How to keep hornets away?

Hornets may look pretty, but they are certainly not friendly. These insects can be dangerous – their stings are painful, and when provoked, they become aggressive. Hornets often hover around food, terraces, or even try to build nests near homes. Therefore, to protect your health, you need to know how to safely repel hornets so that they do not attack you when provoked.

In this article, we will discuss how to do this safely and effectively, how to defend yourself against hornets using natural methods, when it is worth calling in specialists, and most importantly, what to do to avoid these unwanted neighbors altogether.

What to do to keep hornets away?

If you notice that hornets are starting to hang around your house more often, be alert – there is a high probability that they are planning to build a nest there. It is important to prevent this, because having hornets as neighbors is definitely not desirable. So how can you deter hornets from your home so that they don’t build a nest there?

Traps and homemade bottle catchers

One of the simplest ways to defend yourself against hornets is to make traps or catchers at home. Sweet water with a little soap works well—hornets are attracted by the smell, fall into the liquid, and cannot escape.

A popular solution is a trap made from a plastic bottle. Cut off the top, turn it upside down like a funnel, and put it back on. Pour sweet liquid into the bottle—the hornets will fly in but will not be able to fly out.

How to keep hornets away using essential oils and plants

Essential oils have so many benefits! One of them is that certain scents can effectively repel unwanted insects, such as the hornets we are discussing. I wonder what hornets are afraid of? They particularly dislike strong scents such as eucalyptus, lavender, or mint.

By the way, you can use not only essential oils, but also certain plants. If you are wondering what repels hornets, lavender, mint, basil, lemongrass, or peppermint are excellent choices. Hornets simply dislike these scents and they can effectively repel them.

Use nets

Protect outdoor recreation areas with special insect screens and use tulle curtains, which will also provide protection from hornets. During the warm season, it is advisable to install screens on windows to prevent insects from flying into the house.

Repellents

You can purchase special repellents designed to repel insects. You should choose products that are specifically designed to repel hornets. They contain substances that are very unattractive to these insects.

Don’t leave out tempting food

Hornets will always show up if you leave something sweet on the outdoor dining table, if you set out plates of food and sweet drinks when planning to sit on the terrace, if you enjoy fruit outdoors, etc. So, to deter hornets, do not tempt them with food. Keep food and drinks covered when outdoors.

Maintain cleanliness

Do not leave containers uncovered, as something will surely attract hornets. After grilling, clean the grill and close/cover everything. After eating outside, do not leave plates on the table, even if there is no food left on them – the smell will attract hornets. After eating ice cream, candy, or drinking juice, throw away the packaging immediately; do not leave it outside.

What to do if hornets build a nest?

Hornets can choose various places for their nests: attics, cracks in buildings, lofts, and they can also settle in the ground or elsewhere. Whether to destroy the nest depends on the circumstances. And if you decide to destroy it, it is important to know how to safely remove the hornets.

When is it okay to ignore a hornets nest?

If the nest does not bother anyone, for example, if the hornets build their nest in an outbuilding far from the house that you rarely visit, you can leave it alone. Despite their varying degrees of aggressiveness, hornets also have their benefits: they regulate the number of pests in nature, pollinate some plants, etc.

When is it best to remove a hornet nest?

If hornets have settled in a place where you are likely to encounter them, it is better to destroy the nest. You can do this yourself, but it is important to follow the recommendations. By the way, wasps similar to hornets also like to build their nests in attics and lofts. However, even if you cannot tell the difference between wasps and hornets, the process of destroying the nest will be the same.

If you decide to destroy a hornet’s nest, be sure to wear appropriate clothing: thick, full-body clothing, gloves, and face protection. If the nest is in an easily accessible place, wrap it in a plastic bag or film and use adhesive tape to attach it to the surface to which it is attached. Unable to escape, the wasps will suffocate.

If the nest is in a hard-to-reach place, spraying will help. Use special products for this purpose and follow all safety recommendations. By the way, it is best to destroy the nest at night when the insects are less active.

Remember – a hornet sting can be dangerous, so be careful.

How to prevent hornets in the future?

To avoid having to worry about how to get rid of hornets, you can try to prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place. If your environment is not attractive to hornets, they are unlikely to visit and, even less likely, to build a nest there. So, what can you do to avoid hornets?

• At the end of autumn or in winter, inspect your home, attic, utility rooms, cracks in the facade of the house, wooden structures, and seal windows, cracks, and other places where insects can fly in.
• Remove and discard old nests.
• One of the things that attracts hornets the most is sweet food and drinks: juices, syrups, ice cream, buns, honey, fruit, berries, etc. For this reason, open trash cans and containers can also become a point of attraction.
• Avoid wearing white or yellow clothing, as these colors are most attractive to hornets.

If you follow these tips, your environment is likely to be less appealing to hornets.

When should you call professional pest control?

It is completely understandable if you do not want to face the hornets yourself. In this case, specialists who provide hornet extermination services will help. Professional help may also be needed if there are a lot of hornets, there are several nests, or if you cannot find where they have built their nest.

Not everyone knows how to deal with hornets so that they do not become a threat, so it is natural that the help of specialists in this matter will be a wise decision.