[HHH]

After lifting and drying our onions on the plot we brought them home and finished the drying out process by laying them on the wide sills of our conservatory at home, before my wife plaited them and hung them in bunches from the roof struts. We've noticed that, whereas last year from mid July onwards the hot conservatory always had little clusters of tiny wasps buzzing around under the roof, this year there have been none at all.

Is there something in onions that wasps and houseflies don't like and won't go near them? Or is it just a reflection on this wet summer that the late summer pests are few and far between? Either way, we're delighted that we can sit in and use the sunny conservatory without the pester of buzzing and can meals without unwanted attendees.

 

[Trillium]

Onions in themselves don't repel any insect. Wasps in particular are indifferent to most plants and will forage whatever and wherever they can.

Onions powdered and in combination with hot peppers and garlic and made into a spray will discourage most things, including humans.

It's very likely the weather that's given the wasps a problem in both nesting sites and breeding problems.