What’s the Story Behind “Haint Blue” paint?
It started with a call from a listener who had been following our conversations about how to deter wasps and hornets from building their nests on or near houses--especially houses whose residents were allergic to {quote} "bee stings".
I say "quote" because I learned years ago that the culprits behind {quote} “bee stings” were generally yellowjackets or other aggressive wasps and hornets, and that most true bees don't sting.
That's right. Most of the hundreds of different species of native bees (like bumblebees, carpenter bees, mason bees, squash bees, sweat bees and ground nesting [or 'digger'] bees) don't sting people, even when that type of bee has a stinger...which is really good, as native bees are super-important pollinators of most flowers, virtually all fruits and a good number of your favorite garden veggies. (They don't call one essential species 'squash bees' because they play a strange form of tennis. No bees; no zucchini! Or pumpkins, or gourds, or...)
The non-native honeybee, which originated in Africa and was domesticated in Europe, does sting, but you generally have to do something like step on one to get stung; and even then, the bee dies after stinging. (And yes, this is why you should not walk barefoot through a field of clover.) But highly aggressive wasps and hornets (especially yellowjackets) will sting you just because they feel like it; each one can sting you repeatedly; and when it comes to yellowjackets, the entire hive will come out of the ground and hunt you down after the first one stings you.
Note: Bald-faced hornets only build their football shaped hives up in the air, typically on a tree limb. They are no threat to you unless you spray them with something or try and knock the nest down with a broom, Elmer Fudd style. Then you get what you deserve. Leave them alone and they will eat your garden pests.
Yellowjackets are a different beast; they only build nests in the ground, are hyper-aggressive and a serious danger to you, your pets and especially your kids. Read our previous articles on what to do if a nest shows up near your house; or hire a professional who uses a special vacuum-cleaner-like device to suck them all out of the hive. (Some beekeepers have this type of equipment handy for sucking rogue honeybee hives out of people’s walls.). Do NOT freehand this one or take unreliable internet advice—it could literally cost you your life.
Back to our supposed topic: Our caller said that his family down South always painted their porches a certain color that he called "haint blue" to keep stinging insects from nesting there. He said that he started doing it after years of having wasps build nests on his porch (probably mud daubers, paper wasps or similar species that are known to build very small living spaces on or near people’s homes, generally on outside walls or in gutters—although if you’re unlucky enough, a hornet’s aerial nest is a possibility). He swears that he hasn't had a single nest since. I thought it was a pretty neat call; and then we were flooded with emails.
Bill in Gladwyne, PA wrote: "'Haint' means 'Haunt' in South Carolina, and the color 'Haint Blue' is used around openings like windows and doors to prevent the entry of evil spirits into the house. I don't think it has anything to do with insects."
Deb in Philadelphia's Powelton Village neighborhood added: "'Haint' is a southern term for a ghost or anything that haunts, so I suspect that the traditional color "Haint Blue" might have something to do with repelling spirits."
Then we heard from George in Nether Providence, PA. (My first thought was: 'The Nether Provinces'! He's a spook! But it turns out that "Nether Providence" is a little area just outside of Philadelphia, near Swarthmore. Darn.)
George wrote: "When we bought our home years ago, my mother insisted that we paint the porch ceiling light blue. She claimed it was an old "Pennsylvania Dutch" practice that would keep wasps from building their nests there. I painted the porch ceiling light blue, and no more wasps--paper or mud dauber--ever again. I have no idea why they stay away, but I can attest to the fact that it works."
So: what does this storied color really repel? Haunts or hornets? Spooks or stingers? Wasps or werewolves? Vampires or Vespula?
Deb noted that there are a huge number of web sites devoted to this mysterious color and practice (one example is the Wikipedia entry for haint (H A I N T) blue), but the one I found most authoritative was the Sherwin-Williams website.
Yes, that Sherwin Williams; the paint people (who to this day offer haint blue as an official color). I quote: "Once just an old Southern tradition, the blue porch ceiling has made its way north and is being introduced to new generations. There are numerous theories as to why—from fooling spiders and wasps into thinking the ceiling is the sky, to blue being a harbinger of good luck, to the color extending daylight, to scaring away evil spirits...."
They continue: "Southerners, especially in the area of South Carolina, have a name for the ceiling paint used on porches - a soft blue-green referred to as Haint Blue. "Haints are restless spirits of the dead who, for whatever reason, have not moved on from the physical world," says Lori Sawaya (saw-y-a), a Color Strategist they quote. She explains that haint blue, "which can be found on door and window frames as well as porch ceilings, is intended to protect the homeowner from being "taken" or influenced by evil haints."
But wasps get equal time. The page continues: "Some people swear that blue paint repels insects, leaving a porch bug-free and pleasant during those long summer evenings and afternoons...and this belief could be seated in historical truth...
"When blue paints were first used on ceilings, they were usually milk paints that often contained lye, a known insect repellent. As milk paint has a tendency to fade over time, people would repaint every few years, covering the existing coat with fresh paint--and fresh lye. But others theorize that insects prefer not to nest on blue ceilings because they are "fooled" into thinking the blue paint is actually the sky."
What do I think? I think that if I had a porch, I'd paint it haint blue.
