How To Keep Wasps From Building Nests – 7 Steps You Must Do

One of the benefits to prevent wasps from building nests both inside and outside your home is that you eliminate the chances of wasp stings.

You also prevent wasps from coming back.

Wasps start building their nests during the spring months. And the nests keep growing as we progress into the warmer days of the year.

The bigger the nest, the more the wasps. And higher the chances of wasp stings.

One of the sure-shot ways to stop wasps from coming back, and eliminate the chances of wasp stings, is to keep wasps from building nests on your property.

And in this guide, you’ll find out exactly how to do it. 

Keep reading. 

Where Do Wasps Build Their Nests?

Solitary wasps like yellow jackets will build their nests underground. Social wasps like paper wasps build their nests at lofty places like eaves, decaying logs, birdhouses, trees, and dense bushes outdoors.

Inside the house wasps will build their nests in the garage, sheds, behind shutters, attic, inside the chimney, and even in your bathroom. 

Social wasps can also build their nests inside the ledges and wall crevices. 

They’ll chew through the wall, turning the wall hollow from the inside making space for the nests.

Hornet species, like the bald-faced hornets and European hornets also share the same nesting sites as wasps. But there’s a lot of difference between hornet nests and wasp nests.

It’s important to know where wasps build their nests because you can target those areas to keep wasps from building their nests.

Also, wasps tend to build their nests in the same places where they built the previous season. 

The nesting site of the wasp has pheromones, which tells the wasps that they built their sites at that place earlier. 

The pheromone scent brings back the wasps to the same location. 

But wasps always build new nests. They don’t use the same nests again. 

7 Steps To Prevent Wasps From Building Nests

Now that you know the places where wasps and hornets build their nests, you can take the following steps to keep wasps from building their nests. 

It’ll be best to implement these steps a few weeks before spring arrives. It’s because spring is the period when wasps become active and look for sites to build their nests. 

Use Wasp Repelling Smells On Wasp Nesting Sites

Wasps hate the smell of peppermint, lemongrass, eucalyptus, cloves, geranium, vinegar, and cinnamon. Using the spray made from these herbs and spices on the wasps’ nesting sites keeps wasps from building their nests.

There’s peppermint oil spray available which you can use straight out of the bottle to spray it on the nesting sites. 

Alternatively, you can prepare a mixture of your own by using the essential oils of these herbs and mixing them with water. 

Add 7-10 drops of eucalyptus, peppermint, cinnamon, geranium or clove essential oil in a bottle full of water.

And pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on the nesting sites. 

Another cheaper option is preparing a mixture by mixing equal amounts of white vinegar and water. And using it as a spray. 

You can add a few tablespoons of dish soap in the water and use the mixture as a spray.

Wasps have an acute sense of smell. And they’ll keep away from the places that reek of the smell of wasp repellents like vinegar and dish soap.

You can also use the spray on places like porch , garage, and underneath decks to repel and prevent wasps from building their nests in these places.

The key is to use these sprays daily till fall arrives. These smells go away in a day or two.

If you’re not consistent with spraying, then wasps can start building their nests.

Wasp-Proof Your Home By Sealing The Crevices

The cracks on the walls, windowsills, are door frames are entry points for many bugs and pests, including wasps.

Wasps can crawl through these crevices and sneak inside the house to build their nests in places like attic. 

Find out those gaps. And seal them. 

It’s vital to seal the gaps by the time spring arrives. It’s because spring is the time when most pests come out of overwintering to invade homes.

Wasps will also use these crevices to get inside the house during the fall. 

During the fall, fertilized female wasps look out for warm places to hibernate and to spend the winters. And they enter the homes.

Male wasps start to die during the fall. So, you may notice lethargic wasps in the house crawling on the floor and near windows. 

When spring arrives, the hiding wasps come out from their hiding places inside the wasps. 

And you notice a sudden appearance of many wasps inside the house during the spring. These wasps gather near the windows trying to get out and to build their nests.

That’s why it’s important to seal the crevices of your home.

Use Window Screens With Fine Mesh

Window screens with fine meshes prevent flying bugs and insects from entering homes through the open windows.

