As the saying goes - if you don't have enough money for the South Seas, you just go on vacation to Balconia. It's just stupid when hordes of wasps join you for breakfast in the sun. There are a few tricks to get along with the animals and a few rules of conduct must be followed.
How to keep wasps away from the balcony?
Ethereal-scented plants such as lavender, basil or lemon verbena can be used to keep wasps away from the balcony. When eating on the balcony, food should be consistently covered to avoid releasing tempting smells.
When wasps only bother you when you are sunbathing
The fact that individual wasps buzz around the balcony box in search of flower nectar and can worry you while you're relaxing in the sun is one thing. Anyone who has a strong aversion to tabby insects can of course be affected by such an animal. However, what should be avoided if possible is the following:
- Panic flailing around
- Blow Away
- Slain
Wasps perceive wild movements very intensively with their compound eyes and are put on alert - even though they were probably completely relaxed before. A panicked behavior first draws their attention to the person lying in the deck chair and increases the risk that they will defend themselves against the flailing.
Blowing away has a similar effect. Wasps perceive the escaping carbon dioxide as a warning signal and then sting more quickly.
If you simply kill a wasp, you are, on the one hand, committing a nature conservation offense and, on the other hand, you may be attracting more wasps. A dying wasp emits pheromones, messenger substances that other wasps perceive from far away.
Recommended means and behavior
Wasps react quite clearly to smells thanks to their keen sense of smell. To keep wasps away, you can, for example, equip your balcony with ethereally scented plants. What wasps find very repulsive, for example, is the smell of lavender, basil or lemon verbena. You yourself benefit from the herbs in the kitchen and for the ambience on the balcony. The frankincense plant also keeps wasps and mosquitoes away - but its smell is too strong for some people.
While eating
Keeping wasps away becomes more difficult if you have breakfast or enjoy coffee and cake on the balcony. The tempting scents of jam or icing particles make wasps forget the smell of a whole lavender frame on the balcony railing. In this case, unfortunately, only one thing works: cover the food consistently to prevent the scent molecules from getting into the air.