Your patio is perfect for outdoor entertaining, so who’s on your invite list? The next-door neighbors? Your in-laws? Ants? Spiders? Wasps
No bugs invited, you say? Are you sure? The crumbs, sticky beverages and fast-growing plants that are part of summer outdoor life put out an unintentional welcome mat for annoying insect pests.
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How can you keep bugs away from your patio in Idaho? Eliminate standing water. Avoid leaving crumbs and sticky beverages around. Keep surrounding landscaping tidy. Pair your maintenance efforts with a professional perimeter pest control program to create longer-lasting results.
Let’s learn more about pest control for outdoor entertaining.
How Do You Pest-Proof Your Outdoor Entertaining Space?
You need to remove what attracts bugs in the first place. The bad news? They like the same things you do: tasty food, a refreshing drink, festive lights, a comfortable place to hang out.
When you set up your outdoor living space so it’s comfy, relaxing and fun for you, you’re unintentionally inviting bug visitors, too.
They’ll happily nibble any crumbs left behind from your cookout, sip from puddles left behind after your kids’ water balloon fight, and bask in the glow from those festive patio lights.
How can you keep bugs away from your patio in Idaho?
A few key strategies:
1. Eliminate Standing Water
Pests get thirsty. Don’t provide water. Regularly empty any containers that collect rainwater, from kids’ toys to empty planters. Puddles, clogged gutters, and even damp plant pots provide drinking water and humidity insects crave. Plus, mosquitoes use standing water as a breeding ground. Remove the water to prevent patio pests.
2. Keep Your Grill Clean
Don’t let food bits or grease build up. Scrub your grill grates and empty the grease traps after every use.
3. Keep Seating Areas Tidy
How do you keep your outdoor living space pest-free? Don’t let crumbs or sticky spills linger. Bugs are attracted to tasty bits of food, sugary drinks, and trash left on your outdoor table or patio. Keep a broom and mop handy to clean up crumbs and spills that attract flies and ants.
4. Keep Your Landscaping Neat and Well Maintained
What attracts spiders and insects to patios and decks? Shelter.
Plants grow quickly, especially in summer, and can quickly become overgrown, becoming luxury lodging for bugs.
Overgrown shrubs, woodpiles and tall grass offer safe, dark spots for pests to hide from the sun and wind.
Trim your shrubs and mow your grass regularly to help keep pests out of your outdoor spaces.
Also, don’t let brush or leaves accumulate near your patio or deck. Bugs love yucky stuff like soggy leaves, decaying sticks, slimy old perennials and piled-up grass clippings.
And if you’re storing firewood outside, make sure it’s covered and elevated.
5. Limit Outdoor Lighting to Keep Bugs Away From Your Patio
Yes, those string lights and lanterns are pretty, festive, and get you lots of compliments. Guess who else loves them? Flying insects like moths, beetles, and gnats. Once they join your party, they attract spiders eager to eat them. Double trouble.
Bugs are especially attracted to bright white lights. When you can, turn off any unnecessary lights or use yellow insect-repelling bulbs to reduce flying insect activity.
6. Set Up Fans
How do you pest-proof your outdoor living space? Try oscillating fans on your patio. Moving air deters some flying insects and disperses the carbon dioxide mosquitoes use to locate people.
7. Don’t Overwater Your Lawn and Landscaping
This is a common homeowner mistake. Too much water not only harms your grass and plants, but also creates the damp environment bugs love.
Your landscaping doesn’t need daily watering.
Consider installing a smart irrigation system that automatically waters just the right amount at the right times.
Drip irrigation also keeps your flower beds from getting too wet.
Drip irrigation delivers water slowly through holes in tubing installed just below the ground or on the soil surface. Unlike irrigation heads, which spray over large areas, drip irrigation systems target your plants and deliver water directly to their roots for efficient watering. No excess water to attract pests.
Does Perimeter Pest Control Help Outdoor Living Areas?
