Did you know.... WASPS HATE PEPPERMINT..!!

Discussion in 'Pests, Diseases and Cures' started by Marley Farley, Aug 12, 2018.

  1. Marley Farley

    Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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    Did you know Peppermint repels wasps,? I didn’t.!! Not only do wasps stay away from spearmint, they don’t seem to like any type of mint, which is why peppermint oil can be so effective at repelling them. A studypublished in the Journal of Pest Management Science in 2013, reported outstanding results with peppermint oil. In addition to planting any type of mint in your garden, you can simply add a few drops of peppermint oil to a cottonwool pad and place them strategically around the outside of your home where wasps like to build nests, such as porch roofs, under eaves and other crevices and ledges. Target spots where you’ve discovered old nests in the past and some types of wasps build new tests in the same locations again and again.

    Or you can use a mix of other essential oils too.. Make a blend of lemongrass, clove and geranium essential oils to completely repel worker wasps. You might try apply a mix of several drops of each of the oils in a spray bottle filled with water, and a few squirts of washing up liquid.. Coat the areas outside of your house, in places wasps are known to build nests, to keep them away.
     
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    • Redwing

      Redwing Wild Gardener

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      I wonder if I could poke a peppermint stalk down a nest hole in my grassy bank.
       
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      • Pushkin

        Pushkin Super Gardener

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        It also repels spiders.
         
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        • CanadianLori

          CanadianLori Total Gardener

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          And rats and mice hate mint..
           
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          • ricky101

            ricky101 Total Gardener

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            Hi,

            Just any old garden mint ..? recently placed a clump next to my compost heaps which have been troubled with the odd rat making a home, so hopefully that will deter them then... ?

            Would Peppermint Oil or Extract also work when garden mint has died down for the winter ?
             
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            • Marley Farley

              Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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              Got to be worth a try @Redwing ;)

              @ricky101 yes soak cottonwool pads with peppermint essential oil or make up the washing up liquid blend perhaps..
               
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              • Gail_68

                Gail_68 Guest

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                Worth knowing about peppermint :thankyou: as the wasps are always on come summer looking for holes on the property as my hubby as sealed under the eaves ages ago.:)
                Pushkin never knew that but for in the home I use my frying bat ;)
                 
              • Pushkin

                Pushkin Super Gardener

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                I don't think cats like it too much either.
                 
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                • Marley Farley

                  Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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                  Seems like most things dislike Peppermint then.. :yay:
                   
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                  • noisette47

                    noisette47 Total Gardener

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                    It's a shame that no-one told French wasps They built huge nests on our 'spares' car which is parked right next to a big patch of mint. They were all over the flowers too, until they faded. Wasps have made trimming the lavender hedges a nightmare this year but at least everything else is aphid and scale insect-free.
                     
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                    • Gail_68

                      Gail_68 Guest

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                      I popped my head up from my e-reader the other night...there was something on about bee's and how they're good for pollination and he went on about wasps and referred to them actually not doing nothing and why they exist through the year and they bite to stay alive and come September humans suffer bites so they can keep alive longer...horrible things :sad:
                       
                    • Marley Farley

                      Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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                      Yes but don’t forget the reason they are so cross @Gail_68 ... Because they have lost their job and home and about to pop their little clogs.! :heehee: All the larvae they were feeding have now hatched and flown off with the New Queen and formed a new nest.. so these workers are just eeking out the last few weeks of their lives.. So probably do want to eat bite and sting everything in sight, poor things..! :hate-shocked::lunapic 130165696578242 5::lunapic 130165696578242 5:
                       
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                      • Gail_68

                        Gail_68 Guest

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                        That's the best reply I've heard yet :rofllol: ...you've got me in stitches this end mate [​IMG]
                         
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                        • Marley Farley

                          Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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                          Glad it made you laugh @Gail_68.. I hate them as have had some really horrible stings over the years, so I do actually find it amusing as to why they are so horrid.! Nice to know they will all pop their clogs even quicker if they visit my traps too.. :lunapic 130165696578242 5:
                           
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                          • Gail_68

                            Gail_68 Guest

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                            The only time I laugh out load and I get funny looks of hubby at times is when I come on here and your answer was brill ;)
                            I've been stung by bee's and I find they tickle when stinging but they leave a good swelling :yikes: but I've only been stung once by a wasp on the neck...well you could imagine my :mute: I pulled the bliter off and his stinger was lodged in my neck, I soon got my nails and pulled it out :phew:...this is what I think of them [​IMG] or I fry them with my bat :roflol:
                             
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