How to Prevent European Wasps Away From Your Garden Shed

Since its introduction to Tasmania in the late 1950s, the European wasp has spread throughout southern Australia. Due to its habit of building nests in sheds and other outbuildings, this flying pest has caused a lot of frustration for gardeners in this region. Use these top tips to keep your home and garden free from European wasps.

1. Don't Provide Sweet Snacks

The European wasp loves to feast on sweet foods, such as juice, candy or fruit. To avoid attracting it to your garden shed, try to avoid using it as a food store. If you do store fruit in your garden shed, be sure to keep it in an airtight container. Check up on the fruit store as often as you can, picking out and disposing of any fruits that have started to decompose, as rotting fruit is like a magnet for wasps. If you have a picnic in your garden, be sure to clear up thoroughly after yourself to ensure no tasty snacks are left behind.

2. Wash the Shed Walls

Washing the walls of your shed with soapy water prevents wasps from landing on them. Soap leaves a film on the wings of wasps that hinders their ability to fly. Even after the soapy water has dried, wasps will keep away from the residue that remains on the walls. For maximum effectiveness, wash the shed walls in summer, which is when wasps are on the hunt for a new home. During winter, washing is usually not necessary because wasps are much less active during the colder months.

3. Fool Wasps With a Fake Nest

Each European wasp colony competes with neighbouring colonies for resources such as food. Therefore, if wasps on the hunt for a new nesting site spot another colony's nest, they will move on and look for another place to settle. You can buy a fake nest from many garden centres and hang it close to your shed to encourage wasps to leave you alone.

4. Contact a Wasp Exterminator

Once wasps make their home in your garden shed, getting rid of them can be both difficult and dangerous. You should never try to destroy a wasp nest if you do not have suitable equipment to protect you from stings. A safer approach is to call in a wasp exterminator who can deal with the nest and get the wasps off your property once and for all.