We all know that bees and hoverflies love lavender. But, can the same be said about wasps? Will lavender plants draw wasps in?
Yes, wasps, alongside other pollinating insects, are attracted to lavender instead of being repelled by it.
Lavender has beautiful flowers and a great scent. Lavender is an effective insect repellant that can deter flying insects, like mosquitos and flies, but is known to be liked by many pollinating insects.
Wasps can be described as flying pests but also as pollinators which is why some people question whether lavender attracts or repels wasps.
Does Lavender Attract Wasps?
Lavender is an excellent addition to any garden to enhance its beauty and add a pleasant purple hue to your garden.
The shrubs bloom throughout the summer with densely packed slender stems filled with beautiful flowers.
Instead of repelling wasps, it attracts them and other pollinating insects. Wasps like the blooms and pleasant scent of lavender.
Wasps, no matter how easily aggressive they can get or how bad their sting hurts, are beneficial insects to have in the garden.
If you simply avoid going near a wasp or its nest, it won’t harm you. Wasps are territorial about their nest, so ensure you don’t go near them. Wasps are essential insects because they are pollinators and are responsible for many plants and their pollination.
They are also handy for removing various annoying pests from a garden.
Wasps are natural pest exterminators, and with lavender, you can attract many to your garden. Just don’t bother them, and they’ll continue to improve your garden by pollinating the plants and eradicating the pests from there.
With the help of wasps, you won’t have to use chemical-based pesticides and risk your garden plants. Pesticides can get the job done but harm plants and your pets.
With lavender, you can deal with pests with a more ecologically beneficial method: using wasps to get rid of the pests.
Do Wasps Pollinate Lavender?
Lavender attracts wasps, and they like to collect the nectar from its flowers for feeding and bringing it back for their young.
Wasps are pollinators like bees and will help lavender and various other plants with pollination. They will feed on the sugars from the lavender flowers and hop from flower to flower.
When wasps are feeding on the nectar, they accidentally pollinate the lavender flowers, and when they’re moving from one flower to another, they move pollen from flower to flower in the process.
Can Lavender Repel wasps?
Lavender, instead of repelling wasps as it does with most flying insects, it instead attracts them. Lavender has a beautiful scent that repels many flying pests but attracts wasps, bees, and other pollinating insects.
Bees can be fine, but wasps can often be a nuisance to many.
Wasps can get easily hostile towards you if they feel threatened and will resort to stinging you. They will also release pheromones that’ll call in other wasps from their colony, and soon, a whole swarm of wasps will be after you.
If you planted lavender for the sole purpose that it might repel wasps, then lose no hope, as lavender oil can repel wasps.
The plant or its flowers may not be the thing you were looking for, but the oil from lavender is a very commonly used essential oil that is capable of deterring many insects effectively.
How to Use Lavender Oil
You can make your own wasp-repellant combo by mixing lavender oil with a carrier oil and adding other essential oils to the mix as well. Another option you have that will require less effort is buying a premade mixture with all the best and effective essential oils.
Using lavender oil instead of depending on a pesticide is much more affordable and safer than chemical-based products. Bug sprays not only will cost more, but they hurt your plants and beneficial animals.
FAQs
Want to know more about wasps and lavender? Then gives these FAQs a quick read over:
Will Wasps Pollinate Lavender?
Yes, wasps do pollinate lavender. They’re not as prolific pollinators as bees and hoverflies but will still pollinate lavender.
Summary
Wasps are aggressive insects with a bad reputation, and hardly any people like them because it takes no more than a second to make a wasp angry, and soon, a whole swarm of angry wasps comes after you.
However, wasps are beneficial insects that take care of a garden by wiping all the annoying pests, such as aphids, caterpillars, midges, ants, and flies that harm your garden.
Wasps are also great pollinators and are responsible for many beautiful plants and flowers.
Resources
Below are some of the sources of information we used to put this article together:
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
