There are many tricks and remedies against annoying wasps. Home remedies are particularly common and usually the most nature- and animal-friendly. However, the thing with the effectiveness is rather meager. But lemon can certainly help - in many different variations.
Wasps don't like the strong smell of lemons
Wasps and citrus smell
Where many of us humans lift our noses with pleasure, wasps are more likely to say no thanks. This is the case with some odor directions. For example, with herbaceous-aromatic scents of essential oils or dry, tart southern herbs such as lavender, thyme or oregano. But wasps also don't like citric, especially lemony smells at all. Therefore, many repelling methods rely on a lemony odor barrier. For example in the form of:
- Sliced lemon (possibly studded with cloves)
- lemon verbena
- Lemongrass Oil (Citronella)
All of these variants spread a more or less intense lemon smell, each with a slightly different colour. All bring a certain effect and can be selected according to your own smell preference.
lemon half
The sliced lemon is very simple and widely used as a home remedy. It is laid out with the half of the cut 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 into the cut side, the aromatic substances are specifically extracted from the pulp. In addition, the sweet and spicy smell of cloves is also unpleasant for the wasps.
lemon verbena
Another thing you can try to repel wasps with is lemon verbena. The plant, which originates from South America, exudes a strong, herbaceous lemon scent and can be quite unpleasant for wasps. You yourself benefit from the lemon verbena on the one hand through its aromatic scent, on the other hand you can brew a wonderful house tea from it.
Lemongrass Oil
Essential oils are generally relatively effective against wasps. You can let it evaporate in an aroma lamp and rub it on the garden furniture or your own skin. The essential oil of lemongrass is mainly sold under the name citronella oil and deters not only wasps but also mosquitoes. Because of its scent, which is so popular with our noses, citronella is also a component of many room fragrance and 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. They don't let that stop them from a set table with lemonade glasses, fruit cake and sausage plates.