Many families dream about the warm summer days when they can get out on their balcony and enjoy a few good meals or watch the sun go down. But when wasps decide to take residence on your balcony, things can get messy. No one wants to get stung or have their kids stung by a wasp, and they worry about how to make the wasps go away before someone gets hurt.
To get rid of wasps on your balcony, you can kill them with direct contact. You can use baby powder, insert a fake nest, plant your garden of herbs, use peppermint oil or chili powder, seal up the nests if they live underground, use a mixture of apple cider, and kill them off with dish soap.
The good news is there are a few great options you can use to help make the wasps go away and leave your balcony alone. This article will spend some time looking at all-natural methods anyone can use that will help make the wasps disappear quickly.
Killing Them on Contact
This method is not recommended unless you have the experience and is sometimes seen as dangerous. Wasps may sting and can cause some damage and harm when they feel you are attacking them. You will need to have some insect repellent or a solution with dish washing soap, apple cider vinegar, or another solution.
A better option is to hire a professional to help. This is a common way to go with things when you want the wasps gone, but you worry about getting stung or hurt in some other way. There are many pests removal specialists who have the tools and equipment to get this done for you.
READ ALSO: How to Keep Wasps Away From Your Balcony (9 Easy Tips)
Use Baby Powder to Repel the Wasps
This may seem like a strange solution to your problem, but bringing out a little baby powder may be the exact solution you need. One of the ingredients used to make most baby powders is talcum powder. While there are some concerns about whether this ingredient is actually safe for humans, it can be your friend when you need to remove wasps off your balcony.
Talc can repel most types of wasps so it can be a safe and effective way to make the insect go away. To use this method, you need a little bit. Sprinkle it straight out of the bottle to the area where the wasps like to go. You can even sprinkle on their nests so they won’t return to the balcony.
Use a Fake Nest
This is a good way to make the wasps go away and ensure they don’t return. Most of the time, hornets and wasps will avoid nests of others in their species. When they are nesting, it is the insect that will see the fake nest, assume it is real, and go somewhere else.
If you would like to use this method, the Stingmon 4 Pack Nest Decoy Trap is an excellent option to fool the wasps and keep them off your balcony. Put the fake nest somewhere the wasps are likely to see. Or consider where you have seen these nests show up before and place one there as well.
Trap the Wasps Using Apple Cider Vinegar
There is a lot that you can do with apple cider vinegar that may be worth your time to get a bottle, like Bragg USDA Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, to keep around your home for all its uses. It can improve your health, fight off the cold, clean the house, and keep wasps away from your balcony.
Apple cider vinegar is effective as a trap to kill the wasps. You need one liter of water, half a cup of the apple cider vinegar, and a bit of dish soap. Cover the end of the bottle you plan to use with some jam and set out on the porch. The wasps will find themselves attracted to the mixture and hop right in the bottle, without being able to get out.
One thing to remember with this method is that while it traps the wasps inside, many can survive without drowning. As you empty the bottle, look to see if any wasps survive and kill them right away.
Seal Their Nests
Because many wasps will spend their time underneath the ground, covering up the nest is a simple and quick way to make sure your problem is done. Once you have been able to find any holes the wasps use to go in and out, you can cover these with a film of thickly-packed soil, or a clear bowl.
When you do this, make sure you put on some thick clothing and use one of the other pest control measures. Please do this at night to make it more likely the wasps are there and not hiding on your balcony.
Plant Some Herbs
Planting your herb garden can be a good way to make the wasps go away. And you can get some tasty herbs to use on your meals and store for later in the process. While wasps are attracted to flowers and other sweet-smelling things, many herbs will cause them to fly away.
A few herbs you should add into your garden for the best results include:
- Thyme
- Spearmint
- Pennyroyal
- Lemongrass
- Eucalyptus
- Citronella
Use Peppermint Oil
You can’t go wrong with peppermint oil when it is time to keep the pests away. While humans enjoy the smell and it may freshen up your backyard, the pests will be forced away. There are a few ways to make this happen. You can get some peppermint oil, like Mighty Mint Insect and Pest Control, to help keep them away. Or start an herb garden and plant some of your peppermints on the balcony.
Use Chili Pepper
Another option to use is chili pepper. If you are a fan of hot and spicy options, then bring some out and use it to keep the wasps away. Wasps are not big fans of this chili pepper so you can use the spicy pepper, and the strong smell that goes with it, to keep them away.
All you need to do is boil a little bit of chili pepper in hot water for a few minutes. Then allow it time to cool before straining through a spray bottle. Apply the mixture on all parts of the balcony that are affected, and you are good to go.
Bring Out the Dish Soap
Dish soap is not just for taking care of the grime and grease on your dishes. It can also be used to help get rid of any nesting wasps. Dish soap that has been diluted can kill off the wasps and their nests.
To make this work, you can place landscape fabric over the hole, holding it down with a heavy object like a stone. Then cut out a hole in the fabric, just large enough to let in the dish soap liquid, letting it fill the nest. One gallon of water to 1/4 cup of dish soap is plenty for this to work.
Conclusion
Wasps can cause a big problem when they take residence on your balcony. They are vicious and like to sting. And when children and animals are in the mix, you want them gone in no time. The tips we talked about above will help you keep wasps away and ensure you can enjoy some time on your balcony without worrying about the angry pests.
