Does peppermint oil repel wasps?


Dave Campbell

Are you having a wasp problem at your home or business? The most common type of wasp found is hornet and yellow jackets. These insects eat spiders, flies, and dead insects, leading to natural pest control.

On the other hand, most people want to eliminate them from the home as they injure you and your pets. Apart from their burning sting, they are persistent at it and could lead to allergic reactions for some people not to talk about the pain they cause.

Nevertheless, before you start grabbing different chemical treatments to manage the pest, it remains a dangerous attempt to remove a wasps nest or wasp by yourself. Therefore, if you feel unsafe doing this yourself, it helps to call in pest control to take care of the wasps.

The chemical is harmful to your health but also remains toxic for the environment at the same time. Maybe you have heard about using peppermint oil to deter wasps.

But does it work? Well, we are here to provide you with more insight into this deterring method.

How to get rid of a wasp without using insecticide?

So how can you get rid of wasps in your yard? Even better—how do you deter wasps without using toxic chemicals that kill them? A fact is that the insect is beneficial to have around, and killing them upsets the ecosystem.

On the other hand, there is one thing that a wasp doesn’t like—and that is peppermint oil! The pungent smell of the herb, such as mint, putts them off and will make them stay clear from your home.

How to get rid of wasps?

To deter wasps from entering your yard and starting to set up a home, you can make a spray of peppermint oil to deter them. You will do the environment a big favor as it prevents the harmful side of using insecticides.

While the mint deters wasps, it remains beneficial for humans. With the peppermint combined with other ingredients, it makes the wasps leave your property without you killing them.

However, you will need to use a spray bottle with the essential oils and water and spray it on the places where the wasps may likely build a nest. Therefore, you need to spray it on railings, porch roofs, eves, under gutters, etc.

On the other hand, do not think you will only need to use the peppermint-oil wasp spray once. No, you will have to repeat the process after a couple of days to remove all of the wasps to make sure they are gone.

How To Make Your Natural Wasp Repellent

Now, if you are lucky enough to have the mint plant in the garden, you can make your peppermint oil to deter wasps instead of buying it at the shop. So how do you make the stuff? All you need are some household items and a few hours and easy to make.

With the following recipe, you can get a pint of peppermint oil that goes a long way due to the concentration. Ingredients Needed:

  1. You will need Everclear, or even Vodka will work but may not be as strong as the latter.
  2. Then get yourself two pint-sized mason jars, and one needs to be a brown color to store the peppermint oil to protect it from the light.
  3. Now, you need a whole lot of fresh mint leaves or dried if you cannot find nor have fresh ones available. Get enough to fill the mason jar when chopped.
  4. Have a fine strainer on hand, or a coffee filter as it works well but can take longer.

Method to Make Your Peppermint Oil to Repel Wasps

Start by chopping up the fresh mint leaves but not too finely and place in the mason jar and leave about an inch between the top of the lid and leaves.

Pour in the grain alcohol over the peppermint leaves and fill it up to full, and you will notice the leaves sinking with time after a few days.

Place the jar in a dark and cool spot tightly sealed, and let the alcohol and peppermint rest for two months but gives the pot a good shake every week.

The fantastic thing is that it makes enough oil not only repel wasps but has loads of other benefits to use around the home as well. Alternatively, you can go the fast way and buy the peppermint oil in a shop.

After two months, strain the liquid into the brown mason jar and try to remove as much of the leaves as possible. Voila, you are done!

Making the Peppermint Oil Wasp Spray

With the spray, you can repel wasps, insects, or use it as a mist for your carpets and furniture, leaving a breeze of fresh air in the home.

All you need is a misting spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle. Fill the bottle with distilled water three quarters and add up to 30 drops of the peppermint oil depending on how strong you want the solution. If you like, you can even add some dish soap to the mixture for further prevention.

The more oil you add, it has a powerful smell to remove wasps from their nest and the yard. However, it helps if you remembered where you spray it to ensure that you use it on the same spots again.

Prevention Helps to Keep Wasps Away

To keep wasps out of the yard or home, it helps to take precaution by removing food like sweets and beverages that is tempting for the insect.

Make sure to cover trashcans and think about what attracts them, including bird and pet food. Furthermore, maintain the structure and fixtures of your home and repair areas that need attention.

Look for broken panels, sidings, crevices, as these are the ideal place for wasp, making it easier for them to build a nest. Ensure that all windows, doors, screens are working correctly to keep the pest out.

Check for burrows or rodent holes around the yard as the yellow jacket loves to make their nest in these holes. On the other hand, you can grow wasp repelling plants like thyme, eucalyptus, citronella, wormwood, and spearmint that are all-natural wasp deterrents.

Other Wasp Repellents That Work

While peppermint oil is one of the best natural wasp repellents, you can make another solution. You can prepare a blend of clove, geranium essential oil, and lemongrass as it works just as well. Apply a few drops of each of these essential oils in your spray bottle with a few squirts of dish soap and fill it up with water. Spray the solution around the yard in the places you know you have seen the wasps building a nest.

Hopefully, This Solves Your Wasp Problem

As you can see, using peppermint oil to repel wasps is a natural way to deter them from the home and yard. We know how pervasive and intimidating a wasp problem can be.

Hopefully, we have solved your problem on how to get rid of wasps using the techniques available here. Some other ways that may also help is using wasp traps made with sugar water.

The wasp trap attracts the insect to the sweet water, and once in the sugar water, it cannot get out. However, if all fails, we recommend you call in a pest control company to take care of the problem for you as they have different methods using wasp traps and more.

Dave Campbell

I'm Dave Campbell and the owner of deadpestz.com. You can read more about me and my background on my About Me page.

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