While browsing another of my favorite blogs,
Calgary Garden Coach (which is fantastic considering I live in Calgary!), I found a great, simple, and FREE
idea to make fake wasp nests. Basically you make a nest and hang it in potential nest spots to deter the real wasps from nesting there. So simple, yet I see the fake nests on 'sale' for around 2/$5 or more. However, this is a project that requires zero crafty skill, I'm betting you already have the supplies on hand, and takes literally two minutes.
Take some old newspaper and crumple in balls. Stuff into plastic shopping bag and tie closed. Stuff this into a paper lunch bag. Hang up in the corners and other places wasps may like to nest in your yard. Done! Even with my 'helper', this took literally minutes to do. I really hope it works!
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10 comments:
Hi,
I was looking for a cheap way to make these fake nests because when I visit the shops they cost me $10.00 for 2. Do your paper bags work? I have a wooden birdhouse in the back of my garden and every year I have wasps trying to build a nest in it. I also heard rubbing the wood from the birdhouse with soap will prevent the wasps from building. I like to know if your method is effective.
Greetings from Oshawa,
Kathleen Raeymaekers
Will you please email me: mementographix@rogers.com THANK YOU!!!!!
I will email you Kathleen, but also just wanted to put this up in case anyone else has the same question.
I honestly have no idea if these bags will work or not, BUT! I figured this was a much better way then spending $$$ on the same thing if it doesn't. Our yard has several wasp havens, so I've put one in each place. I have seen some ginormous bees already this year, but no wasps yet.
Are you going to give the soap trick a shot? I'd be interested in hearing how that works.
Hopefully I'll have a better update in a few weeks when the wasps are out, fingers crossed!
Hi!
Just wondering about the results of both tricks. After a year, I'd like to know if the bag trick beat the wasps. We are constantly removing yellow jacket nests from our yard.
Thanks!
Sorry, I just saw this now! I would say that yes, the wasp bags were a success. That summer my city had their worst wasp infestation. In our big yard I did see many wasps. However, there was not one wasps nest. Our yard backed onto a greenspace where I know there were a few nests, and I think our neighbours had a couple too. So we weren't wasp free, but we were nest free! We did it last year too with the same result, not one nest! And in our new place this year with hopefully the same result :)
If you hang them upside down, they look more like wasp nests. We also put a couple of small rocks in ours to keep them in place. The last one lasted almost a year!
And to answer other questions, yes, they actually work. We had wasps trying to build nests around our front door and our townhouse neighbor's door, and up in the wooden shingles on the building. We hung this up in between our doors, and no more wasp nests the entire year.
One lasted MUCH longer than we thought it would, even through the rain. It finally blew away in Winter Storm Titan. We will be making more this weekend to ward off spring nests.
I've been using them for several years with great results. I hang them upside down (i.e. the open part of the bag is on the bottom, tied closed with rubber bands).
Great idea!
I am terrified of flying bugs, bees, etc so I was thrilled to try this out. I figured it couldn't hurt! I had some dirt daubers making a nest on the front porch. Also had some carpenter bees hanging around. Haven't seen any of them since I put up my bags!!! I love the fact that it's natural and no pesticides needed!!!
Does it work for yellowjackets too?
Another helpful post. This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to several more times this year!
Get rid of Bees Wasps Hornets Yellowjackets
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