Wasps...How do you deal with them?

If they’re in the house and they ignore the window I open for them then I have an electric fly swatter.
I try to avoid killing pollinators, because there are still plants with flowers now, but these wasps will all die off by around October, so if the choice is being stung (DH and DGS get a bad reaction) or losing a few early then it’s an easy choice.

It must be a real worry if you or yours have a severe allergy to stings. Especially in a bumper year for wasps, as this one seems to be.

I hate them and it seems that no matter how many jam/water traps there are, it's always my plate they're more interested in. The number of times I've gone outside to enjoy a lovely meal in the sunshine and had to come straight back in.

Snowbelle

Don’t react no sudden movements just keep still and the wasp will move on and not sting you. Flap about And panic and they WILL

Nonsense I have never flapped about and panicked. I have been stung about four of five times in my life and have never 'bothered' the wasp.

This is what annoys me...it really isn't true that you won't be stung if you stay still.

Had what I thought were wasps surrounding me in the garden, had to give up on the weeding and go inside. Couple of days later huge nest and turned out they were hornets - looked like wasps to me but had to get someone in to destroy nest. Last year had them coming into one of the bedrooms, dozens of them, called in pest control again and they sprayed in the bedroom and went up into the roof space and sprayed a couple of times before they eventually disappeared. There are always a few flying around the bedroom windows so very wary of opening them even in warm weather.

When we were abroad we learnt to put a saucer of dry coffee grounds on the table and let it smoulder. The wasps don't like the smell and stay away from the table. I think it does help.

I have just put 2 waspinators up. Yes they do work, used at a previous house and garage. Many thanks to the person who mentioned them, they completely slipped my mind

I can deal with the tiny initial nests and they tend to hang from above but my garage roof is very high and there is a lot of wood, which wasps love. One is in there close to the entrance door and I put the other in my loft,

I never go into my loft now, last time was for me to fix the soil vent pipe and then to insulate it, it had caused a tremendous leak and ceiling damage below. That looked ok this evening and the waspinator will hang there as long as I live in this house. I never want any reason to go into that horrible, warm and stifling space again so wasp prevention is much better than cure

Don’t react no sudden movements just keep still and the wasp will move on and not sting you. Flap about And panic and they WILL

Hello Everyone, I can't stand wasps and am so pleased to read that lots of other people hate them as much as I do.
I am badly allergic to wasps, and have to carry two Epipens around with me at all times. I get fed up of people saying how good wasps are at killing aphids and are good pollinators, they may be all of those things but they can kill people as well.
The first time that I was stung I just managed to get to the A&E before my breathing had completely stopped, I don't remember as I was in anaphylaxis.
So please remember a wasp sting can affect people very badly.
I do use a Wasp Bane in the garden they are a bit expensive but do work.

I have an allergy, I carry x2 EpiPen but I have been told they won’t save my life, get 999 urgently. Really interested to know how you cope with the allergy please

I read this morning that this is a bumper year for wasps. I have rarely been stung but I find that ignoring them always worked best. If they land near or on you, don't panic them and they will eventually fly away. Apparently they are just looking for a last sugary feast before thay die.

Every year we had a wasps' nest in the half roof at the end of the kitchen. They never bothered us when we were sitting close by on the patio and spent their days flying to and fro between the nest and the brassicas (very little caterpillar damage thanks to the wasps). It's now about three years since we've had a nest but this year everytime I sit outside (for breakfast, morning coffee, lunch and tea) there is always one single wasp that comes and bothers me. Infuriating!

Ignore them!

Never had one turn nasty either

Doesn’t stop bees and wasps stinging but there is a product called “ Stingose “ we used to use it when we kept bees A quick spray ASAP really does help with the discomfort

I’m quite scared of them, ever since as a child I put my hand on a fence where a wasp happened to be sitting.

I swat them with a rolled up Radio Times or similar - but I always apologise. I say “Sorry, wasp”.

I kill any that come in the house, otherwise they go back to their nest and tell all the others where to come.
I use washing up liquid diluted with way in a spray bottle. It stops them breathing and is very effective (and cheap).

Crossstitchfan

keepingquiet

When out with friends recently I was told off for leaving a wasp to drown in my beer glass. There was only a little beer left and the wasp just flew in there.
I was made to feel bad because I wasn't understanding wasps won't sting you if you leave them alone, although I hadn't made it fly in there!

Not long after I went inside and without even seeing the wasp, I was stung on the inside of my arm.
Two weeks later and I have had to take a course of anti-biotics, and apply lots of hydrocortisone to get rid of the infection, itchy and just plain soreness the sting caused.

How to deal with them? Just keep away as much as possible!

I think the wasp came back from the dead to get his own back!
Seriously, that must have been nasty. Hope you are ok now?

Yes, someone else said that but the wasp didn't die in the beer. My friend released it!
Yes, the sting was nasty but after two weeks and two medications it is now fine.
I did expect to read some posts stating that getting excited and waving your arms about invites the wasp to sting.
I can safely say there was no panic whatsoever- not from anyone sitting around me despite the wasps constantly making a nuisance of themselves.
I didn't not even see the wasp that stung me- although other people pointed out there were loads of them on the window behind me!
Let me assure posters it was a severe and nasty reaction, not like any sting I have had before.
I am sure if anyone had been on the receiving end they would not be so dismissive.
Wasps are not gentle or friendly creatures. At a barbeque recently a relative who has cerebral palsy was almost stung on her lip by one that came near her mouth. If she hadn't have batted it away it could have been very nasty indeed.

Quick squirt with hair spray ,.,

I'm not hysterical around them

Nanny100 I have some peppermint essential oil so i'll make some up, thank you

keepingquiet

When out with friends recently I was told off for leaving a wasp to drown in my beer glass. There was only a little beer left and the wasp just flew in there.
I was made to feel bad because I wasn't understanding wasps won't sting you if you leave them alone, although I hadn't made it fly in there!

Not long after I went inside and without even seeing the wasp, I was stung on the inside of my arm.
Two weeks later and I have had to take a course of anti-biotics, and apply lots of hydrocortisone to get rid of the infection, itchy and just plain soreness the sting caused.

How to deal with them? Just keep away as much as possible!

I think the wasp came back from the dead to get his own back!
Seriously, that must have been nasty. Hope you are ok now?

Well I’ve never “had hysterics” round wasps, or even so much as flapped a hand at them, but that hasn’t meant I haven’t been stung several times while simply going about my business. Oddly enough, not last year or this year……not yet anyway.

I was once chased back to the car by an angry swarm while stretching my legs in a lay-by when I wore a bright yellow dress. That one went straight to the charity shop.

They absolutely hate peppermint.
We used to be plagued by them in Kefalonia on our holidays, trying to eat outside.
Get a small empty spray bottle. You can buy them from the likes of Superdrug or Primark in the travel section. Fill with water and a good amount of pure peppermint oil. If one approaches, just shake it well and spray it. It’ll zoom off. I used to spray the underside of the table/arms of the chair and the paper tablecloth. That really deterred them.
It’s also not something horribly to be spraying near other people who are eating. HTH.

David49 that sounds very cruel!!

Incense........! they hate it.