Anyone who spends time outside knows the fear, the shock, and the lasting pain erupting from an attack by stinging insects such as wasps. You’re tending your business and your garden, and this villain darts out of some unseen burrow to strike down the spade-wielding giant. You swat, you squeal, you retreat, but to no avail. You’ve been stung.

It happened to me one summer, late in my adolescence, dutifully trimming about the retaining wall behind the old homestead with a top-o’-the-line weed-wacker (nothing but the best for my Pops). I hovered a bit too long over an area concealing an extensive yellow-jacket colony. I noticed the impending commotion, and the innocent lawn-care appliance quickly became my only means of defense. Taking out their front line with ease, I slowly backed away, thinking the battle was done. A lone soldier broke through my defenses and landed a winning blow right on my ear, knocking me to the ground.

I’m sure it was the surprise of the blow that took me off my feat and not the force. A yellow jacket is still only an insect. But, I conceded that battle– my head was swollen for a week.

This rambling story is prelude to a helpful gardening tip, I promise. Wasps and bees can bee stopped without buying a stinky poisonous spray. If you use a spray adhesive your insect enemies will drop right out of the air. Spray adhesives don’t contain any of the harmful poisons of bug spray, and if you buy the one with environmentally safe propellants instead of CFC’s, they are also better for the atmosphere.