What Reviews Of Amazon's Best-Selling Wasp Repellents Say
Summertime is when many yards are full of flowers, lush grasses, and, undoubtedly, wasps. In fact, there are nearly two dozen varieties of wasps you might find in your yard. Some, like the black and yellow mud dauber are harmless, while others like yellow jackets are not. That's why it's a good idea to know which wasp repellents are the most helpful for when these little buzzers move in.
There are a few natural ways to keep wasps out of your space, like growing wormwood, but sometimes you have to bring in the big guns. Or, in this case, a big nest. Between repellent sprays, pretend wasp nests, and UV traps, there is a lot to consider. A not eco-friendly go-to would be a wasp-killing spray like this highly-rated one from Raid. These sprays are known to be effective against wasps and at $9.99 to $15.49 for the high-ranking ones on Amazon, they're also cost-effective as well.
Reviewers agree that the Raid spray's claim to take out an entire nest of wasps is correct, but several report the can loses spray power quickly. Many also mentioned that this less eco-friendly option was not their first choice but 79 percent of buyers gave it five stars. One reviewer said they were able to eliminate eight wasp nests in their yard with immediate effect. "Even [with] the bigger nests, gone in seconds! Definitely not the most natural or environmentally-friendly way to take out wasps, but it is super effective," they wrote.
Fake wasp nests
For full disclosure, this isn't technically a repellent — it's more of a deterrent. The wasps might not completely go away from your yard if you hang up fake nests. What they will do, however, is entice them to go somewhere else because wasps are territorial and won't set up where they think another nest already is. More likely they'll build their nests at least 200 feet away. So fake nests are good for keeping them out of highly populated parts of your yard or home area.
Fake nests are a much more eco-friendly way to deter wasps from your space since they don't cause them any harm. The two best-selling and best-rated decoy nests on Amazon are the ones from Patio Eden and Decyool. Patio Eden's come in a three-pack with a 3.8 rating for $11.95 while the Decyool variety is a four-pack with a 3.9 rating for $17.95 at the time of writing. It should be noted that buyers of both varieties only gave the nests a five-star rating 50 percent of the time, so there is a range of varying success.
One Amazon reviewer wrote they tried everything before buying the Decyool nests and they finally did the trick. "[W]e hung them up in our backyard and I haven't seen a wasp since! ... I wish I bought them sooner." Reviewers of both nest types noted that it takes a few days for them to be effective and that they cannot withstand rain and wind.
Wasp catchers
Using scents, bright colors, lights, or a mixture of all options, wasp catchers come in a wide variety of types. Even so, the top-rated version on Amazon at the time of writing is the RESCUE! TrapStik, which resembles fly paper inside a lantern, has an overall rating of 4.1. More than 60 percent of raters gave it a five-star score. At the time of writing, a two-pack of these catchers on Amazon was $23.40.
Because of their design, they won't just trap wasps, RESCUE! TrapStiks will trap other kinds of bugs as well. Still, one reviewer noted that the design protects butterflies and birds from getting stuck in it and that it is effective for the whole summer even with high temps and rain. That said, another reviewer mentioned that this trap also killed hummingbirds and wrens while several other reviews say it also traps lizards and amphibians.
Some reviewers were astounded by how quickly the TrapStik took effect without the use of insecticide, while others mentioned they turned to these traps after fake nests and other methods didn't work for them. "These hangers are immediately effective in attracting and capturing unwanted flying pests, but not the bees, and are odor free and are environmentally friendly," one reviewer wrote. "... We highly recommend and will use every spring." If you're having problems with wasps in your home or garden, here are seven things that could be attracting them.