How do I keep the bees away?

August 24, 2005 1:49 PM

We are having a big party next weekend. What can I do to ward off the swarms of yellow jackets? They are ferocious this year.

There is no nest in the yard that I know of. But whenever anyone is outside with food they all start buzzing around. Has anyone had success with any kind of yard guard or other method to keep them at bay?

posted by sacre_bleu to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

We used a system like the Water Traps pictured one-third of the way down this page. We bought a couple for a large, outdoor porch-type setting. Although we were serving a good deal of wasp-friendly food (i.e. wedding cake) we weren't bothered, although obviously an increase in wasp density may have overwhelmed the traps.
posted by docgonzo at 2:12 PM on August 24, 2005

I guarantee you there is a nest nearby - see if you can follow any patterns at all as to where they're coming from, then poison the lil bastards at night.
posted by glenwood at 2:13 PM on August 24, 2005

set out a plate of raw meat for them away from where your food & party will be, and be glad they're just wasps and not bald headed hornets.
posted by Mack Twain at 2:40 PM on August 24, 2005

Put out traps, google for trap designs, and meat away from and around the party. You can get them interested in not even coming over.
posted by OmieWise at 2:53 PM on August 24, 2005

Coincidentally, a friend told me about this just last week, but I didn't really believe him, until I tried it today, at dinner.

Oddly enough, it seems that they HATE those sheets of fabric softener you put in the dryer. Won't go near 'em. They were driving me nuts tonight as I prepared some BBQ'd chicken for my girlfriend and myself, when I remembered his claim.

So using the well-known trick others have mentioned, I put a couple of chicken bones just outside the patio area to lure them, and then put a sheet beside the BBQ, and one on either end of the picnic table. They'd buzz by, but wouldn't actually land. Meanwhile the chicken bones were positively covered with them, while we ate our meal in peace.

To see for yourself, try it with a sammich tomorrow. You'll have to figure out how best to deploy them based on the specifics of your situation.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 1:03 AM on August 25, 2005

Try providing them with "low-hanging fruit." The best solution I've ever seen for this is to obtain several mesh bags and fill them with watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew chunks, and hang them from trees or posts at the periphery of the BBQ, and away from where children will be playing, etc. The bags will be swarmed with yellowjackets and other hymenoptera that bother picnickers.
posted by jimfl at 7:04 AM on August 25, 2005

There is very probably a nest nearby.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 9:27 AM on August 25, 2005