging out the next day, repeat the process.
    • For colonies that burrow underground, fill the entrance with a silica aerogel dust. [9]
    • Don’t get closer than you have to. Read the label on the can to see how far back you can stay when spraying the insecticide.
9

Try a mixture of clove, geranium, and lemongrass to repel wasps.

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    There’s not a ton of science backing this one up, but a lot of folks have found success with this mixture. Fill a spray bottle ¾ of the way with water and add 10-15 drops of clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils to the bottle. Spritz the area around your porch and the scent may keep wasps away. [10]
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10

Go outside later at night.

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    If you’re thinking about hosting a garden party or having a few friends over, time it so that the event starts later in the day. Most wasp species are inactive at night, and you’re unlikely to run into a horde of angry wasps if you go out on your porch when it’s starting to get dark out. [12]
    • This isn’t a permanent solution, but if you’re only concerned about keeping wasps away every now and then, this might work for you!

Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Where should I apply an insecticide if wasp nests are inside the wall cavity?
    Chris Parker
    Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control
    Chris Parker is the Founder of Parker Eco Pest Control, a sustainable pest control service in Seattle, Washington. With over seven years of experience, Chris specializes in Integrated Pest Management and doesn’t use any chemicals for pest removal. He offers removal services for ants, rodents, fleas, spiders, wasps, and more. Chris is a certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator in Washington State and received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington.
    Chris Parker
    Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control
    Expert Answer
    If the insecticide is a dry powder, you can put it directly into the wall void or apply it around the exterior of the hole they are using to climb in there.
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  • Question
    What can you use to get rid of wasps on the exterior of your home?
    Chris Parker
    Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control
    Chris Parker is the Founder of Parker Eco Pest Control, a sustainable pest control service in Seattle, Washington. With over seven years of experience, Chris specializes in Integrated Pest Management and doesn’t use any chemicals for pest removal. He offers removal services for ants, rodents, fleas, spiders, wasps, and more. Chris is a certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator in Washington State and received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington.
    Chris Parker
    Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control
    Expert Answer
    You can spray an eco-friendly product that contains peppermint oil. It is easy to use because you can reach up to 20 feet with the aerosol canister.
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      Tips

      • You can try using insect repellents if you’d like, but they don’t appear to be super effective at deterring wasps. [13]
        Thanks
      • Decoy wasp nests do not appear to work. There are no peer-reviewed studies on these, so feel free to try them if you’d like, but the logic doesn’t quite work. Many wasps will build nests in close proximity to other wasps, and not every variety of wasp is territorial enough to care about having neighbors. [14]
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      Warnings

      • If you’re allergic to wasps, don’t try to handle a nest yourself. Call a professional and have them do it. If you do happen to be allergic and a wasp stings you, see a doctor immediately. [15]
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      References

      1. ↑ http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7450.html
      2. ↑ https://academic.oup.com/ee/article/47/4/960/5035144
      3. ↑ https://www.sites.ext.vt.edu/schoolipm/ipmtechniques/documents/wasps.pdf
      4. ↑ https://www.sites.ext.vt.edu/schoolipm/ipmtechniques/documents/wasps.pdf
      5. ↑ Chris Parker. Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control. Expert Interview. 15 January 2021.
      6. ↑ https://www.clemson.edu/extension/beekeepers/fact-sheets-publications/yellow-jackets.html
      7. ↑ https://www.flick.com.au/blog/how-to-remove-a-wasp-from-your-home/
      8. ↑ Chris Parker. Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control. Expert Interview. 15 January 2021.
      9. ↑ https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/managesafe/choose-a-pest?pestid=23
      1. ↑ https://control-mosquitoes.com/keeping-wasps-and-hornets-away-from-the-house/
      2. ↑ Chris Parker. Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control. Expert Interview. 15 January 2021.
      3. ↑ https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef004
      4. ↑ http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7449.html
      5. ↑ https://askentomologists.com/2020/07/14/do-wasp-nest-decoys-work/
      6. ↑ https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/insect-sting-allergies/

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