How to Keep Red Wasps from Nesting

Red wasps use wood fibers to create nesting grounds near your home.

Wasps are a nuisance around humans, but wasps help control the insect population around your home, proving to be a valuable ally. Paper wasps, also known as red wasps, commonly nest near broken screens, vents, windows and underneath homes. You can prevent a nesting ground from forming near your home.

Instructions

1. Avoid swatting any wasps. After you have killed off a wasp colony's nesting ground, do not swat the wasps. When a wasp is swatted, its body releases a pheromone that attracts other nearby wasps. If they smell the pheromone, they will nest again near the area.

2. Keep the area around your home free from the wasps' food source. Avoid leaving out any opened soda containers, pick up any fallen fruit, properly seal all garbage cans, close off all pet foods and clean up any spilled juices. Wasps imprint food sources such as garbage cans and spilled fruit, allowing them to continue to nest in that area year after year.

3. Avoid using perfumes. Household perfumes, sprays and sweet smells will attract wasps to your home, especially during the summertime. Avoid spraying any kind of sweet-smelling perfumes outside your home.

References

• Earth Easy: Natural Wasp Control
• Texas A&M: Paper Wasp