AFTER some recent sightings of Asian hornets have caused concern for British gardeners, an expert has revealed the cheap and cheerful method to keep them at bay.
James Ewens, Commercial Director Alexander Francis, has shared some easy-to-follow hacks to keep both hornets and wasps out of your garden all summer long.
Of course, if you have a full infestation on your hands it’s always recommended to call in the experts when it comes to these pests, but if you’d just like the deter them you can do it without breaking the bank.
He explained that strong scents can work wonders at deterring wasps, so adding certain plants to your garden can help.
You might’ve heard about using citronella oil or candles to keep wasps away, but the expert also recommended citronella plants for long lasting results.
You can buy a citronella plant for around the £13 price mark from most garden centres, with larger plants costing more.
However, you can still stick to the trusty scented candles for even less, with a 100 pack of scented tealights available for just £10.95 on Amazon – that works out at just 11p per candle.
Similarly, spearmint and lemongrass also work well to keep wasps away, so you can plant them in your garden or keep them near doors and windows.
If you’re not very green-fingered you can try mixing their essential oils with water to make a handy spray instead.
Spritz the mixture in any spots you’ve seen wasps gathering, including where they’ve nested, the expert told Express.co.uk.
Finally, the pro shared so other helpful tips and trick to keep wasps and hornets away, including keeping food hidden and covered.
This involves not leaving snacks outside and covering any grub with tinfoil.
Making sure bins are properly sealed and closed is also a must, as well as not leaving dirty dishes lingering inside or outside for too long.
Promptly get glasses and dishes washed and dried to not attract wasps and other pests.
And if you plan on dusting off your barbeque when the weather warms up, make sure it’s properly cleaned before storing it away again.
Common garden pests
Common pests in the garden don’t need to be a cause for alarm. If you can identify them, you can work on getting rid of them and preventing them from returning.
Aphids (Greenfly, Blackfly)
Aphids are extremely common and can impact plant growth. They have tiny soft pear-shaped bodies, and are usually green or black. You may spot them clustered on the stem of soft shoots – look under leaves in particular – or may find a sticky substance on your plants that gives away aphids have been there sucking at the sap.
Whitefly
These small white-winged insects are related to aphids, at just 1 or 2 mm in length, and look very much like white moths as adults. They can be found on the underside of leaves, preferring younger, fresher leaves. They fly in clusters when you disturb them. Their lifecycle is only three weeks long, which means an infestation can occur very rapidly.
Slugs
An unmissable, squashy-looking body plus small sensory tentacles on its head. Slugs move along on one muscular foot. They range in scale from surprisingly small to terrifyingly large; limax cinereoniger species can grow comfortably beyond 20 cm in length.
Cabbage Moth Caterpillar
Cabbage moth caterpillars happily make their way into the heart of the vegetables, The caterpillars are distinguished in shades of yellow or browny green with no hair.
Mealy Bug
Mealybugs are tiny oval-shaped insects that have a white, powdery wax coating. There are several different species, many of which have what looks like legs coming from their sides and back end. In their earliest stage of life, it’s entirely possible to mistake them for fungus and not recognise them as insects at all.
What are Asian hornets?
A report recently revealed that a record number of sightings of Asian hornets took place in the UK last year, with the invasive species posing a serious threat to native honey bees and insect pollinators.
The hornets, which can demolish bee hives in a matter of hours and kill humans in rampaging swarms, were spotted here just twice in 2022. But that rose to 78 times in 2023.
The British Beekeepers Association exclusively told The Sun on Sunday that four sightings have happened already this year, months before the hornets normally surface.
