Pest control often focuses on bugs and rodents indoors, but during the summer in Northern Virginia, when summer barbecues are on the schedule and kids have more time to play outdoors, keeping your backyard pest free can be just as important. Yet in many cases, it is difficult or even impossible to physically block off your backyard from pests.

Instead, the best method to reduce the number of backyard pests is habitat management. This makes the area around your home less attractive to the bugs that might invade so that you deal with fewer pests this summer.

Tips for Keeping Pests Out of Your Yard

Summer pests can be both a nuisance and a health hazard. Rodents and earwigs can attack your garden. Horse flies, mosquitoes, bees, and wasps can cause irritating bites and stings. Flies, rodents, and mosquitoes can transmit different diseases. All of these are nuisance when they occur outside, but outdoor pest problems also put pests dangerously close to the interior of your home where they can cause troublesome infestations.

Keeping pests out of your backyard with these tips can help keep you more comfortable both inside and out:

• Mow Your Lawn – An overgrown lawn is a great place for pests to hide. It is also easier to overwater longer grass since water does not evaporate as easily, creating more attractive sources of moisture around your yard.
• Trim Bushes – Like your lawn, the shady nooks in bushes and trees are prime pest hiding spots. Trimming back all of your bushes at least annually can reduce these issues.
• Clean Up Your Yard – If you have a yard project or changing seasons has left you with debris like leaves and twigs scattered throughout your yard, these all form additional hiding places for bugs. Tidy up your yard regularly and completely remove yard waste from your property.
• Water Correctly – Overwatering your lawn is a top way to attract pests to your yard. This can include pests that will damage your grass, but also bugs like termites, mosquitoes, and flies that prefer damp and swampy areas.
• Harvest Fruits and Vegetables – If you have fruit trees or a vegetable garden, harvest produce when ready. If produce falls off the tree or starts to rot on the vine, dispose of it since it can attract rodents and flies.
• Eliminate Standing Water – Mosquitoes will breed anywhere there is standing water. Remove containers that can hold water and if you have features like bird baths or ponds, empty them at least once a week or install a fountain to keep water from becoming stagnant.
• Store Firewood the Right Way – Firewood is attractive for termites, spiders, and rodents because of the shelter it provides. You should store your firewood away from any entertainment or play areas in your yard and never store it up against a wall of your home. Elevating firewood and covering it with a tarp can provide added protection in the summer.
• Store Trash Cans Correctly – Household trash often attracts flies and rodents. Keep trash away from your backyard and your home, and always keep the lid closed. If you can bag all trash before depositing it in the trash can, this will help further deter pests.

Another solution for backyard pests in Gainesville is to call an exterminator. At ExtermPRO we have treatment options for all the common outdoor paths, including mosquitoes, flies, stinging insects, spiders, and more with preventative bi-monthly pest control to keep them away from your property. We also have termite control in Gainesville if you discover termites are starting to eat away at your home.

Our advanced and customizable pest control services can help you keep your backyard and home free of pests so that you can make the most out of your summer. Get in contact with our team to find out more about our pest control services.