When you spend a lot of time outside, it’s very likely that you’re going to run into various bugs. Having many bees in your yard might seem to be a bad thing to some, but bees are actually an essential part of the ecosystem.
You may or may not know about how crucial bees are when it comes to pollination and keeping things as they should be in your local environment. This doesn’t mean that you should want to have beehives all over your property, though.
It’s true that bees can be a nuisance, and having too many of them near areas of your home that you wish to utilize will be annoying. If you have issues with bees near your patio deck, you might want to take specific actions to make things better.
Read on to learn how you can reliably keep bees away from your patio and deck. This information should help you to enjoy your backyard without having to worry so much about being pestered or stung by bees.
1 – Be Mindful of What Flowers You Have Near Your Patio and Deck
The first thing to do is to examine what types of flowers you have near your patio or deck. Certain types of plants and flowers are going to attract more bees than usual.
It might be problematic to feel as though you have to remove flowers from the area, but choosing to plant flowers away from the area might be for the best. When plants that have attractive scents are placed too close to your patio or deck, it is going to cause you many problems with bees.
If you notice that your patio or deck seem to be a hub of bee activity, it’s likely due to the flowers that you have nearby. You can change things by moving these flowers to another spot in your yard when you’re able to do so.
Of course, some flowers might not react well to being moved, and you might need to look up specific advice about relocating certain plants or flowers. Just know that your issues with bees aren’t going to go away if you choose to keep attractive-smelling flowers nearby.
2 – Consider Planting Peppermint
One really good option to keep bees away from the area that you wish to use is to plant peppermint nearby. Bees really don’t like the scent of peppermint and they’re likely going to stay far away from it.
Peppermint is something that should be quite pleasant to you, but the bees in the area will consider it to be repugnant. They will start to migrate away from the area if you choose to plant it, and that’s why you should do it as soon as you can.
Make a habit of constantly growing peppermint near any areas of your yard that you would like to keep bees away from. You might wish to avoid doing this in certain spots near other flowers since flowers do often rely on bees for pollination, but this doesn’t mean that peppermint can’t be useful in a targeted capacity.
Be smart about how you use it so that you can enjoy your time outside safely without being pestered by bees. Anyone who is allergic to bees or just has a fear of bees will find peppermint to be a handy tool in the toolkit.
For your reference, peppermint is something that takes around 90 days to grow. It will reach its full height at that point and you’ll be able to harvest it if you so choose.
Many people who use peppermint as a deterrent keep planting peppermint over and over again. It really does work well and it is something that should be considered right away if you are looking for practical solutions to your bee problems.
3 – Cinnamon Can Also Keep Bees Away
If you don’t want to take the time to plant peppermint, you can also get good results by choosing to sprinkle cinnamon near your patio or deck. Cinnamon is another thing that bees really don’t like, and they’re going to want to stay away from areas where it’s present.
You can buy ground cinnamon from any grocery store and once you have enough, it’s going to be simple to sprinkle it around the area judiciously. Try to be thorough about sprinkling the cinnamon so that you can keep the bees at bay.
This is a nice method that should work to keep bees away from the area for a while. Of course, the cinnamon is going to wash away over time and you’ll need to sprinkle more of it to keep getting the results that you are looking for.
The good news is that cinnamon is inexpensive and you’re going to be able to get a lot of it so that you can use it as a bee deterrent. Overall, this is a nice quick fix to any bee issues that you might be experiencing.
4 – Crushed Garlic Works as Well
It’ll also be good to know that crushed garlic can do the trick in much the same way as cinnamon. Ground garlic is just as common as cinnamon and you can go buy some from your local grocer right now if you are so inclined.
The basic idea is to leave crushed garlic around specific spots near your patio or deck. This is going to tell bees that they need to keep away, and they’re going to want to get pretty far away from the area.
Placing the crushed garlic around the perimeter is a wise choice, but you can also place some directly on the patio or deck to be safe. This is something that you can do very quickly, and it shouldn’t be anything that will make you feel as if you need to go out of your way.
Anyone who wants a quick solution to a bee problem will love using crushed garlic or cinnamon. Both methods work swimmingly, and you can use either of them without spending a lot of cash.
