How to get rid of wasps when you’re eating outdoors
Picnics and BBQs are a great excuse to get outdoors and bring family and friends together. But there’s one guest that can show up uninvited. Wasps flock to such activities in search of food, and they will quickly make their presence known. Before too long, everyone is swatting to keep this flying insect at bay or even running away themselves.
Wasps are a commonly hated insect, but like bees they form an important part of our ecosystem. What’s more, without them the world would would be overrun by spiders, according to the Natural History Museum — and who wants that?
Having said that, it’s difficult to relax while a wasp attempts to join in with the meal. So, what is the best way to keep wasps at bay, and what should you do if one shows up? We asked experts to weigh in on the best action to take, so you can eat outdoors in peace.
What is the fastest way to get rid of wasps?
1. Know what foods they’re attracted to
Wasps are more likely to go for your lemonade and jam tarts later in the summer. However, early in the summer, they’re busy hunting for other insects to feed their carnivorous young. This means they’re on the lookout for protein, so at this time of year, they’re likely to make a beeline – if you’ll pardon the pun – for the charcuterie platter, scotch eggs or meat in your ham sandwich.
Dr Seirian Sumner, professor of behavioural ecology at UCL and author of Endless Forms: Why We Should Love Wasps, explains: “Wasps will be attracted to food sources – mostly protein early in the season (as they still have lots of larvae to feed – it’s the larvae that are the carnivores), and mostly sugar later in the season when there are fewer larvae to feed, as adult wasps are vegetarian and need sugar.
“When there are larvae around, they benefit from sugary nutritious liquids given to them by the adults when they feed the larvae prey. At the end of the summer, fewer larvae mean less nest-based nutrition for adults and so they come looking for sugar elsewhere – usually flowers, but your sugary drink is just as attractive.”
By knowing what wasps are looking for, you can adjust your menu accordingly or take preventative measures beforehand with the following steps.
2. Cover up your food
When you’re eating alfresco, keep the lid on picnic food instead of laying it out uncovered. If you’re eating at a table, cover the food once everyone has been served – this way, wasps are less likely to smell it. Even placing a mesh cloche over food is better than nothing!
Wasps will still be able to detect what’s under the covering, but they will eventually give up when they realise they can’t get to it.
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3. What gets wasps away?
If there’s one item on the table that the wasp takes an interest in, like a can of fizzy drink or the jam from a fresh doughnut, it makes sense to move it away.
Dr Sumner continues: “You can’t avoid the wasps coming to the food sources you inadvertently provide. But you can help minimise the degree to which they annoy you. The best way is to watch the wasp as she arrives; what is the food she’s interested in? Then, when she leaves with some food, move the food she feasted from away from you a few metres, and wait for her to come back. She should go back to the same food source. And so, by moving the food away from you, you’ve created a wasp offering that acts as a lure to keep the wasp away from you.”
Following on from this, once you’re finished eating, clear away any leftovers as soon as possible to remove any attractions altogether. If any crumbs or liquids have spilled on to the floors or table, these will need to be wiped away, too. Look out for spills on clothes; you don’t want to inadvertently lure the wasp directly to you.
4. Stay still and don’t flap
Flailing your arms and swatting napkins increase the risk both of angering the wasp and upending your glass of rosé – neither of which is desirable. “If you’re staying still, you’re not a threat to the wasp. If you’re flapping about, it’s more likely to sting you,” advises Dr Sumner.
Professor James Logan, head of the department of disease control at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, also warns against getting into a flap: “Stay as still and calm as possible! Cover up your food and drink, or move it indoors. The wasps will move on if there’s no food around.”
5. Use traps with caution
Firstly, a beer trap is more likely to be effective than a jammy one. Secondly, our wasp expert reckons this is a high-risk strategy.
“Beekeepers lay beer traps near hives to lure wasps away and stop them from raiding the colony,” explains Dr Sumner. “It’s possible that putting out a trap like this could lure wasps away, but it’s more likely to lure them closer to you.”
6. Catch the first wasp you see
Wasps are team players. When one of them finds a food source, it doesn’t keep the discovery to itself – it returns to the nest to tell its friends.
Dr Sumner recommends a clever trick: “The best thing you can do is isolate the first wasp you see. This is the scout and it’s likely to recruit other wasps. Trap it under a cup or a glass and leave it there."
Just don’t forget to release it at the end of your meal. And whatever you do, don’t kill it – not least because dying wasps emit a chemical that will attract others.
What to do if you’ve been stung
If you’ve been stung by a bee that has left a stinger in your flesh, Professor Logan advises: “First, remove the stinger. Scrape the sting sideways with something like a bank card edge or fingernails.”
And whether you’ve been stung by a bee or a wasp: “Don’t ever pinch a sting as it will spread the venom further,” he says. “It can be treated by using a cold compress to reduce the swelling, and there are creams and ointments you can buy in a pharmacy that can alleviate the symptoms. The key is to keep the sting clean, washing with warm soapy water. Keep an eye out for infection – if this happens, see a doctor as you may need antibiotics.
“Dial 999 if you have difficulty breathing, a swollen face, mouth or throat, nausea or vomiting, a fast heart rate, dizziness or loss of consciousness, or difficulty swallowing. See your GP or call 111 for small, local reactions.”
What do wasps hate the most?
Some online sources say wasps dislike certain herbal scents and will actively avoid them. According to Professor Logan: “Some essential oils can affect wasp behaviour, but probably not to any great extent. The types of repellents you use for mosquitoes can work pretty well with wasps. But try not to use anything with an insecticide in it as it will kill the wasp, which we want to avoid as they’re important pollinators.”
Common misconceptions
“People tend to think that wasps are intentionally seeking to sting you, but they’re doing quite the opposite. They would rather avoid you! They’re only interested in your food,” says Professor Logan. “If you stay still, they’ll leave you alone. If you fling your arms about they’ll become agitated and could sting.”
Wasps get a lot of bad press compared to their cuter cousins, bees. But while they may not hold the same place in our hearts, they’re just as important as they pollinate flowers and play a key role in controlling garden pests such as aphids, caterpillars and flies.
And, incidentally, it’s only honeybees that die nobly in defence of the colony once they’ve stung you. We may be suckers for the rotund, fuzzy cuteness of bumblebees, but they can sting repeatedly – just like a wasp.
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