To keep yellow jackets away effectively, follow these key strategies:

Eliminate Food and Attractive Scents

• Keep outdoor trash cans tightly sealed and clean to avoid attracting yellow jackets with food scraps or odors.
• Clean up spilled drinks, food crumbs, and pet food promptly.
• Avoid using floral or sweet-smelling beauty products outdoors, as these attract yellow jackets.
• Cover food and drinks during outdoor activities to prevent attracting them

Use Natural Repellents and Plants

• Spray a mixture of peppermint oil and water around your home and outdoor areas; yellow jackets dislike the smell of peppermint.
• Other essential oils that repel yellow jackets include clove, pennyroyal, lemongrass, spearmint, and lavender.
• Plant natural repellents like mint (spearmint or peppermint), eucalyptus, thyme, marigold, or basil around your yard or patio

Maintain Outdoor Areas

• Regularly clean your outdoor spaces with soapy water to remove residues that attract yellow jackets.
• Fix leaks and avoid overwatering plants to reduce moisture that draws them.
• Mow the lawn and trim shrubs to reduce hiding and nesting spots.
• Seal cracks and openings around your home’s exterior to prevent yellow jackets from entering or nesting

Additional Methods

• Use DIY yellow jacket traps with sweet baits like fruit juice or sugary water placed away from high-traffic areas to reduce their numbers.
• Consider placing decoy yellow jacket nests to discourage real colonies from settling nearby.
• Avoid wearing bright colors or floral prints outdoors, as these attract yellow jackets

Safety and Professional Help

• If you find an active nest, it’s safest to contact a pest control professional for removal.
• When dealing with yellow jackets yourself, wear protective clothing and work during low-activity times like dawn or dusk to minimize stings

Combining these approaches will help keep yellow jackets away from your yard and outdoor living spaces effectively.