What Will Keep Wasps & Bumble Bees Out of the Yard?

Get rid of any current hives or nests present in your yard. At night, spray the nests with bug spray or a soap and water solution. After the insects are dead, dispose of the bodies and nests in the trash.

Eliminate nest-building areas. Board up rafters and small, open spaces. Wasps love to build homes under porch railings, under decks and near house rafters. Blocking access to these locations will deter the insects from making their home in your yard.

Remove external sources of water. Wasps and bees need water to live, so if you remove all standing water from your yard the bees and wasps will be more inclined to go elsewhere. Tape up dripping water faucets or have them replaced. Keep pets' water dishes indoors. Remove all containers that hold water, such as empty planters.

Dispose of or seal all sweet or scented trash, such as candy wrappers, containers from perfumed toiletries, sticky soda bottles or cans and flower petals so that the insects will have nothing to eat. Some wasps also eat meat, so keep meat trash well sealed. Keep the trash as close to the edge of the property as possible to prevent wasps and bees from building a home in your yard.

Remove any brush and weeds from your yard. Get rid of any flowering wild plants. Wasps and bees love any plant that has flowers, so if you really want to keep these buzzing pests away, plant only greenery. Keep the lawn mowed short so that no flowering weeds grow on the lawn. If you want color in your yard, you can replace real flowers with artificial ones.

Plant herbs and other strong-smelling plants. Sometimes this will deter the presence of wasps and bees, which seem to prefer sweeter scents.