The Essential Oil Mix That Can Help Keep Yellow Jackets Away

The warmer months mean more time outdoors with sunshine, nice weather... and yellow jackets. If you live in an area where these annoying bugs thrive in the summer, then you know how tricky it can be to repel them. Whether you are trying to enjoy a nice meal outdoors or just relaxing on your patio, yellow jackets can disrupt your morning, evening, and every hour in between with their incessant buzzing and the risk of stings. Yellow jackets are attracted to your yard for a variety of reasons, including food and water sources. While there are plenty of ways to get rid of yellow jackets, one combination of essential oils could work better than other options. 

Mixing clove, lemongrass, and geranium oil helps to keep these flying bugs at bay, repelling them from your indoor and outdoor spaces. For this DIY, you can create a spray using these essential oils, or you can simply dab the mixture on cotton balls that you place around your yard and home. According to studies, clove, geranium, and lemongrass can all help to deter yellow jackets. In fact, they worked so well together that the National Library of Medicine found these three ingredients combined could even go so far as to completely put off any attraction of these vespids to a particular space or area. When added to a trap, the yellow jackets were much less prevalent than in a trap without the essential oil mixture.

Because lemongrass gives off a citrus scent that is too strong for wasps and yellow jackets, it creates an environment they want to avoid. Cloves are another kitchen ingredient that'll keep wasps yellow jackets away due to the eugenol they contain. Geranium is known to be off putting to these flying bugs as well. When it comes to making your own yellow jacket repellent, it is important to source high quality and pure essential oils. To create a spray, add water or even a carrier ingredient (like oil) to help the viscous liquids properly come out of the nozzle. Add a few droplets of each essential oil to your water, then shake it up to ensure everything gets mixed properly. If you prefer to use a diffuser, add this combination to an electric one and keep it where the pests usually hang around.

Ideally, you want to add this anywhere you find yellow jacket activity, including your patio, your garden, the deck, wherever you have outdoor furniture, and even around your doors and windows both inside and out. This will help deter them from coming inside should you leave a window or door open. While helpful, this is not a guaranteed pest repellent. It is always good to take other preventative measures like using screen doors or windows and hiring professional pest control should you find a hive or nest.