Wasps are beneficial to the environment because, like honey bees, they are pollinators. They are also important crop pest regulators, preying on crop-damaging insects such as aphids, caterpillars, and flies. Although they play an essential role, they are potentially dangerous when in residential yards. Wasps vary in appearance, behavior, and habitat, depending on species, but they all share distinctive traits. These traits include slender waists, six legs, a pair of antennas, and two wings.
The wasp family includes hornets and yellow jackets. These stinging insects can be divided into two categories social and solitary. Social wasps are aggressive, protecting their nest and queen if threatened. As a Columbia resident, you should know how to keep these stinging insects away to ensure you and your family are safe.
Two Landscaping Tips To Deter Wasps
Part of keeping wasps off your property is maintaining your landscaping. This is because many plants attract wasps and the insects they prey on. At the same time, other plants can be effective at repelling this stinging insect.
Tip #1: Plants That Are Natural Wasp Repellants
- Mint, pennyroyal, citronella, and basil have scents that wasps don’t like
- Cucumber is bitter and acidic
- Geraniums contain little pollen and have a scent that wasps don’t like, and they are red, which wasps are not attracted to
- Marigolds are another warm-colored plant that wasps don’t care for
- Pitcher plants are carnivorous and eat insects like wasps
- Wormwood contains a toxic substance to insects called absinthe
Tip #2: Avoid Plants That Attract Wasps
- Plants that attract insects that produce honeydew, a sweet substance collected by wasps
- Many flowering plants that produce nectar
- Yarrow, sweet fennel, Queen Anne’s lace
- Fruit trees
Along with the plants you maintain in your Columbia yard, there are three other tips you should implement to keep wasps from making a home on your property.
Three Wasp Prevention Tips
Depending on the species of wasp, their diet will vary. These diets include other insects, nectar, aphid honeydew, and fruit. However, people can play a significant factor in what is available to wasps, meaning they can attract them to their property. The following tips will help remove factors around your home that may attract these stinging insects.
Tip #1: Proper Food Storage
- Some food will attract wasps, but more so, they will attract insects like flies that wasps feed on
- Pick up fallen fruit around your yard
Tip #2: Proper Trash Storage
- Use a tight-fitting lid to keep wasps and insects out
- Rinse out soda cans before recycling them as wasps are attracted to the sweetness
- Clean out trash cans when necessary to make sure there is no residue left behind
Tip #3: Filling In Ground Holes
- Ground holes can hold water that wasps need to survive
- Ground holes can also provide a nesting place for solitary wasps
If you’ve done the tips listed above but are still dealing with wasps on your Columbia property or need assistance with an active nest, you should look for help from professionals.
Wasp Prevention Assistance
For more wasp prevention assistance or the safe removal of an active nest, contact the professionals at Havard Pest Control. Even if you suspect a nest is inactive, you should still contact our experts for removal. Because people don’t usually know that they are allergic to this stinging insect until they are stung, it is best not to approach any nest. Keep yourself and your family safe in your Columbia yard with help from Havard Pest Control. Call today to learn more about our wasp removal.