You do everything you can to get rid of wasps on your property. You even hire a professional pest controller to eliminate them.
But wasps return in the following season.
The truth is that eliminating wasps from your home and property is only a half-baked measure.
You need to take steps to ensure that wasps don’t come back.
This guide will reveal why wasps keep coming back despite your best efforts. You’ll find out the factors you ignore that draw wasp.
There are follow-up steps that you must take after wasp removal. These steps will ensure that you stop wasps from returning to your property.
But first, let’s find out why wasps keep returning to their old nesting sites.
Why Wasps Keep Coming Back?
With the arrival of winter, wasps go away. The queen wasps go under hibernation only to come out of it next spring to build a new nest.
Wasps don’t use the same nests again. But they habitually come back to their old nesting locations.
Different wasp species build nests in your home and property.
Paper wasps, yellow jackets, bees, and mud daubers are notorious for infesting homes and properties, especially during summer.
And the presence of these insects exposes you to the risk of stings.
Wasp stings are painful. And in some people, who’re allergic to stings, it can be disastrous.
So, to keep yourself and your family safe from their stings, you must stop these stinging bugs from coming back.
Below are the nine reasons why wasps keep coming back –
- Presence of water sources that are easily accessible to wasps
- Presence of insects
- Presence of flower plants
- Firewood and untreated wood attract wasps
- Fruit trees attract wasps
- Food wastes bring wasps back
- Not removing wasp nests, completely
- Easily accessible nesting places attract wasps
- Pheromone smell
Let’s get into each of them to find out more.
Water Sources In Your Property Cause Wasps To Come Back
Wasps love to nest in places where there’s a water source.
On top of that, wasps have a strong sense of smell that attracts them to water sources that emit an odor.
Tires full of water, trash cans with water, potholes, swimming pools, ponds, fountains, and even running faucets attract wasps.
Wasps will hover over the water source and drink the water. They will also collect the water in their mandibles and return it to their nests.
So, if water sources are in your home and property, wasps, bees, and hornets will return.
Bugs And Insects Also Attract Wasps
There are many garden and landscape bugs that wasps hunt and eat.
Adult wasps will hunt on the grubs and larvae of many insects living in your yard’s soil.
They’ll also hunt tiny bugs like aphids, beetles, mealybugs, gnats, and flies.
Flower Plants Compels Wasps To Come Back
Wasps also feed on the nectar of flowers. They’re pollinators, and pollen and nectar form a significant part of their diet.
Certain flower plants attract wasps. Marigold, Queen Anne’s Lace, Yarrow, and Sweet Fennel are some flowering plants that draw wasps to homes.
Bright colored flowers also attract wasps. Wasps enter homes quickly if the walls are brightly colored.
If you wear bright clothes outdoors during the wasp seasons, you’ll attract wasps.
Firewood And Untreated Woods Attract Wasps
Wasps will return to your property if there are piles of firewood and untreated wood.
Wasps will chew on the untreated and unpolished wood to collect the pulp. Wasps need the wooden pulp to build their nests.
So, anything from rustic garden furniture to swings in your yard can draw wasps.
Fruit Trees Attract Wasps
Wasps feed on ripe fruits. Their strong sense of smell can pick up the odor of ripe fruits from a distance.
So, if you’re growing fruits on your property, expect wasps and hornets.
But wasps avoid citrus fruits. However, if they’re ripe enough, they can attract wasps too.
You can also attract wasps while you’re outdoors if you’re wearing a fruity-smelling perfume or deodorant.
The presence of ripe fruits inside your home also draws wasps inside.
They’ll sneak inside your home from different holes and crevices and through open doors and windows to feed on the ripe fruits.
Food Wastes Lying Around Your In Your Home And Outdoors Draw Wasps
Wasps feed on the food wastes that you generate. And when you don’t dispose of them properly, it’ll draw the wasps.
That’s why opening trash cans in your home and yard with food waste becomes a magnet for wasps.
