Any good tips for deterring wasps. They are round our garden table every evening and making sitting out for drinks and meals v tense
Give them something they like a few metres away.
We use one of these on the centre of the table. It is a small lightweight battery fan. It doesn’t deter insects but it shoos them away from food. Get them anywhere on line
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Tried saucers of jam away from table, beer traps too. They prefer the beer we are trying to drink ! Don’t like jam either it seems
Where did you get yours, Mik? We bought some online after seeing how well these worked against flies for the oyster sellers at the market in Montalivet, but we chose badly… the ones we bought hardly spun at all so the flies weren’t bothered in the slightest. Would be keen to buy a decent one.
This time of year they prefer meat, try putting out some cured ham.
And water. We have a shallow tray with water and small “landing pads” - bits of wood offcuts. They tend to head for the swimming pool and I know they nest along our gutter so I put the tray between the gutter and the pool, to head them off.
In the absence of a small fan, go for something bigger - we have a big room fan on a stand at the end of the table and it keeps away wasps and mossies.
I know that last year folk around us used dried coffee grounds, burning slowly, to dissuade guepes etc…
Yes have just been reading the coffee grounds article. Going to try it tomorrow. Foolproof they say! Will find out. Thanks for so many tips
I think that can deter people too, which may or may not be a blessing…
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Check under the table for a nest …
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Relatives were using half a lemon studded with cloves
Found a nest inside a garden ornament last week. I destroyed it. As for coffee grounds burning smell. Will test it out on family first. Have a feeling it will not smell as nice as fresh brewed stuff. The wasps don’t bother me personally too much especially after we had a huge hornets nest in our hedge a few years back. Small fry. We were attacked by the hornets as we walked near the hedge. We had no idea the nest was even there. It was not good! Got down our tee shirts. Stung my head and face horribly and husbands eyelids and head too. Removed next day. Saw another one being started under gutter following year so nipped that one in the bud. My young grandkids however do not like the wasps and there is a lot of running away from the meal table shrieking. Solutions are hard to find but I will start with the coffee one
Smouldering dried coffee grounds was used to great effect last year, throughout peak summer season, for the open-air bar and various food vendors. Didn’t deter the crowds but it did seem to keep the unwanted buzzers away.
This year there seem to be far more cigarette smokers (customers), all puffing away… and a few with the electric gadgets (?). Not noticed the smouldering coffee yet but the season has only just started.
Amazon Gareth,.about 3 or 4 years ago. I will do some digging tomorrow to see if I can identify it
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We’ve seen the fans at a hotel in Carcassonne and they work. There seemed to be lots on sale when I looked, including Amazon and ManoMano. Prices seem to vary a lot.
Sorry Gareth, I went back through my (enormous amount of) past orders of stuff on Amazon but it says it is unavailable. Nevertheless there seems to be a large choice available at low prices so you are not risking much if they prove inefective.
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I love the fact that nobody is suggesting anything to harm these interesting and useful beasts. What a civilised bunch we are!
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Our Mairie sent out the info sheet on just why we should encourage/support Wasps rather than trying to eliminate them…
It was very informative… I’ll see if I can track it down… 
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Except for