Keeping pesky wasps at bay

kah22

I think this is the best forum.
I live in an an area where there are loads of flowers, and trees and plenty of places for wasps to make their nests. I don’t think, however, I have one in my own home but possibly near by.

That said, go outside into the patio for afternoon tea with friends or family and the wasps make an appearance. I’m trying to find out if there is an effective way to keep these pesky whittle insects from buzzing around while you’re trying to have a quiet cup of tea or coffee. They are not a particularly big nuisance otherwise and I acknowledge they are useful in some ways.

I have read of using essential oils, wasp traps, fake nests, using sound emitting devices and so on but I’m more interested in keeping them away from the patio at times I’m using it. The sound emitting device seems a possibility.

Anyway, from experience has anyone recommendationsthey could offer.

As always many thanks for your help 

Kevin

Davesnave

I think you will be on a hiding to nothing with most 'remedies.' We have no problem with wasps, but living in the countryside, we have lots of flies, despite there being numerous swallows and martins constantly mopping them up at about 70 an hour. Experience teaches that insects like warm stones and walls to bask on and the plants we grow. It's just how things are.

People see glossy magazine pictures of property with bi-fold doors open to the garden and they believe all the hype that goes with them, particularly selling the rural lifestyle. The reality is that, in town or country, you'll have insects, and if there's 10m2 of open doors they'll be in your house!

At this time of year, as the wasps gorge themselves on fallen or rotting fruit, they'll get drunk and, just like people, then they'll ignore all the rules, including normal responses to your ultra sonic zappoblaster or citronella candle.

Naturally, others may disagree !

Martin_the_Unjust

https://mousybrownshouse.typepad.com/poised-to-take-flight/2010/03/an-easy-effective-homemade-wasp-trap.html

kah22

Martin_the_Unjust said:

https://mousybrownshouse.typepad.com/poised-to-take-flight/2010/03/an-easy-effective-homemade-wasp-trap.html

I’ll be trying that today

twopenny

In the days of my youth before we all got carried away with buying stuff there was always a little bit of jam in a jam jar put near anywhere we were eating outside.

The wasps and flies go straight for it and can't get out but die happy.

Davesnave that made me laugh.

Black_Cat2

Second that lol, davesnave brightens up the forum 😂🐈

Davesnave

twopenny said:

In the days of my youth before we all got carried away with buying stuff there was always a little bit of jam in a jam jar put near anywhere we were eating outside.

The wasps and flies go straight for it and can't get out but die happy.

Yes, and then, when there were power cuts in the strident 70s,  jam jars with slightly smaller holes in their lids were filled with paraffin, a string wick was inserted and they became somewhat dodgy light sources for those who'd run out of candles.  

I remember having a row of them on my desk, so I could finish a student project that was running very late.

twopenny

That sounds a bit dodgy. I bought an oil lamp with birthday money. Great buy, no problems with power cuts.

Then they stopped selling parafin in garages.

Davesnave

twopenny said:

That sounds a bit dodgy. I bought an oil lamp with birthday money. Great buy, no problems with power cuts.

Do you have problems with power cuts?

Out here in Ruralshire we have them quite often; in fact, we had one early this morning. Mostly they last only a few minutes, so no time to get an oil lamp out. Of course, they crash the computer, cause the ovens to lose their settings and mess up the time on a couple of clock radios, but that's not much of a price to pay for country living.

Longest one we ever had was when they rewired the lines and put them on new poles. It was about 8am to 10pm, but that was because they had issues and it got dark on them. I woke up the next morning to see they'd left £150 copper wire in the yard, but when I saw what they'd done to the field I realised it was a gift in lieu of compensation and didn't bother to ring them!

twopenny

Not any more. Power cuts for me were the 70's when I changed career for somewhere that would have constant heating.

But I still keep candles handy and have a mix of gas and electric bits in the house. Never a scout but always prepared

silverwhistle

I've a wood burner, a Kelly Kettle, a camping stove and various battery LED lights as well as tea lights and candles.  With a cuppa and a book I'll be fine through any power cut.