Summer is all about sunshine, sweet smells, gardens, and the outdoors. And it is also the time for bees and wasps to enjoy themselves! They come out of their hives in search of the ideal place to form nests for their new colonies.
So if you have a garden full of sweet flowers and a welcoming environment, bees and wasps will certainly get attracted.
They will find the best place to build their nest in your garden, which could potentially hinder your summertime outdoor activities. But we have got your back! We have discussed some of the best ways to prepare your backyard for bees and wasps and tricks to keep them away.
You can also use the help of Majestic Pest Control to prevent bees and wasps from invading your yard. So let’s check out the reasons for bees and wasps visiting your place to better understand preventing them in your backyard.
Bees and Wasps Visit in Search of Shelter
The summer season is the breeding time for bees and wasps, popularly known as the swarming season for them. During the season, they start reproducing, and since the existing nest cannot accommodate the growing population, they migrate in swarms.
Bees and wasps build nests in the ideal place where they can easily find sweet nectar. In addition, they look for the perfect place where the climate is ideal and sufficient food and water are available nearby.
If your backyard has all the ideal conditions, these creatures will find a way to build their nests in the perfect spot.
Ways to Avoid Bees and Wasps in Your Backyard
Bees and wasps in your backyard can eventually find their way into the house, disrupting your peace and making you anxious.
However, removing these insects by killing them could damage the species and should be avoided at all costs. Thus, it is always better to prevent than to find a cure.
Check out some of the ways you can opt to avoid bees and wasps in your garden.
Grow Plants That Prevent Bees and Wasps
It is one of the best ways to prevent bees and wasps without causing any harm. These insects detest some of the plants, and you can use them to your advantage. You can grow certain plants like mint, citronella, basil, eucalyptus, and pennyroyal.
These plants give off a pungent smell that humans might like, but bees and wasps don’t. You can grow them in your garden and use some of them as herbs in your food.
Remove Plants That Have Sweet Smelling Flowers
Bees and wasps are particularly attracted to nectar-producing flowers that are colorful. They smell their scent from far away and find a way to reach them. If they get a suitable location, they build their hive around the place.
So, it is better to avoid having bee-attracting flowers and plants in your garden. You can grow geraniums and red petunias instead. These flowers are colorful and beautify your garden without the risk of attracting bees and wasps.
Make Your Garden No-Entry for Wasps Zone
Cucumber peels are an effective way to prevent wasps as they don’t like the bitterness of their peels. You can choose to plant cucumbers in your garden or spread cucumber peels throughout the backyard.
Food and garbage attract wasps. You can keep your food sealed and garbage bins closed to prevent wasps from entering your garden. You can also grow marigolds in your backyard, as wasps do not like their smell.
Don’t Provide Shelter for Nesting
Your outdoor activity areas could become homes for bees and wasps where they build their hives. These areas include outdoor grills, tree houses, and sheds that insects find perfect for building their new home.
So, you should constantly keep a check on these areas and avoid keeping them open.
Covering up the sheds and grills and keeping the least number of items in the backyard is essential to avoid such insects. You can also regularly clean these places, and using dry sheets can prevent the insects from invading your space.
Use Home Remedies to Prevent Insects
You can use natural ingredients to repel bees and wasps without causing them any harm. For example, using cloves and cinnamon can effectively keep them at bay as they abhor their smell. You can spread these herbs around your backyard to prevent bees and wasps in your backyard.
Moreover, you can use a mixture of essential oils like geranium, clove, and lemongrass to repel them. Crushed garlic and peppermint oil also work for this purpose. Besides, you can use a mixture of vanilla and baby oil to prevent stings while outdoors. ThePestInformer recommends using lavender oil to prevent carpenter bees.
Do These Creatures Have Any Benefit to the Environment and Life On Earth?
Although bees and wasps can infest your house, harming and killing them can adversely affect all life forms on earth. These creatures are tiny, but they have a huge contribution to the food chain as most plants are dependent on them for pollination.
Here are some ways these mini creatures make our planet beautiful.
- Honey bees produce the best honey in the world that many people love to enjoy.
- Beeswax has uses in medicines, soaps, food preservation, and other industries.
- Bees and wasps are natural pollinators that help with almost 90% of plant growth in the wilderness.
- They play a crucial role in maintaining a balance in the food web as they help in pollination and provide food for plant-eating animals.
- These insects beautify the environment by enhancing biodiversity and helping in the natural growth of plants.
Although they are small in size, they help maintain our ecosystem and keep life going on our planet. Instead of finding ways to kill them, it is time to protect them as their population is slowly declining. It is a threat to our survival and the planet alike.
Final Thoughts
Bees and wasps are an essential part of our ecosystem, but we don’t want them to invade our homes and disrupt our peace of mind. So, preventing them from making nests in your backyard is the best way to avoid them without causing them any harm.
