As winter slowly begins to give way to the warm breezes and the sunshine of spring, visions of outdoor activities begin filling the minds of many. Unfortunately, those visions may fail to include nature’s pesky stinging creatures that also enjoy the warm months of the season. Among the more aggressive, and painful, of these insects are wasps and hornets. Finding ways to prevent these unwelcome guests from building nests in the eaves and crevices of your home or nearby structures may require a bit of creativity and foresight.

It is easy to envision the thrills of summer without thinking about these stinging insects that can easily ruin a leisurely afternoon on the porch, or a day of gardening in the backyard. However, if you tackle the problem early, you may avoid some painful encounters with them this summer.

Wasps and hornets tend to be more aggressive than other flying, stinging insects like bees. Furthermore, they are capable of stinging multiple times, making them even more of a problem. However, they do not seek out people to sting. They generally only will attack when they feel threatened. Regardless of this, it is best to prevent them from being around your home and family in the first place if at all possible.

Clear Standing Water and Trash

The most proactive thing you can do to keep wasps and hornets from building nests around your home is to keep standing water and trash at a minimum. Since they customarily take up refuge in areas where these things are in abundance, you can do your part to keep them away by making sure food and water are not easily accessible to them.

Trick Them

Another method of keeping wasps and hornets from building near your home may seem a bit strange, though many people have echoed its effectiveness. The trick is to take a plastic sandwich bag, place a penny inside, and fill the bag with water. Hang the bag from doorways, eaves, and anywhere stinging insects may build a nest. To an insect with compound vision, this appears as a spider web, and the penny will look like a spider in the web to them. As the spider is a mortal enemy of any flying insect, wasps and hornets will steer clear of the area.

Try a Fake Nest

Alternatively, there are products on the market that will help keep hornets and wasps from building nests around your homes. These are fake nests that will mimic a wasp nest already being present. Wasps and hornets are territorial and will not build a nest near a previously established one. These fake nests can be purchased online or at a local hardware or home and garden stores.

Keeping wasps and hornets from building nests around your home is the first step in battling these stinging pests. Think early, and keep these irritating insects from putting a damper on your summer fun.