Summer, ah. For the most part, it’s the most popular time of year since it promises warmth, greenery, and ideally lots of sunshine.
Although I tend to agree that there aren’t many bad things about summer, there are a few things that I would do away with if I were granted supernatural abilities in the future.
Before you say anything, let me say that I am fully aware of the ecosystem’s importance to wasps, and no, I wouldn’t really wipe out a species because I personally dread them, but I think we can all agree that few things have the same power to spoil a BBQ, ruin a garden party, or, in my case at least, send people running for cover as they do.
Fortunately, I don’t work in a field where I frequently come into touch with hornets, wasps, or other stinging insects. For this reason, I frequently give mail carriers some thought.
Recently, a Reddit thread that brought attention to the problems experienced by mail carriers due to wasp infestation garnered popularity. Evidently, yellowjackets are especially problematic since they frequently construct their nests inside mailboxes.
According to the aforementioned post, wasps looking to construct a new home may find mailboxes to be a very excellent structure. Wasps value these qualities in a possible home: they are protected, concealed from the outside world, and have warmth at night.
Right now, this would be all right. Unless it were for the fact that someone’s duty it is to regularly communicate with said mailboxes. The mail carrier revealed in a Reddit post that they frequently encounter mailboxes that are wasps’ nests, which causes them to get stung whenever they accidentally put their hand inside the box to carry the mail.

You say, “A hazard that comes with the job”? Indeed, but that does not imply that it must be.
As a matter of fact, there’s a clever trick that may be used to ward off wasps, and it just calls for using a scented dryer sheet!

Credit / Shutterstock – EnriqueO
The scent of the dryer sheet acts as a deterrent for wasps, thus preventing them from claiming a mailbox to build a nest.
So, without further ado, here’s what you need to be doing:
1: Select your scented dryer sheet. Remember, scent is key here, so preferably choose one with a strong fragrance.
2: Tape the sheet to the inside of your mailbox.
3: Ensure you’re replacing the dryer sheet with a fresh one periodically, so as not to let the scent fade beyond the point where it’s useful.

Credit / Shutterstock
There you have it! Share this article if you want to spread some helpful information that might aid our hardworking mail carriers this summer.