Do you want to use your patio or back yard more often but bugs are forcing you indoors? Does the idea of covering yourself with pesticides sound unappealing to you? If you hate the smell of those bug candles and do not want to hear the zapping of bugs, you will be pleased to know there are now alternative techniques and products available. You can protect your patio space and your guests as well, by applying a few eliminating techniques that are often not even noticeable.
Before you can start removing the bugs and pests from your patio, you need to know what you are dealing with. Take some time during the construction of your patio area to track what bugs are in the area and determine which ones you want to remove from your outdoor living area. It is not realistic or healthy to your yard to eliminate all the bugs and pests you will come into contract with outdoors but you can reduce and maybe even completely remove the bugs that disturb you the most. Also, you need to decide how far you are willing to go to protect your patio and your guests. Do you want to concentrate on earth friendly remedies or are you willing to spray pesticides on your plants and patio?
Hanging nets and screening areas of your patio is one of the easiest methods of bug control. If you create a screened area of your patio, you simply close off the area before the bugs start moving in and you will be able to enjoy the outdoors a little longer. If you are using light bulbs in your outdoor lighting, you should switch from white bulbs to either yellow or amber light. While the change of light bulb color may effect your lighting plan slightly, the different color will keep many flying bugs and pests away from your patio area.
To keep many crawling bugs away from your patio, sprinkle Borax around the perimeter. Borax is safe for your pets, family, and guests and is an extremely effective method of pest abatement. You should treat your patio area with borax several times a week during the dry season in your area. If you have a year around patio space, you may want to treat the area every week even if you do not see any bugs or pests. Borax works at different rates of speed depending upon the pests, so it may take several weeks or even months to show a marked decrease in your bug population but it will work if you give it time.
If your pest problem is driving you to the point of using a chemical pesticide, make sure you read the instructions and safety precautions carefully. You may want to decrease the chance of human or pet contact with the chemicals by applying the treatments several weeks before you start using your patio area. If you find that you are routinely applying chemicals to your yard in order to keep the pests away, look into alternative methods of abatement such as installing bug repelling plants or sprinkling borax. You may find it easier to enjoy your outdoor space.
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