We all know that wasps can be brutes with a powerful sting. If you’ve got pets, children or simply dislike wasps then you’ll be on the lookout for ways to deter them. So, do wasps hate mint or not?
Yes, wasps do hate mint. They particularly hate concentrated peppermint and spearmint oils which are pungent.
Wasps are attracted to certain smells, but others they absolutely hate. One of the smells which deter wasps includes the smell of mint.
Many people like to have this herb in their gardens, near windows, to repel wasps and keep them out. Wasps will also dislike mint-related fragrances, including peppermint or spearmint oils.
Does Mint Keep Wasps Away?
Mint can be an excellent solution in keeping wasps away. One of the ways you can keep wasps out of your garden is by planting mint plants throughout.
You can place the herbs in window boxes or anywhere among your gardens. Be warned that mint is invasive and will spread throughout your garden using runners. This is why it’s a good idea to keep mint in a container.
Wasps are also known for destroying wooden garden furniture. One of the ways people keep wasps away from their wooden furniture is by rubbing mint on it. You can do this by compressing fresh leaves or by soaking a cloth in an essential oil solution.
Do All Mint Plants Keep Wasps Away?
No, they do not. There are a few issues with using plants. Firstly, if there is no breeze then mint plants will not be at their strongest. If you walk around your garden when there is a breeze, you’ll pick up the scent of mint, without a breeze, you wouldn’t know it was there.
The other problem is that there are a number of hybrid mint plants available these days including strawberry, pineapple and chocolate mints. These are not going to deter wasps as they have sweet notes which wasps love.
Instead, stick to strong mint flavours such as spearmint and peppermint. You want mint plants that have a strong toothpaste-like scent to them.
You also need to ensure the mint plants are overpowering enough to mask the smell of something that the wasps might like. For example, if you have a strong-smelling fruit bush then you need to make sure the mint plants mask this smell.
Do Wasps Hate Peppermint Oil?
The basic mint plant and different variants of mint keep wasps away. One of the scents which wasps hate specifically is peppermint. If you wish to look for a cost-effective way against wasps, you can opt for peppermint oil.
Wasps hate the scent of peppermint, which makes it a perfect tool against them. Peppermint oil does not harm wasps but deters them, and they will try their best to stay away.
An issue with using such natural methods is consistency. When you apply peppermint oil, the fragrance is not going to last for a long time. You need to apply every few days to ensure that the peppermint oil works.
How to Deter Wasps With Peppermint Oil
You can mix some peppermint oil in water to create a solution that is your own insect repellant. You can spray the solution in areas where you may have spotted the most wasps or in entryways to keep them out.
The scent of the peppermint oil will be strongly concentrated and will keep wasps away.
If you have an oil burner, you can also use a mint-scented oil when you’re dining outside (in the same way you’d use a citronella candle). This should then deter wasps from bothering you while trying to enjoy dining outside.
Other essential oils will work well here, including spearmint oil.
Summary
Wasps can be dangerous and sting badly, so people prefer keeping them out of their gardens, understandably. One of the ways you can deter ways is by using mint in your garden. Wasps hate the smell of mint, and you can add these herbs near your windows, around doors or create a bed with other herbs.
Wasps do not like other variants of mint, including peppermint and spearmint. You can create a spray by adding peppermint oil to the water. However, it would help if you were consistent with this method as the smell can wear off.
Peppermint oil is the most effective form of mint for deterring wasps as they hate the strong concentrated smell of it.
It’s also worth remembering that mint can be invasive so ensure you keep it planted in containers otherwise you risk your garden being taken over with mint plants.
Ryan is a keen gardener from the UK who’s spent years dealing with countless, common pests over the years so knows the ins and outs of how to deal with pests in the garden
Peppermint actually doesn’t work. Rather, it attracts wasps. Tried a spray of pure peppermint oil and water and I got a number of wasps making their way inside in less than 3 hours, attracted to it. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. Especially if you are allergic to wasps or otherwise afraid of them.
And maybe it just deters certain kinds, but it definitely attracted the ones that crawled into my place to be near it.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that observation with us. Seems like it will only work with certain species which is a little frustrating, of course.
Definitely not true in my case. Went to harvest some of my mint plants today and it is COVERED in wasps. At least 50 wasps.
Now I don’t know what to do to harvest it safely.