i never know how to phrase this so it doesn't sound like "just stop being scared around wasps lol" but literally Just Stop Being Scared Around Wasps. i mean stop acting scared. you see a wasp and you start making erratic movements and loud noises to chase it off? congrats, you made it worse! don't do it.
and then, when you force yourself to instead act Very Calm and make slooooowww movements, the wasp will not sting you. it might even land on you and walk around a bit and it will not sting you. and it will happen again and again and you're going to feel stupid, like "was i seriously afraid when nothing happened at all?" and you are me. i know this because i did it. Just Stop Being Scared Around Wasps. it's that easy.
@waspdaily buzz
Some people have mentioned gently blowing on the wasp to get it to leave and I just want to advice against that actually. The CO2 in our breath can trigger the panic response in the wasp and make it react defensively. Instead just very gently wave them away if you must or lead it away with getting it to walk on a stick or object if you don't want it crawling on you.
When you encounter a lone wasp its usually out foraging and so they're just curious if there's any goodies for them to gather and at most just want to get a quick drink of your sweat. Setting out a shallow dish of water (or even just a couple drops of your drink) or a sacrificial piece of food can keep everyone happy.
Also time of year can make a difference as hives are at peak activity and on crunch mode towards the end of summer so the wasps get extra defensive. Oh and the color black! Black can signal aggression for wasps and bees (hence why bee suits are usually white) so sometimes they get confused upon encountering a large dark object and may be more likely to sting.