Wasps and many flying pests like beetles and moths that become active during the spring will eventually get inside the home through open places. 

Installing window screens prevents these wasps and bees from entering homes. And the mesh doesn’t stop the fresh airflow either. 

Use the screens to cover vents in places like bathroom, chimney, attic, and garage. 

Fill The Holes In Your Backyard And Garden Soil

Wasp species like yellow jackets build their nests underground by digging up holes in the ground. 

Mud daubers will carry the mud from these holes and soil beds and use it to build their nests.

If you notice holes in the soil beds of garden and yard, fill them up. 

If you’ve pet dogs that like to dig, then keep an eye out for the holes in your yard.

Holes and craters left unfilled attract not only wasps but many other pests like ants. 

Keep The Garbage Cans And Compost Pile Covered

Trash bins, both indoors and outdoors, with food wastes such as fruit and vegetables peels draw wasps.

Wasps also prefer protein rich food like fish and meat. So, wastes of these foods in the trash bins attract wasps.  

Also, if you keep the lids of garbage cans open, then it’ll attract many garbage bugs like maggots, white flies, and springtails. 

Wasps hunt these insects and carry them back to their nests to feed their larvae.

So, ensure that there’s no garbage accumulation in the trash bins of your property. 

Dispose of the garbage regularly so that the wastes don’t start to decay. 

Keep the lids of the garbage bins and recycling bins closed and covering the compost piles deny wasps access to the food sources in these things that draw them. 

Don’t Let Overripe Fruits Hang On The Trees Of Your Property

If your home has fruit trees, then ensure that you pluck the fruits as soon as they are ripe.

The fruity smell of ripe fruits attracts wasps. 

That’s the reason you attract wasps if you’re wearing a deodorant that smells fruity, or you’ve used shower gel that smells like fruits. 

Knock Down The Little Burgeoning Wasp Nests

You can knock down a wasp’s nest if it’s small and in the early stages. 

But it’s not advisable to knock down a wasp nest that has grown big. 

If you notice tiny wasp nests with only a few holes, preferably below ten, then you can take a rod and knock it down. 

The best time to do it is during the evening, after sunset. It’s because during this period wasps are lethargic and less aggressive.

Wear gloves, protective clothing like full-sleeved shirts and trousers, and shoes. It’ll be best if you put on a full-face helmet to negate any chances for wasps to sting on your face. 

There are also wasp nest foam sprays available that you can use to neutralize the wasp nest. 

A wasp nest looks like an inverted umbrella with holes at the bottom. They’re brownish made from papery material like wood pulp.

What To Do If There’s A Fully Developed Nest On Your Property?

Call a professional pest controller or wasp nest removal professional who has expertise in removing wasp nests. 

Under no circumstances should you ever try to go near a fully developed active wasp nest. 

Wasps become very aggressive if any living being, including rodents and birds, goes near their nest.

They’ll come out in swarms and mercilessly sting you. 

Many people accidentally go near the wasp nest, especially when they’re outdoors, and they get stung by the wasps.

That creates a false impression that they attract wasps. 

Do Fake Wasp Nests Work In Keeping Wasps From Building Their Nests?

There’s a belief that fake wasp nests act as a decoy that tells other wasps that there’s already a wasp nest. As wasps are territorial, they won’t build their nests near the decoy nest. 

But that’s a false claim. 

There have been many occasions when people noticed wasps nests near fake wasp nests. 

The reason is that wasps can only figure out an existing nest if it emits pheromone smell. 

Fake wasp nests don’t emit pheromone smells. So, it’s a clear sign for the wasps that the nest-like thing isn’t a nest at all. 

And they’ll not hesitate to build a nest near it.

Instead of wasting your money on fake wasp nests, use wasp traps and hang them at the nesting sites of the wasps.

It’ll entrap the wasps and prevent them from building their nests.

Summary

Denying wasps from building their nest in your home and outdoors is one of the keyways to keep wasps from returning. 

Use wasp repellent smells on their nesting sites and preventing them from entering the house always work when it comes to preventing wasps preemptively.