.Coming across bugs around your property is inescapable, however if you’re experiencing persistent mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs, there’s a possibility you’re inadvertently bring in these animals to your yard. Offering a habitat that is desirable to insects is as easy as letting standing water swimming pool in your backyard or leaving a pile of leaves in your seamless gutter. Here, we’re sharing a number of things that are bring in bugs to your lawn and how to prevent them.
One of the biggest attractants for bugs is standing water, which is particularly a draw for mosquitoes. “Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, so they’re often discovered around bodies of water,” states Jim Fredericks, board licensed entomologist and senior vice president of public affairs at the National Pest Management Association. “They can reproduce in as little as a 1/2 inch of standing water.”
Standing water can be found in a couple of different locations of your landscape, including empty flowerpots, swimming pool covers, leaky hose pipes, pails, baby pools, and bird baths. “Homeowners need to frequently inspect their property for containers that might be gathering water and discard them as they might be offering a safe harbor for mosquitoes to grow,” states Fredericks. For bird baths, make sure you alter the water out regularly to discourage bugs.
Outdoor Trash Cans
Bugs like cockroaches, flies, and ants are easily brought in to outdoor garbage cans, but there are a few ways to keep them away. Tidy your garbage cans often to eliminate any residue that may be bring in bugs.
Lights
Outdoor lights frequently attract flying insects that see in the ultraviolet to red spectrum, which signals foraging, navigation, and mate choice, states Price. In addition to flying bugs, spiders often construct webs near lights to take advantage of all of the pests that are attracted to the lights, says Fredericks.
“We recommend that homeowners change outside lighting to yellow bulbs or sodium vapor lights, which are less attractive to pests,” says Fredericks. “Flying insects are less brought in to LED bulbs compared to fluorescent bulbs.
Clogged Gutters
Stopped up seamless gutters are usually filled with standing water and lawn debris, like leaves and branches. These conditions supply an ideal habitat for numerous bugs. “Ensuring your seamless gutters are clear is important to keeping insects away that type in either water, like mosquitoes, or enjoy staying in piles of debris,” says Price. You should clean your seamless gutters at least twice a year– in the spring and in the fall– to prevent developing a home for bugs.
Filthy Grill
While it may be tempting to wait until the day after a cookout to clean your grill, doing so may bring in unwanted bugs. “Pests are naturally drawn in to the odor of food, and if you have remaining food in your grill or your grill is not cleaned up appropriately, the bugs will still be able to smell it, and they will find their method there,” states Price.
Wood Piles
Wood stacks make a terrific place for termites, ants, spiders, beetles, and more bugs to conceal. “Homeowners must keep fire wood a minimum of 20 feet from the home, stack wood on a raised structure, such as concrete blocks, and inspect each piece of wood prior to bringing it indoors,” says Fredericks. If you leave wood stacks on the ground without any air flow below, it can gather wetness and draw in more pests.
Bird Seed
While bird seed is a good method to welcome avians to your landscape, doing so can likewise bring more bugs to your yard. “Often bugs utilize the bird seed as a location to lay eggs so they can utilize the food as nutrients as they hatch and grow,” states Price. “Bugs are also more attracted to the bird seed in the summer heat, so to prevent that, ensure that it is kept one’s cool and make certain it’s used up quickly.”
Backyard Debris
Lawn debris can become a desirable house for bugs if not tended to appropriately. “Leaving particles in a pile in your yard for too long can make the pile a perfect nest for insects,” says Price.
