Do you need to find a quality wasp deterrent to string up in your yard? You’ve stumbled across the right page.
Here in our Pest Strategies in-depth report, you’ll be able to learn:
- Our top five recommendations for wasp deterrents (including our overall top choice)
- The best way to deter wasps
- Optimal places to string up your decoy wasp nest
- The difference between a wasp repellent and a wasp deterrent
Our Overall #1 Rated Pick
Exterminator’s Choice Bee & Wasp Defense
- Deters bees, wasps, and other flying insects
- All-natural ingredients
- Convenient spray bottle
After our review our favorite wasp deterrent goes to the Exterminator’s Choice Bee & Wasp Defense
Why?
Keep wasps and bees away with this natural insect repellent from Exterminator’s Choice. It deters stinging pests from invading yards, garages, and other outdoor areas.
This all-natural, non-toxic formula is safe for children, pets, and the environment, and there’s no more need for chemical pesticide sprays since it uses a powerful blend of three essential oils.
Exterminator’s Choice Bee & Wasp Defense comes in a convenient spray bottle that’s easy to use. With the company’s satisfaction guarantee, you can rest assured that this laboratory-tested formula will work for you every time.
Top 5 Best Wasp Deterrents
In the below section we break down each of our product recommendations in a little more detail. Otherwise, check out our buying guide.
- Exterminator’s Choice Bee & Wasp Defense (our top pick)
- FMI Get Lost Hanging Wasp Deterrent (#2 pick)
- Luigi’s Wasp Away
- Upper Bound 50 Honeycomb Deterrent Stickers
- Air Crow Wasp Out Fake Hornet’s Nest
1. Exterminator’s Choice Bee & Wasp Defense
Keep wasps and bees away with this natural insect repellent from Exterminator’s Choice. It deters stinging pests from invading yards, garages, and other outdoor areas.
This all-natural, non-toxic formula is safe for children, pets, and the environment, and there’s no more need for chemical pesticide sprays since it uses a powerful blend of three essential oils.
Exterminator’s Choice Bee & Wasp Defense comes in a convenient spray bottle that’s easy to use. With the company’s satisfaction guarantee, you can rest assured that this laboratory-tested formula will work for you every time.
The Good:
- All-natural ingredients
- Deters bees, wasps, and other flying insects
- Convenient spray bottle
- Satisfaction guarantee
The Bad:
- Requires a large volume of spray to be effective
Features:
- All-natural ingredients
- Deters bees, wasps, and other flying insects
- Convenient spray bottle
2. FMI Get Lost Hanging Wasp Deterrent
This fake nest takes advantage of the wasp’s natural territorial instinct.
By simulating the look of an enemy hive in size, shape, and color, the Get Lost Natural Hanging Deterrent accurately pinpoints the natural fears of the wasp–namely, that of an enemy lurking nearby.
For best results, it’s recommended to hang this product in early springtime when the queen wasp is scouting for a place to begin her colony. At the sight of this deterrent, it’s highly likely that the queen will fly away, preventing the birth of numerous new wasps on your property.
This product ships as a two-pack and is made of the usual rice-paper material, so it’s recommended that you hang it in a shaded area which can be protected from rainfall.
The Good:
- Realistic-looking false hive effectively deters wasps and hornets
- Targets the queen wasp before she can populate a colony
- Comes in a 2-pack for added coverage
The Bad:
- Product is made of thin rice paper and may not hold up to the elements
- Some wasps were not afraid at all
Features:
- Provides a powerful deterrent against both wasps and hornets
- Easy to hang and immediately effective
- Comes in a 2-pack for added coverage
3. Luigi’s Wasp Away
Luigi’s Wasp Away deters wasps and bees without killing them. The secret is in the strategy that’s been used for hundreds of years.
It works by tricking the bees into thinking it’s an actual nest and that the territory is already taken. The result is a bee-free porch, patio, or outdoor space.
The natural color and realistic design make it one of the most effective bee deterrents in the industry. Also, the decoys are simple to set up in just a few minutes.
Luigi’s Wasp Away is suitable for most bee and wasp varieties, and the set comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee.
The Good:
- Deters wasps without killing them
- Realistic design
- Easy to install
- 90-day money-back guarantee
The Bad:
- Decoys may not hold up to extreme weather conditions
Features:
- Deters wasps without killing them
- Realistic design
- Easy to install
4. Upper Bound 50 Honeycomb Deterrent Stickers
This type of product uses the same premise in a different way: by taking the interior of the nest and slapping it on every possible surface, consumers are effectively scaring the wasps off.
These decal stickers are branded with a honeycomb pattern, which is what the inside of a wasps’s nest looks like. It almost sounds too crazy to work, but it’s proven to be effective: when a wasp sees this honeycomb decal, it flies the other way, thinking it’s just flown into an enemy’s nest.
These decals are weatherproof and versatile for all areas of the home and garden, setting them apart from the other items on the list.
We recommend these decals because they are ideal for smaller spaces where false nests can’t be hung up.
The Good:
- Weatherproof decals to be stuck in small places
- Much more versatile than traditional fake nests
- Honeycomb pattern mimics inside of nest and scares wasps more
The Bad:
- Decals leave residue and are difficult to remove
- Paper wasps ignored the decals in some cases
- Hornets ignored the stickers in some areas during warm months
Features:
- Honeycomb pattern mimics natural nest pattern
- Wasps flee when they see this decal
- Weatherproof decals to be stuck in small places
5. Air Crow Wasp Out Fake Hornet’s Nest
Much different from the rice-paper lantern type of fake nests (and even our overall top pick) from earlier, the Aircrow Wasp Out Fake Hornet’s Nest looks highly authentic.
