In this guide, we’ll discuss plants that repel wasps, including several species that have been proven to keep them away.
Wasps are one of the insects that you need in your garden. They are known as beneficial insects because they pollinate flowers and also help to get rid of a wide range of unwanted pests in the garden.
However, their love for sugar draws them into trash cans, littered yard, outdoor picnic, and anywhere there is a sign of something sweet or sugar, etc. They also have this very annoying habit of stinging humans, especially when they are trying to defend their food and life.
No matter how beneficial they are, you just can’t have them all the time around your environment. They are sweet and bitter, and they can become more bitter if their population becomes uncontrollable. By this time, getting rid of them becomes more than a day’s brainstorming.
If you are to use pesticides against this insect, it may be counter-effective because in getting rid of wasp, you want to control their population, not eradicating them.
Are you battling bee infestation? here are some herb repellent options.
Plants That Deter Wasp
If you think the population of wasp in your space is unbearable, you can cut down on their community with plants.
You can plant some herbs or shrubs to send away the wasp, no use of dangerous chemicals, and no killing of the other pollinator, just planting some shrubs and herbs.
Using plants to get rid of wasp is the most effective method of harmlessly disarming wasps.
14 Wasp-Repellent Plants
Not many plants can help in deterring was, but the few ones will do a good job if they are well-positioned. Moreso, you need to be carefully lookout for some distinctive features of a plant that can repel wasp
The following are the different features of the plant which can make it a wasp- repellent plants;
- Very strong scented plants
- Prickly or thorny plants
- Fake flowers
- Plants with color that wasp are blind to
- Carnivorous plants that feed on pests and wasps too
With the above understanding, it is clear that wasp-repellent plants do exist. Some of them are;
Marigolds
Marigolds are very useful insect repellents. They send off a wide range of micro pests, including wasp even though they don’t deter honey bees.
It serves as a wasp repellent because of its strong scent, and since wasps particularly detest strong scents, this plant is a no-no for wasps.
Luckily, it is a hardy plant that requires minimal attention.
Eucalyptus
This is another plant that attracts honey bees, yet repels wasps. This plant also wards off a wide range of micro pests on the farm.
So planting this as a companion for your vegetables will not only keep off wasp but other destructive pests. Moreso, it is a hardy plant that will survive harsh climatic conditions.
Wormwood
When planting this, you have to be very careful because it has a high level of toxicity to humans and pets. And then, it deters the growth of some other plants around or near it, so you have to be sure you want to use this plant as a deterrent and be careful in doing so.
It will help to keep wasp off your garden or yard along with a host of other vegetable pests in the garden.
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Citronella and Lemongrass
Lemongrass is also useful in repelling a wide range of insects from the garden, and because of its strong scent, it is a no-no for wasps.
But then when planting lemongrass, you have to ensure that the plant gets at least six hours o sunlight. It prefers the outside to live in shades.
Evergreen shrubs
This is a beautiful, non-flowering, and evergreen shrub that magnifies the beauty of nature in a green manner.
However, the piney scent of this shrub repels wasps and a host of other garden pests.
Ferns
This plant doesn’t attract pollinators, even bees. When you have a fern plant around, a wasp is uninterested and does not come any close to the plant.
Mosses
Mosses are also like ferns in that they do not require pollinators and so, they don’t attract bees or wasps.
Yets, if mosses have aphids, they are capable of attracting wasps. In the absence of aphids, they are good repellent.
Cucumber
Cucumber is a tropical vegetable that loves a warm climate and a lot of moisture. This vegetable can also serve as a companion plant to deter wasp because the leaves taste bitter and are acidic.
To chase wasp out of your garden, you can either plant it, or you can cut the cucumber into slices and litter it around your yard.
Mint
If you decide you want to use this plant to deter wasp and a host of other pests in your garden, you have to be ready to roll your sleeves and be willing to work because you will continuously need to trim and prune the plant.
This will prevent it from taking over your garden
Mint has a strong scent that chases all kinds of pests, including wasp from your garden. You can also choose some strategic spots to plant your mints to prevent wasp from coming to sting any member of your household, including pets.
Some of the places you can sit your mint plants are; next to doors, windowsills, near garden gates, next to BBQs, patio doors, around pools, around patio furniture, near outdoor spas, patio decks, etc.
Pitcher Plants
This is a fascinating plant but requires a lot of care and attention. It craves only rainwater or distilled water and will not accept or tolerate tap water or filtered water.
This is because the mineral composition of the water might be detrimental to the plants. And then this plant loves been outside; it requires direct sunlight for its survival.
The pitcher plants are carnivorous, they trap and eat insects for a living.
The plant catches an insect with its flower. When an insect climbs onto the flower, it slips and falls into the pool of the plant’s water, where it gets drowned.
Garlic
Almost all insects and even mammals detest the smell of garlic. It produces such a strong smell that can take over the place in no time.
Wasp detest the smell of garlic, and you can plant it as a companion to your vegetables, or better still, dice your garlic and sprinkle them around your garden
Basil
Basil is instrumental in repelling wasp and a host of other garden pests. It can serve as a companion plant in the garden. It is also a beneficial plant; it is herbal and can also be used for culinary purposes
Thyme
Thyme is one of the easy-to-grow plants that do not require much attention. It does very well in pots as well as in the ground. You can buy and grow this plant at a nursery or a grocery store.
Whatever you choose, it will help deter wasp from the garden and give you a healthy herb that you can eat as a culinary herb.
Trumpet flowers
This plant is another fascination. It has a weird shape that makes it less attractive and some yellow jacket that makes it impossible for wasp or bees to be attracted to it.
The distinctive shape of this plant is what makes it difficult or impossible for wasps to reach the nectar
The trumpet flowers have several species like amaryllis, narcissus, honeysuckle, and buttercups. You can plant any of these to repel wasp.
Conclusion
You can send the wasp away from your garden and still maintain a beautiful garden. Wasps are attracted to colorful flowers like blue, violet, yellow, and red. You try as much as you can to avoid these types of plants.
So this might mean having a dull green garden. But then if you are disturbed, you can try sitting some pots of artificial flowers in your garden to give it that sparkle you want and, at the same time, deter wasps.
More so, you should avoid any flowering plant to repel wasp from your garden. So you can do plenty of plants like shrubs, trees, and grasses.
If you are deliberately strategic, you can come up with a beautiful garden without flowers that will still be attractive to butterflies.
If you must plant flowers, then you should select double flowers. Flowers like carnations, roses, impatiens, and ranunculus have a lot of overlapping petals.
As a result of their overlapping, they are not attractive to wasp because it becomes stressful for them to reach the pollen inside the petals.
So you can add some roses, throw in some ranunculus and create a beautiful garden that repels wasp
At least you don’t have to adopt artificial methods of eradication that may be toxic to you and other beneficial plants around.
Moreso, if you have a wasp infestation, all you need to do is to control their population, it is unwise to aim at total eradication of the insect. Wasp is beneficial to your plant and it can help to control other insects in your plantation naturally.