Wasp Stakeout Fakeout
A realization hit me several years ago that spraying toxic chemicals all over my living space to “clean” maybe wasn’t the best idea. For me, for my pets, or for the air and ground I inhabit.
Now when a household maintenance issue comes up, instead of hitting a grocery aisle full of toxic products — I google. My latest find is so simple (and somewhat hilarious) that I had to share it with you guys.
While I cherish bees in my garden, summer wasps are a bummer. When one yellow jacket wasp … then a few more … then many started wasp-ing around my backyard a few months ago, I looked all over for a nest to clear. Nothing. A few days later, they were still making appearances and cramping my garden’s style.
Rather than buy a can of something poisonous, Google led me to basic info and a fun idea.
Wasps are territorial. They don’t make nests where other wasps have already settled. That’s why some people are building dummy nests to dissuade settlement. There were all sorts of options and ideas out there, but the one that worked with materials I had on hand involved a small paper bag, a rubber band, and string.
To make my fake nests, I secured the tops of two bags with rubber bands, fluffed/ballooned out the lower half, cut a small hole in the bottom of each, and hung them from branches on two trees on opposite sides of my yard.
Within 24 hours the wasps were gone. That was two months ago. They haven’t come back. Occasionally one will pop in and sniff around, but he doesn’t stay. My zero dollar faux nests have held up through all our summer storms and are still doing their job. Amazing! Try it out and let me know if you have the same success.
Happy wasp-free summer-ing.
