Why are bugs attracted to my backyard?
As people spend more time enjoying their backyards, patios, and porches, they may encounter flying or crawling interlopers looking to hang out. These interlopers are not your nosy neighbors. They’re bugs.
Insects are by nature outdoor creatures that want to hang out where there is shelter, food, or water. That usually places them near humans.
Why are bugs attracted to our backyards? Clark, your neighborly pest control, lawn care, and termite control expert, would like to shed some light on that question, as well as share a few tips to keep your backyard pest free this summer.
Overgrown grass and tall weeds can provide blood-sucking pests – ticks and fleas – easy access to hosts such as pets and people. Fleas can also end up in the yard by hitching a ride on rodents and other wildlife, as well as on shoes, picnic blankets, and clothing.
Eaves and overhangs, as well as the underside of decks and porches, provide ideal sheltered locations for stinging insects like yellowjackets, wasps, and hornets to build nests. Also, these stinging insects are attracted to exposed food and open garbage cans, along with sweet-smelling fragrances like perfume, cologne, and even some lotions and sunscreens.
Ticks can frequent yards in search of hosts – and yards close to wooded areas are at an even greater risk for tick encounters. Aside from feeding on people, mosquitoes can use yards for reproductive purposes, breeding in areas of standing water.
Did you know that mosquitoes only need a half an inch of stagnant water to reproduce? Think of the items in your yard that provide an ideal breeding ground, such as bird baths, baby pools, grill covers, and potted plants.
How can you keep your backyard pest free? Here are Clark’s six tips to help achieve that goal:
- When spending time outdoors, apply an insect repellent containing an EPA-registered ingredient, such as DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- Consider wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and tucking pant legs into socks, especially when spending time in taller grass.
- Prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your yard by eliminating standing water and by routinely changing the water in birdbaths and kiddie pools.
- Seal and cover any trash with tight lids, making sure you place cans far from primary entertaining spots. If you are cooking out in the yard, keep yellowjackets, wasps, and hornets away by covering all food when outside.
- Overgrown brush and weeds can house and hide bugs like ticks and mosquitoes. Keep shrubbery trimmed and mow your lawn on a regular basis.
- Seal cracks and openings in the foundation and around windows and doors, install screens on windows and doors, and inspect both pets and people before coming inside to keep these pests outside where they belong.
If your backyard has unwanted guests, turn to the pest management experts at Clark Pest Control. Pest control had been deemed an essential service during the COVID-19 crisis by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and California’s trusted pest management expert, Clark, is ready to serve you. Call or text (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or send an email to clarkcares@clarkpest.com with your termite and pest questions.
A salute to our heroes, past and present
Clark Pest Control would like to salute all of those who are currently serving or who have served our great nation, along with those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. May we never take them for granted. If you see an active duty member of the military, a veteran, or a frontline first responder working to protect us during the COVID-19 pandemic this weekend, thank them for their service to our country.
Until next time, the pest management professionals at Clark Pest Control thank you for helping to keep unwanted pests out of your home.
Stay safe, be well, and have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday!