I built a new workshop out back of my house in the country and I'm worried it will attract wasps under the eaves. Any plants that I can bed around it to discourage them? So far I've built some flower beds and planted some marigolds.

No suggestions about wasp-repelling plants, but you could make those eaves as wasp-unfriendly as you can by closing them off with particleboard or aluminum fascias, and caulking around any joints and seams. Yeah, I know, it's just a work shed, but an ounce of prevention means you get to work in your shed all summer.

Inspect it regularly for signs of small nests, and remove them immediately.

Wasps can't fly after dark, so if you find a nest, approach it during the twilight hours (or dawn, if you have that habit) and simply scrape it into a food container that has an airtight (or watertight) lid. For your peace of mind, you can duct tape the lid, if you like. Then dispose of in the trash. Wasps are hard to suffocate, so don't open it to check if they're dead!

I enjoy depositing wasp and hornet nests into transparent containers, sealing them up, and "donating" them to neighbours with a similar sense of humour.

Thanks Elfie, that helps a lot. I work evenings, so when I get home at night will be a perfect time to check for and dispose of any nests.

barnone

You didn't say what kind of wasps....remember some kinds prey on worms in the garden. I knock the nests off the eaves, but don't kill them. When possible we relocate them to another area.

Those paper wasps build their nests in my tool shed every year and I'm in and out of there many times during the day while they are at work and I'm not bothered by them, and apparently they are not bothered by me. The only wasps that do pose a problem are those Yellow Jackets which are just plain mean and ornery.

Oooorrrr you can keep an eye on the nests and only remove nests of aggressive wasps. Having docile wasps around is a good thing, since they are territorial and will chase away other stinging insects and wood borer bees.

I don't kill wasps. Every day I'm in the garden, those six legged hunters are out to get those pests I detest. If a nest goes up close to the doorways of my home, then I simply knock them down; they will relocate. Though I get stung about two or three times each summer while in the garden or at the compost bins, the help they give me outweighs the inconvenience.

Obviously you don't have a real alergy to the wasp stings.

I have young children. We have picnics in our yard. I have a radiant brick house. I have wasps hanging around the house. I DON'T have a large property. I also get ticked off when they start building nests in my BBQ GRILL. That's chutzpah for you!

I kill the wasps because I have nowhere else to relocate them to. And if they're as territorial as people say, well... relocating them isn't going to really do them a big favour, is it? Last time I checked, wasps hadn't signed off on the Geneva Convention. :-p

I have had paper wasp nest outside my back door inside the porch area for several years now. The door swings out close enough to blow air on it. We (my family of girls and dogs) have not had any problems. I work in my garage office with about 50 mud dauber nests and have not had a problem. I keep the back door to the garage open so the wasps can come and go whenever they please. We've been here 11 years and no stings.

99% of wasps are very social beasts and extremely beneficial in the garden. They don't go looking for trouble. In fact they might ask you to help you by bumping into you (face first). The wasps that seem to be aggressive live in the ground.