Waspinator Wasp Deterrent Tray

Details

This works on wasp territoriality rather than on chemistry. Social wasps defend a territory around their nest and generally will not build within sight of an established colony, so a convincing fake nest hung in a spot you want left alone gives scouting queens a reason to keep looking. There is no insecticide in it, nothing to catch and empty, and nothing to keep away from children or pets — which is the whole appeal for a deck, a doorway, a play structure or a picnic area. Be straight about the evidence: results with decoy nests are mixed. They work best when they are up early, before queens have chosen their sites in spring, and in a defined space like a covered patio, a gazebo, or under an eave. They do nothing about a nest that is already built, and they will not clear wasps off a garbage can or a pop can in August, when what is drawing wasps is sugar rather than nesting territory. Hang it in spring, in the spot you actually want protected, up high and in plain view. One in each area you care about beats one in the middle of the yard. It is cheap enough to put up several. If wasps are already nesting where you cannot live with them, this is not the product for it — a foam or spray applied at night, or a professional for anything high or in a wall, is what removes a nest. And where wasps are simply foraging around food and drink, covering food and keeping garbage lidded does more than anything you can hang. Bring the decoy inside over winter and it will do the same job next spring.