At Millcreek Gardens, one of our top service areas for gardeners throughout the state is pest control and disease prevention. From areas like fertilizer application to identifying harmful pests and working to remove them, we’ve helped numerous Utah gardeners keep both their gardens and overall properties free of harmful pests and related diseases or other concerns they bring with them.

One pest type that may not directly damage plants, but that can be dangerous to human health and scary to many children, is the wasp. Did you realize that spring is a particularly valuable time period for identifying and remedying potential wasp infestations on your property or within your garden? This two-part blog will go over why spring is such a notable stretch when it comes to wasp prevention and removal, plus some basic spring tips on keeping wasps far away from your property or garden.

spring garden was prevention tips

Spring and Wasp Prevention

Wasp prevention is a task that comes down to understanding the behavior of wasps, which – like many other insects – fluctuates based on the season we’re in. In winter, for instance, wasp queens remain in sheltered locations, protected from any threat but also not causing much of a nuisance.

During spring, however, wasp queens will begin venturing out of their hiding spots and looking for new nesting locations. This means that if you catch a queen in your area early enough during this part of the year, you will stop an entire nest from forming and cut off the issue at its knees.

Our next several sections will go over some of the methods available to you when it comes to either preventing or removing wasp nests.

Soap and Water Option

In cases where you don’t get to your wasp prevention until certain small hanging nests are already present on your property, one of the best and least costly methods for removing these is using basic soap and water. Mix two tablespoons of dish soap into a spray bottle, then fill the rest with water and spray the nest – be sure to wear proper protective equipment if there are active wasps. The soap will clog wasp spiracles, killing them virtually immediately.

Nest Decoys

Wasps do hold value in an ecosystem – they feed on many other pest types, including some that bring disease to plants or even humans. For this reason, many gardeners and homeowners prefer to redirect them rather than killing them, and a decoy nest is a great method here. This is not a fake wasp nest – it’s actually a decoy nest of one of their predators, functioning similarly to a scarecrow on a farm. They make wasps think a natural predator is nearby, which incentivizes them to naturally move to a different location.

For more on removal methods for wasp nests and why spring wasp prevention is important, or to learn about any of our gardening supplies or other services, speak to the staff at Millcreek Gardens today.