According to the experts, there are 30,000 species of wasps worldwide, coming in various sizes, shapes, behaviors, and aggression levels. And while they do all kinds of good things for nature, and for your enjoyment of beautiful things, they scare the bee-jezzus out of lots of us every time they come buzzing about.
What you serve at your picnic matters, but so does when. Wasp behavior changes in the late summer, so it’s important to think through your actions in June vs August. At the beginning of sweet summer, wasps focus on sugar, and this shifts to a focus on proteins as we near football season. Think they are related?
Serving cucumber is not only healthy but wasp adverse as well. Wasps hate the acidic taste of the cucumber peel. You could include a mixture of basil and garlic in a salad at the other end of the table as well. Or just keep a basil plant and garlic cloves near entry points to your abode as the wasps will definitely not feel welcomed.
If the aroma of garlic is not your forte, let’s go minty. Wasps hate the smell of mint, both plants and essential oils, for outdoors and indoors. For that matter, not only do they protest your spearmint and peppermint, but they also vote no for your thyme, citronella, and eucalyptus. An herb garden not only helps your dinner delights but may keep unwanted visitors away.
A penny a day keeps the wasp away? Pretty much in fact – wasps are averse to the smell of copper. There is a saying about rubbing two nickels together, but pennies would be better. So, rub and throw. Yep, rub the pennies and throw them around the house and perimeter.
But if you go wearing perfume and aftershave, well, I can’t help you.
If Only Extra: Let’s say you didn’t have time to hit the farmer’s market and you now find yourself in a full wasp attack, what do you do? First, they say you should remain still if a wasp approaches you. When fleeing the scene, run in a straight line, and certainly don’t flail your arms. If it is going to happen, protect your head and face – their target areas. If the attack has started, what not to do is threefold: don’t swat at it and make it mad, don’t play dead as it will just continue the attack, and never seek shelter in a body of water. You will need to breathe at some point and it will be waiting for you. Be safe out there!
Reminds me of an old saying…if you suspect a wasp attack, make sure you bring someone slower than you