How To Discourage Wasps And Invite Bees

The bee population is declining. Since people depend on bees to pollinate their food, this can cause food shortages. While inviting bees to visit your yard may not solve the world's problems, it can make a difference. However, you may not want wasps breaking up your parties. Thankfully there are some things you can do to discourage wasps and encourage bees. 

How to Discourage Wasps

1. Place a fake nest in your yard. Wasps are territorial and making (or buying) a fake nest may keep them from building nests in your yard.

2. Keep all food sealed. Close your trash can lids tightly and never leave food out unattended.

3. Destroy nests as soon as you see them. Hire a pest control company to come out and remove all wasp nests monthly. The company can also spray that particular area with pesticide. Discuss with them ways you can kill wasps while still protecting bees. 

4. Place a small trap near wasp nesting sites. Try to keep it far away from flowers or other places bees like to congregate.  

How to Invite Bees 

1. Plant a wide variety of plants and flowers. Bees need plants that will provide both nectar and pollen. Here are some great plants for bees:

• basil
• lavender
• hyssop
• marjoram
• rosemary
• sage
• sunflowers
• lilac
• huckleberry
• roses

You want to have plants that will flower at all different times of the season so that the bees will continue to visit your yard. 

2. Plant lots of colors. Bees can see in color and will be attracted to areas that have a large variety of pollens. They particularly like yellow, white, blue, and purple.

3. Choose flowers of different shapes. There are over 4,000 species of bees in North America. They have different shapes of tongues and enjoy different shapes of flowers. If you plant lots of different flowers, more bees can benefit.

4. Create a small nest for them. You can place it far away from your home to keep them away from people. Place some logs around a pit of sand and dirt. Drill some holes (2 millimeters to 8 millimeters) for the bees to burrow in. Drill at a slight angle so that water will not get in. 

5. Mix flowers in with your vegetables. The bees will pollinate your vegetables while they are pollinating the flowers, creating a better crop.

6. Use native plants. Local bees will be attracted to plants that they recognize. If you aren't sure which plants are native to your area, you can talk to a nearby nursery or look up your Native Plant Society. 

You can discourage wasps and still encourage bees if you follow these suggestions. If everyone takes steps to make their yards more hospitable to bees, perhaps the bee population will begin to rise again. Contact a professional like Cavanaugh's Professional Termite & Pest Services for more information.