How to repel wasps from wood

During the warm months from spring through the fall, outdoor barbecues on the deck are a popular activity. Incidentally, these seasons are also favoured by wasps. The most common wasps seen around your wooden household structures are yellow jackets, hornets and paper wasps. They can sure be a nuisance and downright dangerous for those with allergies, including your pets. Repel wasps from wood naturally by following a few simple steps.

Combine liquid hand soap and water in a spray bottle. Keep this on hand whenever you are outside on your deck or next to any wood structure the wasps seem to favour. Spray the wasps with the mixture; this works to repel the insect from the area.

Saturate the wasp nest with WD-40. This is flammable; however you do not want to light the nest on fire as this may cause the wood structure to burn. The fumes and oil will take care of the pests.

Stash sheets of fabric softener around the wood structure in flower pots or glass jars. The scent of the fabric softener works well to repel the wasps. A bonus of this step is that mosquitoes are repelled by the fabric softener, too.

Insert whole cloves into a few oranges and place around the wood surface. The combined scents are abhorrent to wasps.

Combine garlic powder, onion powder and pepper and sprinkle onto the nest. The insects do not tolerate these scents and will likely leave the nest.

Rub the underside of the wood deck railing with bar soap. Coat the underside liberally. According to Eartheasy, one application of soap will work to repel wasps for an entire season.