Tips for Preventing Wasps and Hornets

Just like hummingbirds, wasps see the sweetened water as a source of energy and food. Keeping these feeders to a minimum, or positioning them farther from the house will help to prevent wasps from making their home near it. Plant flowers that will attract hummingbirds instead, and you also get a great landscaping piece. 

Wasps and hornets are attracted to areas with standing water so that they can drink, and prey on other insects that may use the standing water. Check your yard and house for areas that have standing water, such as old buckets, flower pots, or containers that are collecting water. This may include having your gutters cleaned out to make sure that water is flowing away from your house. 

In the spring and early summer, wasps are attracted to proteins. Make sure garbage containers and compost piles are covered and food is promptly cleaned up after an outdoor meal. In the later summer and early fall, wasps will begin to look for sweet foods. If you have a fruit tree in your yard, remove any fallen fruit from the ground. Also clean up any drinks or food containers. 

Check around your house and yard early in the spring to see if there’s any new nests forming. It is a lot easier to take care of a wasp’s nest when it is still small and early.  Make sure to check any sheds, garages, and around the eaves of your roof.