This decoy nest is a bit different from the other contenders. Though it looks like it’s made from a durable, sturdy solid, it’s actually sold in a deflated state.
There’s a small hole through which the user must blow and “inflate” the nest, pumping it with air to make it look realistic. Once it’s pumped up, it lasts for many seasons outside through all weather, scaring away wasps and hornets with ease.
While this deterrent nest definitely gets the job done, we give it low ranking on our list because it’s a little difficult to inflate, and it only ships as a singular product.
The Good:
- Made from durable materials
- Looks genuine and scares wasps and hornets
- Excellent design that blends in with nature
The Bad:
- Costlier option
- Can be difficult to inflate
- Only ships in quantities of one
Features:
- Sturdy fake nest to trick wasps and hornets
- Well-developed and very realistic-looking
- Made from durable materials
How to Deter Wasps
If only it were that simple, right?
Wasps are annoying at best, and downright terrifying at worst. During the summer months when you’re sitting outside, trying to enjoy a nice warm night on the balcony, these little guys can buzz right up and terrorize you relentlessly just because they smell the sugar in your beverage.
Keep reading to better understand what you can do to make them fly in the other direction whenever possible.
Why Do Wasps Return to the Same Place?
Wasps, in addition to their highly-developed senses of sight, are ruled by their sense of smell.
Also, like most wild animals, a driving force in their behavior is the need to feed–when they smell something sweet, they go for it.
Wasps smell the stench of garbage which needs to be collected, or possibly spilled drinks which need to be cleaned, and tend to hover around these areas. Anytime a certain vicinity is home to a large number of wasps at a time, that’s a signal that there is something sweet lurking around…whether you can see it, or not.
However, keep this in mind: wasps never return to the exact same nest. If a future generation of wasps decides to continue a new colony the following year, it’s highly likely they’ll return to an area where they don’t feel threatened.
Can You Really Scare Wasps Away?
It seems almost too good to be true that a few pieces of lightweight paper can rid you of your wasp problem for the long haul, doesn’t it?
And yet, it’s true. Wasps are incredibly territorial insects, and will retreat at even the slightest inkling of an enemy domain.
This doesn’t mean, however, that wasps will back down from a fight; quite the opposite, in fact. Wasps are highly aggressive and not afraid to sting a predator if they feel threatened.
So why is it that a wasp will retreat from an enemy, yet also attack a predator? Check out this video below to understand how the world appears in the eyes of a wasp, which might clear up a lot of questions.
What About Their Eyesight?
A wasp’s eyesight, as you can tell, is pretty blurry in comparison to a human’s. Even the slightest resemblance to a nest may be seen as authentic to a wasp, which in turn could act as a highly effective deterrent.
The wasp’s eyesight is poor when compared to a human being’s level of vision, but when measured against that of other insects, wasps actually rank pretty high.
Findings from UC Berkeley in 2014 note that wasps have begun to evolve their own eyesight to be able to actually recognize other wasps, as well as the expressions on their faces!
The Best Place to Set Up Your Wasp Deterrent
We understand: you want to keep your property a wasp-free zone.
When you invest in a wasp deterrent, make sure you’re placing it in the right spot for optimal protection against infestation.
From the Roof
This is the first thought many homeowners have when they’re facing a wasp problem as the temperatures rise in the late spring: to string up a decoy nest at the edge of the house from the rooftop.
This is an optimal solution for a few reasons:
Wasps can see the decoy deterrent nest very visibly before they see the rest of your home
This becomes the first line of defense against a wasp infestation
It’s high up and out of the way, where pets and children won’t interfere with its efficacy
Next To Any Standing Water
Wasps and all their stinging cousins (hornets, yellow jackets, and bees) love a nice dip in the pool.
This is why it’s especially important to place a deterrent in the vicinity around your pool, pond or any other area of standing water you have. We recommend stringing up a decoy nest over nearby tree branches or installing a specific pole to hang your wasp deterrent if no natural structures are available.
Near Your Garbage Cans
Wasps are most abundant in the summer months when the temperatures are the warmest.
They are attracted primarily to sweet, sugary foods and juices–anything that reminds them of the nectar which they’d normally eat in a wild environment. This is why they are lured toward outdoor garbage areas in the summertime, especially toward the end of the week when the trash to be collected is piling up.
To combat this, be sure that the area around the trash is always kept squeaky-clean and free of sugar, as this is the main attractant for every type of pest, not just wasps.
Entomologist Rob Cannings from Victoria, British Columbia also has a few suggestions. Check out his recommendations in the video down below.
Wasp Repellent vs. Wasp Deterrent: What’s the Difference?
The two words sound the same, but do they mean the same thing?
Not exactly.
In terms of pest control, there’s a key difference between these two:
a repellent normally refers to a device or substance which irritates the pest in some way, leading the pest to flee
a deterrent typically refers to an item which uses a scare tactic to manipulate the pest into fleeing
While both types of products achieve the same result, they get the job done in separate ways. Repellents usually cause a physiological reaction in the pest, whereas deterrents normally cause a psychological reaction.
