Kinda odd for my first post here, but if it helps someone..good to go.
I had a wasp problem for over three years, since I moved into this apartment. Nothing would stop the damn things..even in seriously cold weather when they couldn't muster the strength to fly I'd still find them crawling on my balcony quite often. In warmer conditions, they were a constant and annoying presence. I smoke, but not indoors, so am out there several times a day. It was much more likely that I would see/kill a wasp than not, every single time I took a little excursion onto the balcony. On days when I stayed at home all day, it was not unheard of to kill 5 or more wasps just there on my small balcony.
For the past month, I have seen exactly three wasps on my precious balcony. :rock: A month ago, I placed three cloves of garlic on the balcony and one beside my apartment door. I do not know yet how often these will need to be replaced, but as I said they have been there a month and are still good. I really did not expect this to work, but boy has it..and it keeps the vampires away as an added bonus!
For reference, I am not positive my 'wasps' really are that, a 'wasp trap' from Lowe's failed to catch anything at all (much less my wasps). I do not claim that they WILL not, just that they DID not, and I have long since thrown away the packaging so can't say what brand it was. Other things I tried were a paper sack filled with napkins (for bulge) to simulate a wasp nest (wasps are social and will just move elsewhere to nest instead..not). I also had a citronella candle out there for awhile unlit, that did nothing to deter them. Sprays worked, but were VERY temporary, maybe 3 days *MAX*. I did not get around to trying a plastic bag filled with water, the old timers say it will keep away flies, until my garlic worked I had meant to test it on wasps.
I originally heard about this in garlic clips(?) I think. Supposed to repel deer or something, but as I said ordinary clove garlic has worked and it is certainly not expensive to replace even if it only lasts a month. I intend to report back when the wasps return in droves, to give an idea of just how long this stuff will last. Until then I am enjoying my balcony! Sorry if I ranted a bit, but I am very pleased to be able to go outside without the hassle. :lolsign: