Easy Ways to Wasp-Proof Your Porch This Spring Before They Begin Nesting – Plus, a Simple Product That Banishes Wasps Year After Year

Nothing ruins a summer gathering faster than wasps buzzing around. Wasps are attracted to the food and drinks we humans like to enjoy outside on our porches and patios, and their stings can be dangerous. Wasps will set up nests under eaves and in trees near ideal locations with easy access to food. Your backyard barbecues are an enticing buffet for wasps.

By mid-summer, many homeowners are researching how to kill wasps, but what if there was a way to stop them before they even settled in? Well, you’re in luck. Spring is the perfect time to begin wasp-proofing your outdoor areas before they build their nests.

There are a few changes you can make to your yard and habits that will keep wasps and yellowjackets away. And there are even some cheap and effective things like using fake wasp nests, this one is from Amazon, to ensure they won’t set up shop on your porch. Keep reading to learn more about how to repel wasps before summer is in full swing.

What Attracts Wasps?

Unfortunately, many of the things we love are also loved by wasps and yellowjackets. Wasps are great pollinators and do important things like break down animal carcasses in nature, but this also makes them attracted to the flowers and vegetables we plant and the tasty meats we enjoy at our backyard picnics.

Wasps are also attracted to sugary beverages that may get spilled on the patio and any fallen fruit from trees and shrubs in our yards. Wasps feast on spiders, aphids, and other insects that might be hanging out in our plants or on our homes.

Deter Wasps with a Decoy Nest

Spring is the ideal time to deter wasps from building nests near or on your home. Scouts begin looking for new areas to set up a nest in the spring and the nest will be well established by early summer. The key to successful wasp deterrence is to act early.

Wasps are beneficial insects in our environment, but their stings can be harmful or even deadly and it is best to try and deter them before they become a problem. Keeping wasps away from the areas you and your family use outside can be as simple as setting up a decoy nest. Wasps and hornets are territorial so, the theory goes, if wasps think there is already a nest of hornets at your home, they won’t build their nest near it. This technique only works for nest-dwelling wasps and hornets. It will not be effective for types of wasps that nest in the ground.

A decoy nest made from a brown paper bag will make wasps think twice before nesting in your home. You can even purchase a pre-made fake hornet nest from Amazon and hang it under the eaves of your home or under your covered porch. A pre-made fake hornet nest has the advantage of being able to be reused year after year. But you can make a brown paper bag decoy nest in a pinch.

Make a Decoy Nest From a Brown Paper Bag

1. Stuff a simple brown paper lunch bag, like these from Amazon, with newspaper or any other materials you have laying around.
2. Tie off the top of the bag with string or a twist tie.
3. Hang the bag under the eaves of your house or under a covered porch so it is protected from rain.

Other Ways to Keep Wasps Away

Placing a fake nest in spring before wasps move in is a great way to protect your outdoor living areas from these stinging pests, but there are other measures you should take, too. Wasp deterrence needs to be a multi-faceted endeavor for the best results.

Keep Outdoor Areas Clean

• Clean up any spilled food or drinks. Wasps and yellowjackets are attracted to sugary foods and beverages and also meat products.
• Pick up any fallen fruit in your yard with something like the Garden Weasel large nut gatherer, available on Amazon.
• Keep trash cans clean and closed tightly.
• Clear away spider webs hiding under your eaves and treat aphid infestations so wasps aren’t lured in with a buggy meal.

Plant Thoughtfully

Wasps are important pollinators, but you may not want to draw them to your porch with the flowers that you are planting. Wasps love yarrow, Queen Anne’s lace, fennel, sunflowers, raspberries, and goldenrod, so avoid planting these near areas you and your family gather.

Looking to use plants that wasps hate to further repel them from your patio? Plant wormwood, marigolds, mint, spearmint, thyme, basil, lemongrass, and geraniums in pots around your patio to keep wasps away.

Wasp Removal

If wasps do end up making a home on your home, there are some steps you can take. Creating a DIY wasp trap can be done quickly and with things you probably already have laying around. A 2-liter bottle, some dish soap, water, and grape jelly will draw the wasps in and drown them. Or you can purchase a wasp, hornet, and yellowjacket trap from Amazon or your local hardware store. If wasps have set up a substantial nest, call an exterminator to remove the nest safely so you are not stung by the wasps.