How to Keep Wasps Away from Your Food and Deck

It’s difficult to enjoy a summer barbecue or an evening outside on the patio with wasps and hornets buzzing around. They’re called pests for a reason, right?

But before you reach for an expensive store-bought solution, you may want to consider a different approach. Just as there are natural repellents for mosquitoes and clever ideas to keep flies away, there are also DIY solutions for keeping the wasps at bay.

Make a Natural Wasp Repellent with Citrus

This trick is so simple—and you only need two ingredients to pull it off. To get started, grab an ordinary lemon. Then raid your spice rack for a small handful of cloves—yes, the aromatic cloves you use to stud a holiday ham. Slice the lemon in half cross-wise and stick a bunch of cloves into the exposed flesh. Then, set the lemon halves on a dish wherever you want to keep wasps and bees away. Goodbye, pests!

While wasps might hate the scent of citrus and cloves, it’s certainly pleasant for humans.

Use Paper Bags to Repel Wasps

To double-up on ways to repel wasps or to try a new method, this hack will come in handy. It’s all about tricking the wasps into thinking there’s already another hive! Because wasps are territorial, they’ll typically steer clear if they see another nest. TikTok creator @howdoesshe sets up a puffed-up paper bag that resembles a nest to trick the wasps and deter any unwanted buzzing.

More Ways to Keep Wasps Away

If you’re searching for more ways to keep wasps out of the backyard, there are plenty of other options. Everything from wasp traps and bug zappers will prove to be helpful products for keeping bugs away. Plus, they can repel more than just wasps, keeping mosquitoes, flies and other bugs from ruining your outdoor picnic or patio time.