As we all are enjoying the summer full of BBQs, baseball games, and just sitting on the deck with a book and a sweet tea, we want to make sure our outdoor areas are the safest they can be. Getting in front of the pests that can threaten a good time is your best defense against them and the diseases and pain they can cause, but it’s also never too late to treat. Here are the top 5 ways to keep your backyard summer-ready and safe to use.
- Treat for Ticks. The most common tick-borne diseases in our area are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and ehrlichiosis. Lyme Disease is very uncommon in Kentucky and the surrounding areas although the specific tick that transmits the disease is not. So, you don’t want to be taking chances with this one. While you can’t do anything about your local trails, you can do something about your backyard. Having tick treatments done on your backyard can keep both your family and your pets safe from these diseases that can come with ticks. Don’t forget deer ticks can also transmit anaplasmosis, human babesiosis, Powassan encephalitis, and more. So, bringing in a professional pest control company to perform tick treatments is your best bet.
- Mosquito Treatments. West Nile is a rare but serious disease but is not unheard of in our area. The primary host for West Nile is mosquitoes. Unfortunately, these biting pests also carry West Nile virus, Dengue fever, Malaria, Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), Yellow fever, and pet heartworms so having a professional mosquito treatment done is your best way to defend against them. Some companies even offer mosquito traps to deal with future fly-ins in between treatments! Most mosquito treatments are monthly starting in April, but much like tick treatments, you can have them done throughout the summer as needed.
- Stinging Pest Control Stations. Yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps oh my! Some are nastier and more aggressive than others, but if you have an allergy in the family (or you’re inviting people over who may…), nobody wants these flying stingers around. You can have your yard treated and certainly call in a professional to have a nest removed, but recently, control stations have made a splash in the world of pest control. These stations not only deal with yellow jackets on your property, but will even take care of ones that fly in from your neighbor’s yard. We love that they’re discreet so they don’t mess with your landscaping, but we love more that they are childproof and secure so you can put them literally anywhere. And the stinging pests are just no match for them.
- Clean it Up. It may seem like a simple directive, but you’d be surprised! Sticky sweet spills can attract yellow jackets, mice, ants, cockroaches, and almost any other pest that may be around. Wine and beer spills, discarded popsicle sticks, a dropped burger roll that was forgotten about, a piece of watermelon rind – all of these things and more will turn sickly sweet and that’s when the bugs come running – and flying – in. So, keep it clean back there. In addition, cleaning up your landscaping like trimming tree branches and getting rid of brush piles will not only give pests fewer places to hide out, but it will give them less reason to hang around.
- DIY it! There are things you can do as a homeowner that will help deter and even repel pests in your backyard. Beautify it while you repel mosquitoes by planting these 5 plants in your yard. Get a fan! Mosquitoes are notoriously weak flyers. A well-placed fan can send them off course pretty handily. It will also help with flies, hornets, wasps – anything with wings! The butterflies will just have to put up with it. Make sure to pour out any standing water after the summer shower. Mosquitoes are not only attracted to it, but they will breed in it. Mosquito babies – not cute. Mosquito adults – even less cute.
You can have a safe backyard this season. The easiest way is to start early and plan a little, but it’s never too late. Check off mosquito and tick treatments and ask us about the stinging pest control stations today. And then put it in your reminders to get to it earlier next year.
