Looking for a simple way to keep those annoying bees away from you and your food and drinks when trying to enjoy the great outdoors in late summer and fall? Well wait until you see how easy it can be!
Although bees and wasps can be quite beneficial for gardens and flowerbeds when it comes to pollinating – they can pose a serious issue when you are trying to entertain or simply sit and relax outside. Especially in late summer and early fall when they become more active than ever!
Late in the season, many of the options for bees to feed begin to dry up and disappear. Vegetable gardens are no longer full of blooms. Nor are flowerbeds, containers and hanging baskets. Even shrubs, bushes, trees and wild plants have stopped blooming for the most part. And that leaves bees hungry!
Ground bees, yellow jackets, hornets, honey bees, and just about every other kind of bee and wasp are more than happy to visit spaces whenever and wherever food and drink appear late in the year. And they can quickly turn a lovely afternoon or early evening event into a battle.
Battling Bees Outdoors – How To Keep Bees Away In Late Summer & Fall
Whether buzzing around your head, hovering over food or landing directly in your drink, bees can be relentless. And they can be dangerous as well. With bees all around, the chances of getting stung can be quite high. As can accidentally swallowing one in a beverage!
For those that are allergic to their stings, it can be more than just annoying. But the good news is that there are a couple of easy ways to keep bees and the dangers they bring away from you and your outdoor activities. And all without having to resort to harsh chemicals or insecticides.
In fact, as you will see below, there are actually two super simple and inexpensive ways to stop bees in a flash – with the first and most effective of all being by using a good ol’ cucumber!
How To Keep Bees Away In Late Summer & Fall
Using Cucumbers & Cucumber Peels
Believe it or not, cucumbers, or more precisely, cucumber peels, are one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep bees away from outdoor spaces.
The acid that is present in a cucumber rind is highly offensive to bees and wasps. So much so that they avoid it all costs. By simply placing cucumber peels around food and outdoor dining spaces, they will suddenly look for other food sources.
As crazy as it sounds, it really works! For drinks, try placing a few peels or quartered cucumber slices on a saucer and place your drink on it. Whether its water, wine or even sugary soda – the flying pests will avoid it. The same goes for placing peels or cucumber quarters on food trays. Again, they will stay far away.
As much as placing cucumber peels or sections works for protecting food, it can also protect humans. A few small peels placed around the arms of chairs, on tables, or anywhere around where one is trying to enjoy an outdoor space will leave little worry of being stung!
It’s The Acid, Not The Cucumber Flesh – How To Keep Bees Away In Late Summer & Fall
It is important to realize that it is not the flesh or scent of a cucumber that works. Instead, it is the acid in the peel that bees cannot stand. With that said, although peels work incredibly well, without a bit of the cucumber along with it, they can dry out quickly. And once they dry out, they lose their effectiveness.
For this reason, when using the cucumber trick, it is best to leave a bit of the flesh on the peel. This keeps the peel from drying out and keeps the protection level high. Slicing the cucumber into 3/4 inch slices and then quartering is best as it provides plenty of peel and plenty of moisture to keep it effective.
Perhaps best of all, the acid is not only effective against wasps and nearly all types of bees, but it also can keep other flying insects like flies and mosquitoes away too. Who knew a cucumber could be so offensive to pests! See: How To Keep Mosquitoes Away From Your Patio & Outdoors – Naturally!
Don’t Forget The Fans – How To Keep Bees Away In Late Summer & Fall
Beyond the amazing cucumber trick, another great weapon against nearly all flying insects outdoors are fans. And when you combine cucumbers and fans together – the protection can be pretty incredible!
Bees, wasps, mosquitoes, flies and other flying insects are incredibly light. When any type of strong wind flow is present, they are simply unable to navigate with any accuracy. This is exactly why placing a few fans around your outdoor space can quickly clear the space.
Whether it be a ceiling fan on a back patio or a few stand up fans placed around outdoor dining tables or spaces, the air flow will keep bees and other flying insects from being able to get to you.
One of the best and easiest ways to protect outdoor tables are with small battery powered fly fans. The small fans can be placed on the table and their blades create a barrier that flying insects stay far away from. Affiliate Product Link : Fly Fan for Tables, 3 Pack Fly Repellent Fans for Indoor and Outside
When you use the cucumber slices and any fan together, you get the added bonus of wafting that acid a little more around in the space – increasing the protection even more.
Here is to keeping bees and wasps away from you this summer and fall, and to finding another great reason to love cucumbers too!
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This Is My Garden is a garden website created by gardeners, for gardeners. Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books and speaking for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. They publish three articles every week, 52 weeks a year. Sign up today to follow via email, or follow along!
