Too bad you can’t construct a pest-proof dome over your house so you’d never have to deal with another gross earwig, creepy spider or annoying fly ever again.
But that’s not exactly practical. Plus, the neighbors would talk.
Maybe tackle some helpful pest-resistant landscaping tasks instead.
How Can I Make My Yard Less Attractive to Insects and Spiders
Should Plants and Shrubs Be Kept Away from the House to Prevent Pests?
How Does Perimeter Pest Control Work with Good Landscaping Practices?
Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Pest Control in Idaho
How can landscaping help prevent pests around your Idaho Falls home? Keep plants and shrubs away from the side of your house. Don’t let messy lawn debris pile up. Give your landscaping the water it needs, but not too much. Pair your smart efforts with professional perimeter pest control to deter those pesky pests.
Let’s learn more about pest prevention in Idaho Falls.
You see your landscaping as the pretty greenery that softens your home's edges and makes your neighbors envious.
Take a minute to view it through a bug’s beady eyes:
Dense groundcover like ivy and creeping juniper, or thick beds of hosta, trap moisture and create the dark, humid canopies where insects love to hide.
Overgrown trees and shrubs that rest against your siding, brick or roof offer a handy bridge for insect pests to access your home. And you’re not even charging them a toll.
Thick hedges block airflow and keep the ground damp, creating the dark environment insects love.
Bark mulch and wood chips hold in moisture that attracts bugs. (More on mulch in a minute. Don’t worry, you don’t have to give up your beloved mulch.)
Piles of leaves and yard debris offer the perfect nesting area for insect pests. They hope you hate raking.
Insects love standing water. So your clogged gutters, bird baths, leaky hoses and damp low spots with poor drainage are a big welcome mat for bugs.
First, eliminate everything we just listed. Do that, and you’re taking away bugs' basic needs for shelter and water.
Follow these yard pest prevention tips:
Clear away yard debris. Aim for a 5-foot radius around your home that’s clear of all outdoor debris.
Get rid of any standing water and help ensure more doesn’t accumulate. That includes kiddie pools, buckets, even the saucers under your planters. It doesn’t take much water to attract insects. Remember, they’re tiny.
If your landscaping includes a pond or other water feature, incorporate a fountain to keep the water moving. Insects prefer still, stagnant water.
Make sure your landscaping has proper drainage to keep water from lingering. You might need a dry creek bed, a rain garden, a French drain or other water management to keep water draining properly and flowing away from your house.
How to keep pests out of your yard? Don’t overwater your lawn and plant beds. This is actually a pretty common homeowner mistake. Your landscaping doesn’t need watering every day. And let your soil dry out between watering sessions.
Consider installing a smart irrigation system that automatically waters just the right amount at the right times. No more overwatering.
Create a dry buffer zone around your home’s foundation for pest-resistant landscaping. Trim trees and shrubs so they don’t touch your house. Mow your lawn regularly and remove weeds.
If you store firewood for toasty fires during cold Idaho winters, keep the piles elevated and stacked away from your house.
You’ve been meaning to clear those gutters, right? Now’s the time.
Finally, fix any leaky hoses or outdoor faucets.
Yes, they should.
Why?
Overgrown vegetation touching or leaning against exterior walls creates a direct highway for ants, spiders, earwigs and other pests to enter your home.
Even with a chemical pest barrier in place, branches and leaves act as bridges over that barrier, creating an easy-access pest highway.
Dense shrubs trap moisture bugs love, as they block sunlight and airflow. Thick shrubs right next to your house also keep you from noticing cracks in your foundation where bugs can enter.
What can you do to keep pests out of your yard?
Leave a clear space of 12 to 18 inches between mature shrubs and your exterior walls.
Don’t install trellises or lattice against your house for growing vines and plants. Yes, they’re pretty, but you’re inviting insect pests.
Keep wood mulch at least six inches away from your house. Consider using a border of gravel or rocks right against the foundation for pest-resistant landscaping. Unlike mulch or grass, gravel and stone don’t retain moisture, so they don’t attract insects.
Trim any tree branches that hang over or touch your roofline.
Mulch does plenty to help your landscape. It deters weeds, holds in moisture plants need, keeps your soil from washing away and nourishes the soil as it breaks down over time. And it looks great, adding a neat and tidy vibe to your landscaping.
But bugs love it, too. Earwigs, centipedes, and spiders are all big fans of mulch.
While mulch does all that great stuff we mentioned, it also provides the damp, dark hangout insects crave. Plus, it’s a great secluded place for them to hide out from hungry bird predators looking for lunch.
So, what to do?
Pair that mulch with Idaho Falls perimeter pest control to enjoy all the benefits of mulch while keeping creepy bugs away from your house.
Once you’ve tackled the smart homeowner landscaping tasks to deter pesky insects, professional Idaho Falls perimeter pest control is the next start step to banish bugs.
Lawn Buddies technicians apply this outdoor barrier spray around the perimeter of your home and yard to keep landscape insects out.
Technicians typically treat about three feet up the house and six feet out, creating a wide protective barrier that includes the landscaping and lawn directly around your home.
The spray leaves a residue on surfaces that kills insects and remains effective for about three months.
After those three months, you’ll want another treatment, depending on the time of year. From spring through fall, landscape insects are lurking here in Idaho.
Q: What insects are targeted by perimeter pest control?
A: Black widows, ants, hobo spiders, earwigs, box elder bugs, wasps, fleas, and beetles are all deterred by perimeter pest control.
Q: How much does Idaho Falls perimeter pest control cost?
A: Lawn Buddies perimeter pest control services in Idaho Falls, ID, can be added to our Complete Lawn Care Program. Perimeter pest control treatments start at $69.
Q: How long does perimeter pest control take to work?
A: Perimeter pest control will start to take effect within a few hours. The spray residue repels or kills insects upon contact. But it can take a few days to realize the full effect, as existing insects die off.
If you have landscaping, you have bugs. That’s how nature works.
But you can limit insect pests in your yard and help keep them from entering your home with smart landscaping strategies and backup from Lawn Buddies.
You can add perimeter pest control to our full-service lawn care program for customers in Idaho Falls and surrounding East Idaho communities.
That gives you extra peace of mind—choose an Idaho Falls professional lawn care service that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan, and know landscape insects will get the boot.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. Just 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.