5 – Hang Dryer Sheets
Interestingly, you are able to scare bees away from the area by using dryer sheets as well. Most people buy dryer sheets so that they can make their clothes smell nice, but you can also use these convenient household items to keep bees at bay.
Dryer sheets just happen to contain scents and things that bees naturally don’t like. It’s a good way to make the patio or deck smell nice while also solving your little bee problem.
Just pick out dryer sheets that aren’t overly expensive so that you can make things as affordable as possible. It’s all the better if you find dryer sheet scents that you really enjoy so that it won’t deter you from wanting to sit outside.
Many families have used the dryer sheet trick to be able to enjoy fun summer events. If you want to be able to utilize your outdoor spaces without having to be concerned about an abundance of bees, dryer sheets will help a lot.
6 – Be Careful About Wearing Certain Perfumes
It’s worth mentioning that some types of perfumes can be very attractive to bees. Have you ever noticed that you seem to attract bees more than your other friends or family members?
This could be due to the fact that you’re wearing some type of scent that appeals to them. It might be better to avoid putting on perfume when you’re going to be spending time in your backyard.
Yes, it is annoying to feel as if you can’t use your favorite scents, but you also don’t want to get stung by bees. Consider whether your perfume is causing you issues with bees outside.
It should be possible to look at what ingredients your perfume has if you’re wondering if it truly is attracting bees. If you can’t get that information, it might be best to err on the side of caution for the sake of your summer patio or deck enjoyment.
7 – Eliminate Beehives
When your patio or deck seem to be inundated with bees, it’s going to be likely that you have a beehive somewhere nearby. You might have a beehive somewhere on the patio or deck itself, but the beehive could also be tucked away somewhere nearby in a hidden spot.
Locating the beehive and removing it from the area should help you to get things closer to normal. The only issue with this is that it can be kind of dangerous to remove a beehive.
Bees will attack you when they feel threatened and getting stung by bees can be quite painful. This is why many people choose to use specific bee-killing sprays that will take care of beehives from a distance.
You can spray the beehive and then wait for the chemicals to work their magic. Once the bees are deceased, it’s going to be possible to remove the hive so that no bees can return to it.
If you aren’t comfortable with doing this, you can call professionals to get things done swiftly. Exterminators can get rid of beehives for you and they can also take care of more substantial worries, such as wasp nests.
Just remember that bees are beneficial to the environment. Killing a bunch of them should usually be a last-resort situation for when you have way too many on your property that are becoming a problem.
People who are allergic to bees might wish to eliminate them for their own safety. It’s up to you to make the decision about what you should do in your yard so that you can enjoy your backyard space without having to worry.
Exterminators will be able to take out the bees using a variety of methods, but you can choose what you would like to be done. Know that calling in professionals will be the easiest option to eliminate beehives and take care of bee issues for long periods of time.
Final Thoughts
You now know much more about what can be done to eliminate bees or keep bees away from your patio or deck. There are a lot of great options to consider, and many of them are only going to require a little bit of effort.
Those who are looking for fast results might wish to go to a grocery store to buy some crushed garlic or cinnamon. Both of these bee deterrent methods work nicely and they aren’t going to cost much to buy, either.
Growing peppermint works wonders and should keep bees away. It just takes more effort and time to do that than it does to sprinkle some cinnamon or crushed garlic around the area.
You can also choose to take special steps such as removing flowers from the area that attract bees. If you don’t want to do this, planting some peppermint nearby might keep the bees from bothering you.
Ultimately, the best way to eliminate bees and their hives will be to call in exterminators. However, it’s up to you to decide whether things need to be escalated to that point.
Bees are truly important parts of the world, and it’s good to respect the roles that they play in nature. Even so, people understand that bees can be dangerous to have around and this is especially the case for anyone who is allergic to them.
If you need to eliminate the bees that are in your backyard for safety purposes, it’ll be easier to call in the experts. It’s possible to buy sprays that kill them, but using those and eliminating beehives could put you in danger in certain ways.
Anyone who wishes to avoid being stung will probably be better served by making the call to professionals. Take the time to review the information that you have learned and make a decision about what you should do based on your personal needs.
Hopefully, you feel much more informed about what you can do to stop bees now. You’ll be able to enjoy your patio or deck all spring and summer long.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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