How do I stop wasps and flies ruining eating outside?

Wasps become a problem late in summer when their food source changes and they start seeking sugar. Almost all of the fix is removing what draws them rather than trying to repel them once they have arrived.

Safety

What you'll need

• Food covers (optional)
• Sealed bins (optional)
• A decoy plate (optional)

Step by step

1. Keep food and drinks covered.Mesh covers over dishes and lids or straws on drinks. A wasp in an open can is the most common cause of a sting in the mouth, which is genuinely dangerous.
2. Clear plates and spills immediately.The smell of food is what draws them in the first place. Clearing as you go is more effective than anything you can spray.
3. Keep bins closed and away from the seating area.An open or nearby bin is the single biggest attractant. Move it, seal it, and wash it out regularly.
4. Never swat at a wasp.Crushing or threatening one releases an alarm pheromone that attracts others and makes them aggressive. Stay still or move away calmly.
5. Set up a decoy away from where you sit.A plate with something sweet or a little meat, placed some distance away. Wasps go to the easier food source and largely leave you alone.
6. Use physical barriers where you can.Fly screens on doors and windows, and a gazebo with sides. Barriers work reliably where repellents largely do not.
7. Deal with fallen fruit.Windfall under fruit trees ferments and attracts wasps in large numbers. Clearing it removes the reason they are in the garden at all.
8. Get a professional for a nest.Do not attempt to remove or block one. Disturbed nests produce mass defensive attacks and stings from many wasps at once.

Tips

• Wasps are most troublesome in late summer, when their colony's food source changes. Earlier in the year they are largely eating insects and are far less interested in your lunch.
• Wasp traps catch wasps but also attract them into the area. Placed well away from where you sit they help; placed on the table they do the opposite.
• Wasps are significant predators of garden pests for most of the year. Removing a nest that is not causing a problem is rarely worth it.

Common mistakes

• Swatting or crushing a wasp — It releases an alarm pheromone that attracts and agitates others. Staying still or walking away calmly is far more effective.
• Putting a wasp trap on the table — It draws wasps towards you rather than away. Traps only help placed well away from where people are.
• Drinking from an open can outdoors — A wasp inside the can leads to stings in the mouth or throat, which can obstruct breathing and is a medical emergency.

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