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Stepping into the great outdoors to soak up the sunshine is one of the best parts of summer. If you have a yard or patio area, you don’t even need to visit the neighborhood park or local beach to make the most of the warm weather and fresh air. Sipping your morning coffee on the deck or playing a game of cornhole on the lawn can be just as rewarding. However, there’s one thing that can quickly interrupt this backyard summer fun: those pesky bugs.
Whether it’s mosquitoes or ticks, these common outdoor pests can ruin your day and have you heading indoors sooner than you’d prefer. Itchy bug bites can be irritating for days, but in the worst-case scenarios, these bugs have a risk of transmitting serious illnesses, like Lyme Disease, Zika, or West Nile virus. The good news is, you’re not without options. We will break down the three simple steps to protect your outdoor space and keep these bugs at bay.
Maintain and treat your yard
You can make your yard less attractive to pests by keeping up with routine lawn maintenance. Many types of insects love hiding away in tall grass or unmanaged landscapes, so by mowing the lawn, pulling the weeds, and trimming your hedges, they’ll have fewer areas to thrive.
Mosquitoes and gnats flourish in moist environments, making standing pools of water a popular food source and breeding ground for these bugs. By removing unused bird baths and filling in puddles, you can have a big impact on their decline.
Once you’ve prepped your lawns and flower beds, you can use a yard spray to help kill and repel common pests, including fleas, ticks, ants, and mosquitoes. Most of these sprays are available for under $25, like the Adams Yard and Garden Spray at Walmart, and will last from four to 12 weeks before you need to respray the yard. To help you find the best formula for your yard, look at the specific bugs it will repel to ensure it combats the pests near you. Also consider how it’s applied. Some sprays are ready to go with a built-in hose nozzle, while others use a concentrated formula that’s applied after attaching to your gardening hose.
Adams Yard & Garden Spray
Cutter Backyard Bug Control Spray Concentrate
Add repellants and deterrants to your patio
You’ve likely heard of Citronella candles, an age-old addition to the outdoor tabletop for keeping bugs away. Citronella is an aromatic essential oil that’s been used as a natural insecticide since the late 1800s. Citronella is still a well-regarded choice for deterring pests since it is affordable and comes in multiple forms, including candle, essential oil, or incense. The vibrant and grassy scent isn’t too harsh either. You can also find citronella blends that use additional essential oils found to naturally deter pests, like lemongrass and peppermint.
Over the past decade, a new type of repellent from Thermacell has entered the market. These devices work as a diffuser, using heat and an insecticide to create a zone of protection that lasts up to 12 hours. The Environmental Protection Agency has deemed the chemicals it uses safe for people and pets, so you can have peace of mind using this upgraded pest-repelling technology. These types of repellers may be more favorable for those who want a scent-free solution, or something that covers a larger area, with options covering a 20-foot radius. But they do come with a higher price tag than traditional citronella.
Coleman 70+ Hour Citronella Candle Outdoor Lantern
Murphy’s Naturals Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks
Thermacell Fuel-ZoneGuard Base Fuel Powered Mosquito Repeller
Thermacell E-ZoneGuard Patio Max Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller
Set up physical barriers
Bugs can’t bother you if they can’t physically reach you. Installing an outdoor fan on the porch can create a breeze that smaller bugs can’t fly through. If you don’t want the hassle of running wiring through your outdoor space, there are actually outdoor ceiling fans with a plug-in design.
You could also plug in a lightweight oscillating fan on the patio or find cordless battery-powered options for when you plan to stay outside. Not only will these keep the flying insects away, but they also come with the added bonus of keeping you cool on hotter days.
It’s also quite affordable to add mosquito netting around your patio or gazebo, with large nets starting around $20. You can see mosquito netting, so it will have an impact on the look of your space, but the material is fine enough that it won’t obstruct your view of the outdoors.
Lokivas Plug-In Outdoor Ceiling Fan
Shark FlexBreeze Cordless Fan
Rgqsun Mosquito Netting
What’s the best way to keep pests out of the patio?
There’s no perfect one-size-fits-all solution for keeping bugs from bothering you in the backyard. Depending on the specific insects that are buzzing around and your outdoor setup, certain options may work better than others. But following our three steps of maintaining the lawn, adding repellants, and setting up physical barriers is a solid starting point for keeping your patio pest-free this summer.
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