Expect to find at least 100 different varieties of arthropods — insects, spiders, centipedes, and mites — living in your home. Keep tallying that number the moment you step out into your backyard.
Hundreds of types of creepy crawlies make their home in your backyard. Most are harmless unless you have a vegetable garden, but many make enjoying your hard near impossible when all you want to do is relax.
Unfortunately, some backyard insects even carry diseases that can pose real health risks for people. Others make enjoying a backyard picnic or sitting outside to relax nearly impossible.
The good news is that you don’t need to take this lying down. Often, the same conditions that provide shelter for these bothersome insects also make your yard less appealing. By fixing the lawn problem, you may reduce the insects in your backyard.
In the following article, we’ll discuss a few problem backyard pests and how to get rid of them.
Ants
Ants are resilient invaders that can disrupt outdoor playtime, yardwork, and, of course, picnics. Unfortunately, once a colony is established, it is hard to repel these little guys, and many species have an annoying bite when they attack.
If you want to get rid of ants, try to determine their nest. This is usually a small mound in your backyard. An effective way to get rid of these pests is to use a slow-acting pesticide.
The ants will take the bait back to their nest and feed. Once the queen of the colony ingests the pesticide and dies, the nest will go with her.
Mosquitos
One of the most prevalent backyard pests is the mosquito. There are some 200 species across the U.S., and some are known to spread diseases like the West Nile virus and Zika. Not to mention the stinging bite that many of us are very familiar with.
However, to attack mosquitos, you should eliminate standing water in your yard. Flower pots, tires, low depressions, anywhere water gathers are breeding grounds for mosquitos.
Also, try a backyard insect spray to help reduce the number of mosquitos in your yard, especially around sunset and late afternoons.
Fungus gnats
Gnats don’t typically bite but can swarm and make backyard playtime unenjoyable. The gnats will remain hidden, undisturbed in your grass until agitated by a backyard soccer game or kids playing. Then the little black bugs swarm.
To rid yourself of these pests, try green pest services in your area. These services use environmentally friendly techniques to rid your yard of pests like gnats and mosquitos.
Ticks
Ticks are little bloodsuckers that can carry a host of diseases, including Lyme. If you see deer in your backyard frequently, then there’s a good chance the common deer tick is not far behind.
To rid yourself of these pets, go after their habitat by removing leaf litter and clearing tall grasses. Also, mow your lawn frequently and if you have firewood, stack the wood neatly in a dry area.
Hornets and Wasps
Like ants, the best way to go after yellowjackets and other stinging wasps is to go after their nest. These are usually gray, lantern-shaped hangers from a protected branch or eave of your home. Some hornets can make their nests in a hole in the ground.
The best way to eliminate these annoying pests is to spray the nests with insecticide or knock the nests down and crush it. However, this second method can cause the insects to swarm and bite, so be very careful.
If you have easy access to a nest in the ground, pour a cup of gasoline into the hole. The gas will consume the oxygen in the nest and suffocate the hornets.
Expert Control of Backyard Insects
There are many more ways to get your backyard insects to mind their beeswax. However, if you have a persistent problem and some light spraying or lawn maintenance won’t solve the problem, you should go ahead and call the professionals.
An expert can tell you how widespread your insect problem is and how best to eliminate the pest for good.
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