2 min readWith the summer season continuing to deliver week after week of sunshine, we're looking for every excuse to spill outdoors, from leisurely lunches to long evenings enjoyed in the garden. Unfortunately, the wasps seem to have had the same idea.
If frantic hand-waving has reached its limit and you're on the verge of packing up and leaving the wasps to enjoy the soirée instead, it might be time to try a surprisingly stylish solution. From disco balls and paper lanterns to decorative decoy nests, a host of eye-catching garden accessories have gone viral for their supposed wasp-deterring powers.
And if you ever needed an excuse to buy a disco ball, let this be it. Casting shimmering reflections across the garden, it's become one of the internet's favorite decorative wasp deterrents. But is there any truth behind the trend? We called in the experts to find out.
What really caught our eye (pun intended) is that these decorative deterrents are all about redirecting rather than removing wasps. ”Wasps can be a nuisance,” says David Denyer, flower expert at eFlorist, “but they are hugely important for the environment, so we must protect them where possible. Wasps help to pollinate plants, as well as providing us humans with some natural pest control to protect our crops.”
The bit we really wanted to know. “There is some logic to it,” says Mosh Latifi, co-owner of EcoCare Pest Management. “The flickering reflections from a disco ball can disorient wasps and make an outdoor dining area feel less settled. It's not a guaranteed deterrent, but it may make the space less inviting.”
For Charlotte Aguirre (@renovations_at_126), a disco ball was a non-negotiable addition to her garden. Picked up on Facebook Marketplace, it's become a permanent outdoor fixture—and, as she puts it, “Come rain or shine, my disco ball is still a vibe.”
Mirror Balls co-founder Adela Meer agrees that “the unpredictability of these reflections can confuse a navigating wasp, so unless they really like to disco—which, of course, we can't completely rule out—they might just buzz off to find a different vibe.”
Disco balls aren't the only decorative deterrent making the rounds. There are a handful of other eye-catching additions that work to a similar effect. Whether they shimmer in the sunlight, sway gently in the breeze, or mimic the appearance of an occupied nest, these garden accessories have one thing in common: they'll dress up your outdoor space beautifully, and they just might persuade a few wasps to keep their distance, too.
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