Truthfully, the answer is no. The presence of those insects around a property is natural, and should not be disconcerting. By the way, an assault with chemical sprays is more dangerous to a newborn than the potential attack by an insect, so the less you add to that daily list of things the little one comes into contact with, the better.

Keep your eyes open for congregating yellow jackets and dispose of their nests (often underground) on an individual basis should they build one very nearby. Keep porches cleaned of new wasp nests on a daily, if necessary, by using a soap spray in a hose end sprayer. I honestly don't know of any non-chemical repellent, if that is what you are asking for.

If you have flower beds ('lots of them'), you WILL have nectaring insects. Know that they are not interested in anything but foraging when they are busy with the flowers. These insects sting only when protecting their nest or in self defense. You could remove the flower beds for the duration of the child's life (NOT!), or simply take a few measures to keep these wonderful insects from building nests where you and your family congregate.

I like to place a chair right smack in the middle of my flower beds so that I can watch and listen to all of the insect activity.....but that's me, :-)

If you find yourself surrounded by a pack of yellow jackets, we can help you with that....but you will have to locate the nest site.

Good luck with the new baby! What fun and excitement for you!

I'm with you on your concern for the newborn and with Rhizo on the 'please don't spray anything'.

While some are acutely allergic to bee stings, if that isn't the case with your family I would suggest learning to appreciate the bees for the benefits they provide and make room for them.

This does not include the particularly aggressive jerks who make thier home right outside your door and dive bomb you 24x7. Those can be dealt with on a case by case basis.

One of the summer joys for my family are the bugs and bees. Mosquitos are the exception...grrr....

Many years I plant morning glories in a sitting area and spend some slow weekend mornings with a cup of coffee just watching the bees go about from one flower to the next getting their legs covered in pollen. They have never stung anyone in my family.

Those bumblebees with their fat, furry bodies and clumsy flight patterns are the exception though. grrr...

I also get wasp nests which I go remove. I have even been known to spray poison on them in one area I can't reach to remove the nest. For this limited purpose I prefer a chemical toxin with long residual effect otherwise they just come back.

So, all in all, I completely understand your concern, but unless there is a serious allergy issue, bees are best made friends with unless they make their home too close for comfort and then are best dealt with on a case by case basis rather than a whole yard treatment. After all, what would childhood be if not for the occassional bee sting ;-)

Believe it or not there are places in the country where declining bee populations are becoming a serious issue due to lack of pollination with some plants that are dependant upon bees to do the job. As annoying as some of them can be, we need them.

Thanks for the replies, I should have been more specific I guess. I'm all about the bees working the flowers but the yellow jackets can be a nuisance and the wasps which build their nests usually without my knowledge until I come upon their community. I understand there is a powder for the yellow jackets but I would need to get them at night but is there certain plants that deter them? No, I don't want to spray any poisons but something more natural. Like you said i'm sure it will become a case by case basis for now.

No, there are no plants that will deter them, sorry. They are quite attracted to human activity, and I would certainly keep an eye out for a population of them. Their activity can be monitored as they go back and forth to their communal nest.

i am a newcomer to gardening and love this website. i found a huge ant hill in my rock garden near my pansies. will the ants hurt my flowers ar should i just live and let live? thanks for all the great advice