And if your food wastes have leftover meat, veggies, sweet and sugary stuff, and fruits, it’s a feast for wasps.
Those food wastes also draw flies, ants, and roaches. They become easy prey for wasps.
Not Properly Removing Wasps Nests
Wasps don’t come back to their old nests. But if you don’t remove a wasp or don’t knock the nest down completely, wasps can figure out that it’s their old nesting site.
So, that makes it easy for the wasps to figure out other nesting places near the old nests.
That makes the wasps come back and build an entirely new nest in your home and property.
Easily Accessible Nesting Places In Your Home And Property
Crevices, holes, cracks, and gaps on your home’s walls, roofs, shingles, attic, and chimneys are safe places for female wasps to build their nests.
If these nesting sites exist, wasps and hornets will return and build their nests on your property.
Pheromones, A Chemical That Wasps Use To Communicate, Make Wasps To Return
Even though wasps don’t use their old nests, they always build new ones. The pheromone smell around the old nesting sites makes wasps return to the same place.
So, old nesting locations like roof eaves, shingles, wall cavities, sheds, and even tree branches can have the pheromone smell.
That’s one of the most compelling reasons why wasps keep coming back to your home.
That’s why it’s essential that after removing the wasps’ nest, you must also clean the nesting site to remove the pheromone smell.
Pheromones are a secretion that bugs excrete. These secretions have a smell that bugs follow to reach their food source or a nesting site.
How To Stop Wasps From Coming Back To Your Home?
Stopping wasps from returning to your home is all about eliminating the factors that draw wasps.
Here’s how you can prevent wasps from returning to your property –
Control Water Accumulation In Your Yard
Stagnant water draws wasps. And to prevent wasps from returning, ensure that your yard or garden doesn’t have a waterlogging problem.
Fill up any potholes that can hold stagnant water. Also, remove any containers and old tires lying around your yard. They can hold water.
Use pyrethrin-based wasp repelling sprays around water sources like swimming pools, birdbaths, ponds, or fountains.
It’ll be best to use the spray once every other day.
Another alternative is peppermint spray on the areas around your pool, birdbaths, or ponds.
Bugs and wasps hate the smell of peppermint. And it repels them.
One more thing, refrain from overwatering your yard.
Overwatering causes the soil to remain damp, and it also causes water stagnation. Both draw wasps.
Control Your Garden Pests
The presence of garden pests draws wasps as wasps hunt and eat them.
Don’t allow garden pests to spread. Their presence will not only invite wasps but also bugs like ants, centipedes, and spiders that feed on them.
Grow Plants That Repel Wasps
Flower plants attract wasps. But stopping to grow flower plants in your yard or garden isn’t the solution to wasps returning.
Instead, grow plants that repel wasps.
Eucalyptus, thyme, mint, and basil are four available plant species that are easily available. You can grow them in your yard or garden.
These plants are wasp repellents.
Store Your Firewood Properly And Remove Any Untreated And Unpolished Wood
Firewood piles in yards are a magnet for bugs like termites, ants, and even wasps.
So, store your firewood correctly under sheds or cover them well.
It’ll be best to store the pile over a cemented platform or pedestal so that bugs can’t access the firewood from underground.
Also, don’t keep unpolished or untreated furniture in your outdoor area. Wasps will target untreated furniture to take the pulp and use it for building their nests.
Seal Gaps And Cracks In Your Home
No matter whether wasps return or not, it’s essential that you deny them the nesting places they target in your home.
These nesting sites can also be entry points for wasps to enter your home.
So, seal all the gaps and cracks on your home’s walls, roofs, shingles, and in places like the attic.
Check out those utility lines that enter your homes. The holes they pass through always have gaps around them that become entry points for many bugs.
Also, the holes in damaged walls are perfect entry points for wasps to build their nests in the walls.
Seal those holes and repair damaged walls and floors.
If you’ve got a chimney on your property, cover the chimney when you don’t need it.
