Are Wasps Attracted to Certain Colors?

Yes, wasps are attracted to certain colors. Oklahoma State University Extension advises against wearing bright yellow, orange and blue around wasps and says khaki, tan and other muted colors are less attractive. There is a second rule for when you are near a nest: defending wasps go after dark objects and aim for the head. So the best thing to wear outdoors in wasp season is light, muted, smooth clothing. Color is only part of the story, though. Food, sweet drinks and scented products draw wasps in far more reliably, and those are easier to control.

What colors attract wasps?

Why color matters: how wasps see

Wasps and bees see a different set of colors than we do. A 2018 review of insect color vision notes that most insects have receptors for ultraviolet, blue and green light. NC State researchers explain that bees, the wasp's close relatives, see from about 300 to 650 nanometers. That means they see ultraviolet, which we cannot, and they cannot see red.

That explains the pattern above. Many wasps visit flowers for nectar, and flowers that pull in insects tend to be bright yellow, blue and white, often with ultraviolet patterns we cannot see. A bright yellow or blue shirt, or a busy floral print, looks like a big flower. Red does not register as a color to them, and muted khaki or tan gives them nothing to aim at.

Dark colors and defending wasps

Wasps foraging for food and wasps defending a nest react to color differently. OSU Extension notes that defending wasps are attracted to dark objects and aim at the head. A likely reason is that the animals that dig up and raid wasp nests, such as skunks and raccoons, are dark and furry. If you have dark hair or are wearing dark clothes near a nest, you look like a nest raider. Cover your head and move away slowly.

What should you wear around wasps?

• Light, muted colors: khaki, tan, beige, light gray or pale green.
• Smooth fabrics. The CDC recommends light-colored clothing with a smooth finish for outdoor work around stinging insects.
• A hat when mowing, trimming shrubs or working near eaves, where paper wasps nest.
• Long sleeves, long pants and closed shoes when working in the yard in late summer and fall, when yellowjacket colonies are largest. Never go barefoot in clover or sandy areas.
• No perfume, cologne, scented lotion, scented hairspray or banana-scented products. The CDC, OSU and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology all list scents as a wasp and bee attractant.

What else attracts wasps?

Color can tip the odds, but these are what really bring wasps to your yard:

• Food: wasps hunt insects in spring and early summer. By late summer, UC IPM explains, colonies need sugar, and yellowjackets turn into scavengers at picnics, grills, open trash and pet food left outside.
• Sweet drinks: soda cans, juice boxes, beer and lemonade. A yellowjacket can crawl inside an open can, and a sting in the mouth or throat is dangerous. Use cups with lids or straws and check before you sip.
• Fallen and ripe fruit: pears, peaches, figs, grapes and apples on the ground.
• Trash and recycling: keep tight lids on cans, rinse bins and recyclables, and empty them often, especially in fall.
• Scents: perfume, cologne, scented soaps and hair products.
• Sweat: the CDC notes sweat may provoke bees, and recommends clean clothes and daily bathing for outdoor workers.
• Water: birdbaths, pet bowls, pools, dripping faucets and leaky hoses, especially in Oklahoma's dry summer heat.
• Shelter: eaves, soffits, porch ceilings, shutters, sheds, playsets, gaps in siding and old rodent burrows. These attract nesting queens in spring.
• Lights at night: only for the European hornet, which flies at night and comes to porch lights.

How to keep wasps away from your patio

1. Cover food and drinks, and clean up spills and scraps right away.
2. Keep trash and recycling closed, clean and away from where you sit.
3. Pick up fallen fruit.
4. Wear muted colors and skip scented products on days you will be outside.
5. Stay still or walk away slowly if a wasp comes close. Swatting is what gets most people stung.
6. Check the eaves, porch ceiling, deck rails and playset every couple of weeks in spring and knock down small nests while there is only a queen on them.
7. Have yellowjacket and hornet nests near the house treated. A nest within a few feet of the patio will keep sending wasps your way no matter what you wear.

Some plants and scents may help at the edges; see plants that repel bees and wasps for what the research says. If someone does get stung, here is what to do after a wasp sting.

Wasp exterminator in Tulsa and Oklahoma City

If wasps keep crashing your cookouts whatever you wear, the nest is close. Emtec Pest Control has been Oklahoma's wasp exterminator since 1979. Our technicians track down the nest, treat it, and treat the eaves, soffits and porches where new nests start. Learn more about wasps in our wasp and bee ID guide and wasp control guide. We serve Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Stillwater, Oklahoma City, Edmond and nearby towns. Learn about our preventative pest control or contact us.