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Keep European Wasps Away From Your Shed With These Four Tips

11 May 2016

Timmothy Mitchelle

European wasps have been plaguing Australia since they slipped into the country in the 1970s, and their stings can be painful. Because of that, you don't want them building a nest in your shed. Luckily, there are ways to deter them:

1. Don't store anything sweet in or near your shed.

Wasps are drawn to sweet and sticky things, and you should avoid storing anything sweet in your shed. If you have fruit trees and are storing apples or other fruits in your shed, make sure that they all of the fruit is intact. If the skin is broken and it's seeping juice or if the fruit is rotting, wasps will be more likely to be drawn to it.

Similarly, if you store compost in your shed, make sure that it is in sealed, airtight containers. Wasps typically nest about 100 metres from their food source, so if possible, you should make the 100 metre radius around your shed a sweet-free zone. Pick up rotting fruit from the ground, move your compost pile and monitor the area for anything else that could be sweet wasp food.

2. Rub the walls of your shed with soapy water.

Some people like to kill wasps before they start making their nests, and they use a simple bowl of dish soap and water. While this attracts the European wasps and lures them to a watery grave, it also does the same for bees and harmless varieties of wasps who eat other insects.

Instead of building a soap trap, just rub the walls of your shed with soapy water. The soap will dry and form a residue that will deter the wasps (and other insects), but it doesn't kill the wasps or any innocent bug bystanders

3. Paint the ceiling blue.

To further deter wasps and other nesting insects, paint the ceiling of your shed blue. This practice gained popularity in the United States over a hundred years ago, and it is becoming more widespread. While scientists don't know exactly why blue ceilings repel nesting wasps, countless personal testimonies indicate that it works. As an added bonus, the blue ceiling gives your shed a bit of extra style.

4. Decorate with fake wasps nests.

Wasps are territorial, and they typically won't build a nest where one is already established. That means fake nests can be helpful at deterring them. Buy a fake wasp's nest and hang it inside your shed, outside from your eaves, near your shed door or wherever you feel the wasps are most likely to nest.

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