Plants for repelling bees and wasps

The presence of bees and especially wasps can be very annoying for many people. Especially for allergy sufferers, as a sting from these insects would send you straight to the hospital. However, we have good news for you. There are beautiful plants for repelling bees and wasps. Therefore, a very natural way to solve the problem without using products that harm nature. In this way, we will manage to repel these insects and we will not harm at any time neither our bees that give us honey nor the wasps.

Summary: A compilation of plants to repel bees and wasps in an environmentally friendly way. In addition, you have at your disposal a fantastic selection of quality raw honeys in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid.

Other studies: Where to buy quality raw honey?

1. Plants that do not attract bees

One way to keep part of a garden free of bee and wasp visits is to fill this area with plants that do not attract bees and wasps. The non-attraction can be due to a number of reasons. Probably the biggest reason is the smell of some plants or their flowers which do not attract insects at all. However, regardless of the reason, experience shows that some plants are never visited by insects.

Among the Mediterranean plants or those that can be easily found in Spain, we have the following:

a) Basil

Basil is a very common medicinal plant in Spain. In cooking it is used in many dishes. Furthermore, it can be planted in small pots. Consequently, we can place it on the table or somewhere where we want to be and not be bothered by insects.

b) Citronella

Citronella is a plant imported from Sri Lanka and has very beneficial properties. It repels mosquitoes, bees and wasps. It is also used in the manufacture of insecticides.

c) Geranium

Geranium is a plant widely used in gardening and comes from the tropics. There are more than 422 species of these annual, biennial and perennial plants.

It is also a plant that repels insects. Of all the species, the red-flowered geranium is the most effective against bees. Bees see the red colour as black and are not attracted to visiting these flowers.

In Spain and other Mediterranean countries it is very common to find them planted in pots. Therefore, they can be found in many gardens, patios and walls as a form of decoration. Consequently, they are ideal for leaving areas of our house free of insects where we can spend time without the annoying insects.

d) Rose bush

The rose bush, a plant native to Asia, is well known for its beautiful flowers, the roses. The flowers are very colourful and extremely beautiful. These flowers give off a scent that is not appreciated by bees. For this reason, it is rare to find bees among rose bushes.

e) Tagetes

These are annual and perennial plants from the Americas. It is common to find them interspersed with other plants, acting as a repellent to insects that can damage other plants.

Tagetes are plants that are appreciated for their beauty, but give off a fragrance that is unpleasant to insects. In addition, they have little pollen, so bees do not visit them either. They prefer to visit other flowers with more food.

f) Artemisia

A plant that is native to Spain and has great insect repellent power.

2. Are there plants that repel wasps and not bees?

These few plants repel insects. However, the effect of repelling wasps is minor. The plants are highly favoured by the work of the wasps. It should be borne in mind that wasps are carnivorous and feed mainly on other insects. Therefore, these insects are favourable for plants, as wasps help to control pests and diseases brought by insects.

It is also true that wasps feed on other plant juices or substances, but they are primarily carnivorous. Therefore, wasps can both damage plant fruits and occasionally feed on juices from the flowers themselves.

On the other hand, mint is a substance that is toxic to insects. Therefore, some remedies can be found that use mint to repel wasps.

In summary, these few plants that we have indicated at the beginning will have a positive effect in repelling wasps, but not a total effect. Therefore, in order to have areas of your house or garden free of the desired wasps, you will have to use other means besides plants.

3. What to plant in your garden?

So, what you have to think about is what you want in your garden. A garden with bees and other insects, or a garden with as few insects as possible. If you do not want insects, it would be best to grow plants that do not bear flowers or that are not melliferous. If you do choose plants that provide little food for the bees. Bees always choose flowers that are rich in nectar or pollen. There are also plants that are poisonous to bees, so they will have a strong repelling effect on them.

However, you will have little cooperation with honey-producing bees and other insects. Especially at this time of year when insects are going through a very difficult period of their existence. Also, unless you have a hive near your garden, you probably won’t even know they are there.

4. Other remedies to repel bees and wasps

There are some natural remedies for repelling bees and wasps. However, keep in mind that you are fighting against nature, and defeating nature is a very difficult thing to do. Therefore, all these measures will have an effect, but the extent of their success will depend on many factors.

Also, among the remedies we know of, these are the following:

• Cucumber peel
• Peppermint leaves
• Baby disinfectant powder
• Crushed garlic
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon powder
• Apple cider vinegar dissolved in water. Spray it on the area where you want to avoid bees and other insects.

Source:

Carolina Honeybees Blog