Wasps and citrus odor
Where many of us humans lift our noses with relish, wasps tend to say no thanks. This is the case with some directions of smell. For example with herbal-aromatic scents of essential oils or dry-tart southern herbs such as lavender, thyme or oregano. But wasps are also not at all fond of citric, especially lemony, smells. That is why many methods of expulsion rely on a lemony odor barrier. For example in the form of:
- Sliced lemon (if necessary peppered with cloves)
- Lemon verbena
- Lemongrass Oil (Citronella)
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All of these variants spread a more or less intense and slightly different colored lemon odor. All of them have a certain effect and can be selected according to your own odor preference.
Lemon half
The sliced lemon is very simple and widely used as a home remedy. It is laid out with the cut half pointing upwards so that the citrus-aromatic vapors are released as unhindered as possible. This works more effectively in warm temperatures, but the fruit then dries out faster. If you stick a few cloves in the cut side, the flavoring substances are specifically extracted from the pulp. In addition, the wasps are also uncomfortable with the sweet, spicy clove smell.
Lemon verbena
What you can also try to scare away wasps is lemon verbena. The plant, which originates in South America, gives off a strong, herbaceous lemon scent and can be quite unpleasant to wasps. You yourself benefit from lemon verbena on the one hand through its aromatic scent, on the other hand it can also be used to brew a wonderful house tea.
Lemongrass oil
Essential oils are generally relatively effective against wasps. You can let it evaporate in a fragrance lamp and rub it on garden furniture or your own skin. The essential oil of lemongrass is mainly sold under the name citronella oil and scares off wasps as well as mosquitos. Because of its scent, which is popular with our noses, citronella is also part of many room fragrance or hygiene products.
Don't expect too much
With all anti-wasp agents that rely on odor barriers, it must be remembered that their effectiveness is only moderate and, above all, dependent on the situation. You won't let yourself be deterred by a table set with lemonade glasses, fruit cakes and sausage plates.