Are you annoyed by pests? You are not alone—the pest control industry continues to grow as people want to get rid of these nuisances. The U.S. pest control industry is worth $8.6 billion and grew 5 percent from 2016-2017!
Summer is finally here and that means its time to enjoy the yard—but what if the lawn is full of critters? Here are the best tips on backyard pest control.
Keep Your Lawn Tidy
If you don’t mow regularly, this tall grass is a great home for ants, fleas, and ticks. Keeping your yard mowed also helps control the weeds, which these insects also enjoy.
You also want to make sure you don’t have any overgrown bushes or tree branches near your home. These branches and shrubs can lead insects right into your home.
You want to make sure you have at least a foot between your plants, trees, and walls of your home. For climbing plants, you should consider using a trellis instead of letting the plants touch your home.
Pick Up Clutter
Along with keeping your yard mowed, you also need to remove any clutter that can attract insects. This includes opened bags of potting soil, toys, and tires.
Also, remove natural debris such as fallen branches, leaves, and rotting fruit. You don’t want to offer any additional living space to pests.
Get Rid of Standing Water
Standing water is a breeding ground for the dreaded mosquitoes. You want to dump any standing water immediately because it doesn’t take long for these bugs to lay eggs.
You also need to clean your gutters to prevent water buildup. Change the water regularly in your birdbath or kiddie pool or else you could have pests in your yard.
Attract Birds
Birds can help you control your pests because insects are a part of their diet. Encourage birds to come into your yard by leaving out your bird feeder and adding a birdbath. You also need shrubs with twigs and small trees to provide cover for the birds.
Add Bug-Repellant Plants to Your Landscape
There are some plants that can also help repel insects. Add plants such as lemongrass, marigolds, chrysanthemums, and lavender to your landscape. These plants are also good to put in pots around your patio or deck to help deter pests like mosquitoes.
Use Citronella
Citronella is a natural bug repellant. You can find this oil in various forms such as candles or burning oil. The citronella oil helps maks the scent of human lactic acid which is what attracts insects. Be sure to light up some citronella candles or torches for your next backyard party to help deter unwanted guests.
Properly Store Firewood
It’s important to store your firewood properly or you could harbor insects. Firewood is not only a shelter for insects; it’s also food for many insects. You also need to make sure the firewood is dry before you store it.
You should also stack the firewood above the ground on a platform or rack, so insects in the soil like termites and ants don’t have access. You also need to store these piles of wood away from your home and any other buildings.
You should have at least 3 feet between any structure and your firewood pile to help prevent an insect infestation. You should also cover your firewood with a cover or store under a roof to keep it dry. However, do not wrap the firewood with plastic or tarp because it can trap the moisture.
Create a Bug Trap
You can also try to catch bugs with a DIY trap or buy one at any hardware store. If you want to make your own, use a two-liter soda bottle and cut off the top. Place the top upside down with the spout pointing down. Tape these pieces together.
Add a solution that attracts the insects you want to catch. They will get trapped in the solution.
Cover Food
When you are cooking outside, it’s important to keep your food covered. The smell of food will attract insects even if the food is only exposed for a short time. You may want to consider having people fill up their plates indoors and going outside to eat.
Build a Bat House
Along with birds, bats also eat insects. Bats eat half their weight in insects every night. Building a bat house will help increase your bat population.
Remove All Attractants
Garbage is the perfect breeding ground for flies. Ants also love to eat the remaining trash residue. This is why it’s important that you can your garbage and recycling bins covered at times.
Use Insect Repellants
There are several products available including sprays and granules to spread on your lawn. You can pretreat before a backyard gettogether. There are several products on the market.
Some natural or organic products are not as potent as the others, so keep that in mind as you choose your product. If you are worried about your pets or children, you may want to use the more natural or organic repellants.
Hire a Pest Control Company
Sometimes it’s best to leave it to the professionals. If you are fighting a battle you feel you can’t win, professional pest control companies can figure out the best way to help you control the situation.
A treatment specialist can recommend the best plan unique to your pest situation. They can also show you any potential pest problems that you may not know exist. These solutions will help you stay pest-free so you can enjoy your backyard during summer.
Backyard Pest Control Final Thoughts
Put these practices into place for backyard pest control. It’s important to keep your yard tidy and invite animals you want like bats and birds. Remove all your standing water and keep your food and trash covered.
If you are looking for a professional company to help control those pests in your yard, contact us today. We will come up with the best plan of action to combat those unwanted pests in your yard.