Just like the efforts you make around your patio to ward off bugs, perimeter pest control focuses on prevention, applying insect control to keep annoying bugs from showing up in the first place.
How does Idaho Falls perimeter pest control work?
Lawn Buddies technicians typically treat areas up to three feet high on the house and six feet out, creating a wide protective barrier around your home that includes the landscaping and lawn directly surrounding it.
The spray leaves a residue on surfaces that kills common outdoor pests and remains effective for up to 3 months.
Your Idaho Falls perimeter pest control treatments don’t even require anyone to be home at the time they’re applied.
Bonus: We’ll deliver your insect control while we’re already on your property for lawn care treatments. Super convenient.
Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Entertaining Pest Control
Q: What are the best ways to reduce pests before hosting an outdoor gathering?
A: Take a few key steps before the festivities begin:
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Remove any standing water a few days before your party.
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Mow tall grass and trim shrubs.
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Skip heavy watering: Avoid running lawn sprinklers right before your event.
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Cover your dishes of food until you’re ready to serve.
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Serve beverages in lidded dispensers rather than open pitchers.
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Keep trash corralled to help keep pests out of your outdoor spaces. Place tightly covered trash containers around the outer edges of your party area.
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Set up oscillating fans around seating areas to help deter flying insects.
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Swap bright white or incandescent bulbs for yellow bug-repelling LED lights.
Q: What bugs are targeted by perimeter pest control?
A: Ants, spiders, earwigs, box elder bugs, wasps, fleas, and beetles are all deterred by perimeter pest control.
Q: How long does perimeter pest control last?
A: One treatment of perimeter pest control lasts about three months. Once those three months have passed, you’ll want another treatment, depending on the time of year. Pesky insects lurk here in Eastern Idaho from spring through fall.
Q: Is perimeter pest control safe if you have pets?
A: Yes, once the product is dry, it’s safe. You don’t want your dog to come in contact with it while wet. It usually takes an hour or two to dry.
Keep pets inside during perimeter pest control services and ensure all treated areas are dry before letting them back outside.
Q: How much does Idaho Falls perimeter pest control cost?
A: Lawn Buddies perimeter pest control services can be added to our Complete Lawn Care Program. Treatments start at $69 and increase based on your yard size.
Q: Can’t I just spray for bugs myself?
A: You can. But hiring pros to keep bugs away from your patio has a few benefits:
Pest control professionals have the right equipment and products to banish bugs while keeping your family safe. They’re trained in expert application and safety measures. They know what they’re doing.
Professional perimeter pest control is designed to last throughout the insect season, with multiple treatments, each lasting 3 months. You get continuous protection through all your outdoor entertaining events.
Do you really want to mess with this? Figure out what equipment and products to buy? Set aside time from your precious weekends off? Wonder if you’re doing it right — and safely? Let the pros handle this, and you can relax.
Trust Your Idaho Outdoor Pest Control to Lawn Buddies
How can you enjoy your backyard without constantly dealing with bugs?
Let’s work together on that.
Your simple maintenance efforts, combined with our perimeter pest control, keep insect pests from crashing your outdoor parties.
Bonus: perimeter pest control deters bugs from entering your home, too.
Lawn Buddies provides residential perimeter pest control throughout the Idaho Falls area as part of a comprehensive approach to protecting homes and outdoor living spaces.
Hundreds of homeowners — from Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Pocatello and nearby communities — have counted on Lawn Buddies for reliable lawn care services since 2001.
When you call Lawn Buddies for perimeter pest control in Idaho Falls, you can relax, knowing annoying pests aren’t crashing your outdoor patio fun.
The first step to taking advantage of Lawn Buddies' perimeter pest control is to sign up for our 6-step complete lawn care program.
You’ll be glad you did.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. You can fill out the form on this page, call us at (208) 656-9131 or read more about our services. Then, you can kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard and pest-free patio.
