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Buzz Off! How To Keep Wasps Away This Spring

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If you have a problem with wasps, now's the time to take action. Wasps go into hiding during the winter. However, once spring arrives, they'll come out in full force. Here are four steps you can use to keep wasps away.

Keep the Odors Away

Wasps are attracted to a wide variety of odors, including food, flowers, and perfume. You can't do anything about the flowers, but you can keep the other odors away. First, never leave food out in your backyard. If you have a barbecue, clean up the leftovers as soon as you're done eating. Burn a citronella candle during the barbecue to help keep the wasps away. The citronella will also keep bees and mosquitoes away. Second, have your kids eat their afternoon snacks indoors during the spring and summer months. Finally, limit your use of perfumes and body sprays when you're outside.

Leave Some Decoys Around

If you have a problem with paper wasps, winter is the perfect time to prepare your yard. Paper wasps are extremely territorial and will avoid building their nests around other wasps. To make sure you don't have to deal with any wasp nests come spring, place decoy nests around your yard while the weather is still cold. A simple way to build a decoy nest is to blow up a paper lunch sack, tie string around the top, and hang it from your eaves. For maximum benefit, tie a few in your trees, as well.

Avoid the Fly Swatter Technique

If you're in the habit of swatting wasps as soon as you find them, you might want to change your habits. Wasps emit a strong odor while they're dying, which is used to attract other wasps. Unfortunately, while you're killing that single wasp, it's sending out an SOS to all the other wasps in the area. If you've got one or two wasps in your yard, use a wasp trap to capture them. They won't emit the odor if they're just captured.

Take a More Permanent Approach

If you know that the wasps are going to invade your yard as soon as spring arrives, it's time to take a more permanent approach. Contact a pest control service such as Gainesville Pest Control LLC and arrange for wasp eradication before the problem gets out of control. They can come out and begin extermination practices before you see your first wasp. This will include removing any old nests so that wasps don't return to familiar territory.

Don't take chances with wasps this year. The tips provided here will help you keep wasps out of your yard.


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