Rats, kissing bugs, mice, wasps, and hornets use the chimney to invade homes and build nests.
Don’t Let Food Wastes Accumulate In Your Home And Property
Food wastes, especially wastes containing meat, fish, fallen fruits from trees, sweet foods, and other protein-rich foods, draw wasps.
Let them lie in your trash bins inside and outside your home, and you’re sure to attract wasps.
So, don’t let food wastes accumulate in your garbage cans for days. The decaying smell from the cans will draw wasps and many other bugs like ants, flies, and roaches.
Also, store your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, especially during the wasp season.
If they’ve become too ripe and you can’t eat them, pour a bit of white vinegar on those fruits and dispose of them.
If you store pet food improperly, like keeping it in a container without a lid, it can also attract wasps.
Remove The Smell Of Pheromones From Old Nesting Sites Of Wasps
All wasps mark their nesting sites with pheromones.
It’s communicating with other wasps that the nests belong here and should return to the same place.
So, if you’ve removed an active or abandoned wasps’ nest on your property, you must clean the nesting site.
You can use soapy water spray made from dish soap and water to clean the area where wasps built their nest.
Wipe off the nesting site with a disinfectant. And let the area dry.
Both white vinegar and disinfectant will disinfect the nesting place and remove the pheromone smell.
It’ll help you immensely in stopping wasps from coming back.
Keep Wasp Traps In The Old Nesting Locations
Wasp traps come in handy to keep wasps from coming back. These traps draw the wasps inside, and the glue interior entraps them.
So, keep a few of them in places where they had to build their nests.
You can also keep wasp traps in places like the attic, underneath decks, and near the chimney, which are possible nesting sites for wasps.
Use Wasp Repelling Smells
Wasps hate specific smells. And you can use those smells in your favor to keep away wasps.
Smells of lemongrass, geranium, peppermint, and clove repel wasps.
You can use any of these essential oils and spray them in old nesting locations and possible nesting sites of wasps.
The best approach is to add 5-7 drops of peppermint oil to half a gallon of water.
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it on the nesting locations.
Another alternative is white vinegar. The acidic smell of vinegar keeps wasps away.
Mix equal amounts of white vinegar and water and spray it on the nesting sites of wasps.
It’ll remove the pheromone smell and will also repel wasps.
Why Professional Pest Control Is A Better Option To Remove Wasps And Their Nests
Wasp stings are nasty. Your unintentional or accidental presence near the wasp nests can make wasps sting you.
That’s why many people believe that wasps sting you for no reason. Wasps are fiercely aggressive, and they defend their nests with their lives.
Wasps also sting rodents and birds that come near to their nest.
So, if you’ve got a wasp infestation on your property, it’s always best to hire a pest controller rather than do it yourself.
Do not try to remove an active wasp nest using pesticide sprays, or don’t try to knock down a wasp nest.
It can be disastrous for you and the people in your home.
Summary
Wasps have a habit of returning to their old nesting places. If there was a wasp infestation in your home and property, and you didn’t follow the steps in this post, the wasp will also return next season.
The nine factors that make wasps keep coming back to your home are –
- Presence of water sources that are easily accessible to wasps
- Presence of insects
- Presence of flower plants
- Firewood and untreated wood attract wasps
- Fruit trees attract wasps
- Food wastes bring wasps back
- Not removing wasp nests, completely
- Easily accessible nesting places attract wasps
- Pheromone smell
You can eliminate these factors and nullify the chances of wasps returning to your property.
However, if there’s a wasp infestation in your home, your best bet is to hire a pest controller to eliminate it.
Wasps, hornets, and bees are not the bugs you should deal with using DIY ways unless you know what you’re doing.
These bugs sting hard. Their stings are painful and can cause serious health problems.
Thomas Orbert is a PhD in entomology with specialization in tiny and microscopic pests. Thomas is a regular contributor to our site and shares failproof methods to get rid of small pests.