Clove oil is a tried and tested home remedy for keeping wasps away. In fact, the insects have a distinct aversion to its ethereal, spicy smell. However, how strong the effect is and how best to exploit it is a matter of situational design.
Is clove oil effective against wasps?
Clove oil can be used as an effective remedy against wasps by using dried cloves, evaporating clove oil in an aroma lamp, using it with water in a spray disperser or rubbing it into wooden furniture. However, the repellent effect is limited when it comes to eating outside.
Clove oil as a wasp deterrent
The small, brown buds of the clove tree have a permanent place on almost every spice shelf. Its warm, spicy smell reveals its high essential oil content. These were extracted early in human history and used for medical purposes: for example to relieve pain, for disinfection purposes, to soothe the intestines and for mental strengthening.
Its repellent effect on insects, especially mosquitoes and wasps, has only recently been known.
How clove oil can be used
In fact, wasps do not react happily to the spicy, ethereal smell of cloves. It can be used in the following ways:
- dried cloves
- Clove oil in a fragrance lamp, disperser or rubbed into furniture
Dried cloves can, for example, be used to repel wasps in combination with other wasp-repelling odor sources, such as citrus fruits. When put into a lemon, they give off a smell that is very unpleasant for wasps.
The scents of the flower buds are particularly intensively contained in clove oil, so that it can release more scent molecules. If it is evaporated in a fragrance lamp (€13.00 on Amazon), it also has a good effect. But even mixed with water in a spray disperser, it can acutely cover the environment in the scent of cloves. You can create a permanent source of clove scent by rubbing wooden furniture on the terrace with the oil.
The outdoor dining thing
The methods presented for using clove oil to drive away wasps definitely have their effect. However, only if you want to relax in the garden on a deck chair or a blanket - without a popsicle in your hand.
The yellow and black striped insects are most annoying when eating outside. And unfortunately, no amount of clove oil can do much. The wasps' greed for sweet pastries or jams is simply too great. Especially in late summer, when they have a lot of work and need for energy in the rapidly growing wasp colony. When eating at the garden table, it makes more sense to prevent the attractive scents from entering the air by consistently covering the treats.
