Wasps...How do you deal with them?

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 have an allergy. MrB gets rid of them.

Leave the window open & hopefully they fly away. I can’t bear to kill anything, other than moths & carpet beetles.

I was trying to eat my breakfast in the slightly cooler garden this morning, I had to go in as a wasp was divebombing me. I will make a wasp trap: jam jar with holes in the lid ,a little jam and water inside, works a treat.

We were absolutely inundated with the pesky things at a BiL’s place in France one summer. We hung large water bottles anywhere near where we were sitting, part filled with a mix of apricot jam and water. IIRC we made some handy holes in the sides for the little buggers to get in, and IIRC smeared a very little jam near the entrances, - to encourage them to come in and ultimately drown in the jammy water.

At the end of the day there would be a truly gruesome haul of corpses to get rid of!

As much as I dislike them, along with the fact that I have an extreme reaction if stung, they are pollinators and therefore I try not to kill them.

We need them more than they need us

I try to ignore them as much as possible, but agree that they can become a nuisance at this time of year. I think I recall reading that it’s mostly the male wasps that have left the nest and are in search of something sweet to feast on. Not sure if they die not long after that or end up making new nests. Will have to research that.
I have also got one of those fake nests hanging up outside near our outdoor table, which has certainly seemed to deter them somewhat.

A plastic drinks bottle, cut the top 1/3 off, invert it inside the bottom part put a sugary liquid in the bottom.

Wasps go in but can’t find a way out, works a treat.

I react very badly to being stung by wasps. Several years ago when gardening with DH I disturbed some wasps and was stung by one. I had to go back inside the house as I was in agony and didn’t go outside again for about half an hour. I was wearing a bright red top and they recognised me and I had several flying around me and a few on my back. DH came to my rescue 🧹. They had no interest in him but they definitely recognised me.
I have some banana water in a bucket outside (it stinks) and I’ve noticed how attracted they are to it. A few have fallen in.

GrannyGravy13

As much as I dislike them, along with the fact that I have an extreme reaction if stung, they are pollinators and therefore I try not to kill them.

We need them more than they need us

Quite right. They are part of the ecosystem. They are an important food source for Honey Buzzards who eat their grubs. However I agree they are annoying. If they land on your window put a glass over them and a bit of paper over the glass and take them outside.

When I worked in a cafe with a suntrap garden we tried all sorts.

Jam jar trap, a citronella candle, a home made trap such as David49 recommends.
As a last resort, find their nest and destroy it. I once did that after my child landed in a nest and was stung many times.

Fake wasp nests can be helpful. I understand wasps are territorial and if they believe there's already a nest in an area, they will leave.

amzn.eu/d/1OroRmV

These catch vast numbers of wasps and bluebottles, happily the butterflies, bees and ladybirds are less interested.

agnurse

Fake wasp nests can be helpful. I understand wasps are territorial and if they believe there's already a nest in an area, they will leave.

I’ve got two in my garden and they seem to be working. I’ve always tried not to kill them but my dog is a whippet and, having very little body fat, they react very badly to wasp stings. They were nesting in the back wall of my house the other year and I was scared that they would find their way into the house.

We need all the pollinators we can get. I used to kill them but now just try to flap them away. They are certainly more annoying than bees, which tend to take a hint.

"...what is the easiest way of deterring them? or dealing with them?

Borrow my Jack Russell/Yorkie cross dog, he snaps them up and spits them out again in several pieces 🐕

If we can't get them to disappear, by trying to get them to politely leave via Doors or windows, we engage Chemical Warfare.

If lots of them then jammy traps are the answer.I have only spotted a couple so far this Summer but two years ago we had hornets nesting in the attic😲had to call somebody inn to get rid of the big nest.

Just leave them alone. You can’t go through life without minor hurts and inconveniences.

If it’s near MrJ and won’t leave politely it’s killed, he was hospitalised from wasp stings.
If it’s just me, I try and wave it away or remove myself.

We have had a few wasps nests over the years, some in the garden but worryingly, some have taken up residence in the loft.

We always get a pest control company out to get rid of them.

My brother and his wife (82 and 84 ,) returned from shopping to find their lounge full of wasps. They were silly and tried to get rid of them instead of just coming out and closing the door and phoning an expert straight away. They were stung multiple times and ended up in A and E.,

An expert was eventually called, and came promptly and quickly dispatched the wasps and the nest.

The moral of the tale is … don’t try to get rid of them yourself and phone an expert.

Naf Off. if there’s a wasp in the house I spray it in the room with a window open, and the wasp always departs quickly. If I’m outside I spray it on my T-shirt and they leave me alone.

agnurse

Fake wasp nests can be helpful. I understand wasps are territorial and if they believe there's already a nest in an area, they will leave.

This is our chosen method, we hang the “waspinator” by our dining area outside.
It works. .