Peppermint oil: Wasps and hornets hate the smell of peppermint oil! So, take a cotton ball soaked in peppermint oil and place it near areas where you've seen wasps and hornets. You can also add a few drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle filled with water and use it to spray areas.
Wasps have a strong sense of smell and dislike certain plants like peppermint, spearmint, basil, eucalyptus, cloves, geranium, thyme, citronella, bay leaves, and lemongrass. They are also repelled by vinegar, cinnamon, coffee grounds, and sliced cucumber.
Soap and Water
"The portion will clog the wasps' pores, killing them almost instantly," Williams says.
Plants like citronella, spearmint, marigolds, and geraniums are all thought to be wasp deterrents. Additionally, essential oils such as peppermint, clove, geranium, and lemongrass may have some effect when sprayed on places where wasp nests used to remain.
They normally get angry when they feel threatened. It could be your constant waving of arms when you try to get rid of them.
Remain calm. This is the most important piece of advice you'll get. Sometimes wasps will land on people just to inspect a smell or have a drink of sweat then leave. If you can't handle the anticipation, gently and slowly brush it away with a piece of paper.
Wasps are sensitive to movement so any yelling, flailing, or running will only do worse. The insects will see you as a threat and will start attacking. Do not do anything that will catch their attention. Instead, move away slowly with your eyes closed and head down.
Wasps also don't like vinegar. As a wasp deterrent, some people place an equal mix of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. They then spray the wasps to get them away.
Although wasps prefer the smell of sweet things, they are also attracted to the smell of protein, such as leftover meat, or even insects in your yard. However, just as some plants may attract wasps into your space, there are others that can repel them.
Essential oils are amongst the smells that will help to give you some peace from wasps. Simply place herbs such as lavender (Lavendula), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) or mint (Mentha) in your garden as wasps will be repelled by the essential oils released from these plants.
Use a spray like Hovex's Fast Knockdown Wasp Killer, which delivers a powerful jet spray allowing you to maintain a safe distance. For best results, spray the nest late in the evening when the wasps are dormant, and always wear protective clothing.
Wasp Predators: Insects
Many wasps fall into the hands of predators like dragonflies, centipedes, hoverflies, beetles, spiders, moths, praying mantis, and robber flies. Spiders have special techniques for hunting wasps. They catch these insects using their webs and, after hunting, eat them slowly over time.
Because bugs see colors on the UV spectrum, they cannot register hues of green or blue. Painters even use blue paint to repel bees and wasps. Painting your porch ceiling in a blue tone could repel wasps, leading to fewer wasp-eating spiders around your home!
The simple answer is, yes, wasps are attracted to bright lights, which is why you'll sometimes see them buzzing around your yard at night.
“Refrain from waving your arms around or breaking out into a sudden run,” Daniel says. “This can alarm the wasp and increase the likelihood of it stinging you. Also, where there is one wasp, there are likely more, and such a reaction could provoke an attack from the others."
When in wasp-infested areas, avoid wearing sweet-smelling colognes, perfumes, and hair sprays and bright orange, yellow, and blue clothing, as they will attract flying wasps. Khaki, tan, and dark colors are less attractive to wasps.
Wasps are drawn to brighter shades like yellows and whites because they look similar to the shades wasps look for from flowers and they're not attracted to darker shades like blues and blacks but for clothing, the safest bet is red because wasps just can't see it and therefore aren't attracted to it.
Windex is very effective for killing most types of bugs inside of the home. It's a bit less effective on Wasps for some reason, but many will die and those that do not will be slowed enough that you can easily trap them or slap them.
Carpet Cleaning Hacks. To kill flys, bees, hornets and wasps, spray with Windex. On housefly's it usually only takes a small whiff to knock them out of the air and kill them. Wasps will fall right away too but you may need to hit them with another dose.
'Due to wasps' highly developed sense of smell, white vinegar sprays can act as a repellent in a pinch when sprayed around your doors and windows, or to keep wasps away from your porch.
Wasps will not chase you unless you disturb them. You can stand a few feet away from a wasp hive and as long as you don't make a sudden move, they will leave you alone. If you disturb their nest they will attack and sting you.
With brains less than a millionth the size of humans', paper wasps hardly seem like mental giants. But new research shows that these insects can remember individuals for at least a week, even after meeting and interacting with many other wasps in the meantime.
Summary. Unlike a bee, which can only sting once, the European wasp can sting repeatedly. Around one in 10 people who are stung two or more times become allergic, which means they will experience severe reactions to any subsequent stings.