An easy way to keep wasps at bay

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/06/2008 (6539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We can enjoy food and drinks on the balcony once again now that we have a nifty little contraption called the Waspinator hanging above our heads.

You see, any time we would set ourselves up outside with some snacks and some fruity drinks, we would almost instantly be swarmed by a bunch of greedy, angry wasps looking to take away our fun.

And those little buggers are mean — I mean, almost deranged — whenever they sense some sugar in their vicinity.

Too many times we have found ourselves running back inside with our plates and glasses, huddling behind the patio door and wishing there was a way we could psych out those little yellow pests.

Sure, there are a few handy ways to make homemade wasp traps — the ol’ inverted two-litre bottle of pop with jam and water trap being the most common — but these things are messy, and actually have a tendency to attract more wasps than you had to begin with.

So now, it’s Waspinator time!

The idea is so simple, it raises the question: “Why didn’t I think of that before?”

You see, the Waspinator (www.waspinator.com) is a little grey bag-type contraption you simply hang next to any area you’re set to occupy on your next barbecue/picnic/camping trip. The bag looks like an oversized wasps’ nest, and — wasps being visual and territorial creatures — it causes the little devils to believe they’ve just ventured into a competing colony, so they scamper and avoid coming near it at all costs.

Next thing you know, wasps will steer clear of your area for fear of getting entangled in some kind of yellow-jacket feud.

Guess what? It works.

Since hanging the Waspinator outside our apartment a week ago, I haven’t seen a single wasp come nearby as I’m enjoying a sip of beer and some dip out on the balcony.

Take that, suckers.

The Waspinator is available for about $9 at several Winnipeg locations, including Lee Valley Tools, Gobert’s Greenhouses, Shelmerdine Garden Centre, Jardins St. Leon, St. Mary’s Nursery and T&T Seeds.

— Canwest News Service