James P. McHale Jr- President
I often receive telephone inquiries from frustrated homeowners who love to barbecue poolside, or on the deck, but visiting insects take any enjoyment away. People complain of pollinating bees in the flowering plants, mosquitoes, chiggers, gnats, ant’s, ticks etc. They believe they are being harassed and are in competition with the resident bug population. In many instances there are no active nesting sites so eliminating the source is impossible. Many of these calls come between Memorial Day and Labor Day so I thought I would offer some timely tips on how to deter such annoyances:
1. DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS: Many homeowners enjoy this springtime ritual. If you have a bird feeder please insure it is placed more than twenty-five feet from your home, pool or deck. Squirrels, Rats and Mice feed on discarded seeds increasing rodent pressure on your property.
2. SPRAY DOWN FLOWERING PLANTS WITH A GARDEN HOSE: Perform this task immediately prior to your function. This act will mimic a rain shower and pollinating insects will stay away until plants dry out. If you wet them down well enough activity will be suppressed for about two hours.
3. PLACE AN OSCILATING FAN IN THE SITTING AREA: Creating this air current will deter flying and biting insects from the area. Most are fragile flyers and will stay away from the jetstream.
4. EMPLOY LOW VOLTAGE LIGHTING: Neon, florescent and bright lights attract insects. Yellow bulbs or low voltage will attract less. Many times an interior light is the cause. Think about what lights need to be on inside when the function is outside.
5. AVOID THE MULCH DOUGHNUT: Many landscapers, for cosmetic purposes, will pile up mulch around trees and foundation shrubs. This practice is not only bad for the resident arbors it creates harborage for fungus, insects and insects that feed on fungus! Decorative stone works best allowing proper drainage and evaporation post precipitation. If you must use mulch keep it twelve inches away from your foundation and not too thick!
6. ELIMINATE STANDING WATER: Stagnant water in tires, bird baths, pool covers, clogged gutters and landscaped ponds, are breeding sites for mosquitoes. Make every possible effort to remove those harborage sites to cut down on the flying insect pressure.
7. PROPER PLACEMENT OF THE ZAPPERS: Do not place bug zappers, mosquito machines or traps near the barbecue area. These machines or traps attract bugs!!! Place them far away from your sitting area to reduce pest populations.
Please visit us on the web at www.nopests.com
for more information on how to protect your home
and family from vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes,
rodents, crawl spaces and air ducts.
