How To Keep Wasps Away From Your Knoxville Yard
Hosting a BBQ or taking a dip in the pool is a great way to spend those hot summer days, but if there’s one thing that can put a damper on your afternoon, it’s a wasp sting. In Tennessee, you’re likely to encounter one of these four types: paper wasps, red wasps, yellow jackets, or bald-faced hornets.
None of these types, including hornets, spell good news if you’ve got a wasp nest on your property – unlike honey bees, wasps can sting you as many times as they’d like, and if you’re in their territory, they usually won’t hesitate to do so.
While wasps play an important role in controlling insect populations in the environment, that doesn’t mean you want them hanging around. Here’s what you should know about deterring wasps around your property with landscaping, other ways to prevent them, and what to do if you find a wasp nest on your property.
Landscaping Tips To Deter Wasps Around Your Knoxville Property
While it’s not unusual to see one or two wasps hanging around, there are certain landscaping tricks you can use to make your property less attractive to them. One of the best ways to do this is by being mindful of the types of plants you’re placing around your property.
There are plenty of plants that act as natural wasp repellents, including:
- Lemongrass
- Mint
- Wormwood
- Citronella
- Rosemary
- Clove
- Chamomile
- Thyme
- Wintergreen
- Fennel
- Sage
There are also a couple of plants that get toted as wasp repellents but don’t actually work – like eucalyptus, marigolds, and basil.
While there are quite a few plants that repel wasps, these pests are pollinators, so planting blue, white, purple, or yellow flowers may actually attract them to your garden.
Other Ways To Prevent Wasps On Your Knoxville Property
Besides being careful about the plants you do (and don’t) plant around your property, here are some other ways to prevent too many wasps from wandering into your yard:
- Make sure your trash cans and garbage bins are properly sealed.
- Clean up any food scraps, especially meats and sweets, that may be left outside.
- Seal up cracks or crevices in the foundation or the siding of your home since these areas can serve as entry points into your home or nesting spots.
- Repair any tears in window or door screens that may act as an entrance.
- Use a decoy nest to discourage real wasps from trying to nest on your property.
- Fill in holes in your yard as yellow jackets like to build their nests in the ground.
Preventing wasps from nesting on your property is always preferable to responding once they're there.
The Most Effective Way To Control Wasps In Knoxville
While the tips above can help deter future wasp infestations and nests, they won’t do much for an active wasp nest on your property. Some homeowners may try to deal with a nest themselves, but this can be incredibly dangerous – wasps not only sting as many times as they like, but they’re often aggressive defenders of their nests and territory.
For this reason, it’s always a good idea to leave active wasp infestations up to the experts at Urbanex. Our professionals have plenty of experience removing wasp nests, and they have the gear and equipment to do it safely. If you think you’ve got an active wasp nest or infestation on your property, don’t leave it untreated – call us at Urbanex today to learn more about our wasp control program and the safe removal of wasp nests for your Knoxville home.
Request Your Free Inspection
Complete the form below to schedule your no obligation inspection.