Clear Your Yard with Eco-Friendly Pest Control

If you’ve got a house and a yard, you know that it’s almost impossible to keep them totally free of annoying insects and other household pests without a lot of hard work or keeping your local pest control company on speed dial. However, traditional pest control relies largely on harsh chemicals to kill and repel insects, which can be a dangerous and unattractive option for many homeowners, especially those with children and outdoor pets.

Though it can be difficult to keep your yard and home free of these pests without resorting to these harsh, continuous measures, there are many green options to pest control that simply require a few extra weekend hours each month. If you’re looking for alternatives to traditional pest control options, there are many tasks that can stop pests in their tracks.

Yard Maintenance

Surprisingly, one of the most effective ways to control pests is to keep your lawn, shrubs and garden in good shape. Snakes and pests like raccoons and armadillos thrive on yards with tall grass. Thick shrubs make terrific homes to a number of nasty insects like mosquitoes, and dying flowers and plants can attract a number of insects that can be annoying to you, but dangerous to your garden and flower beds. Plus, practicing good lawn maintenance is the best way to ensure that your yard remains healthy, since longer grass and thicker shrubs block sunlight and water from reaching deep within plants.

Clean Those Gutters

Most people ignore their gutters entirely until they break and leak water onto their patios, but keeping gutters clear is a vital part of home pest control. Spring and summer storms drop a lot of leaves and debris into your gutters, and as that plant matter dies it becomes the perfect home for many insects. Many pest companies offer gutter cleaning services that will sweep them clean to keep bugs like mosquitoes, roaches, ants and more from making their homes right above your home.

Use Green Insect Repellants

There are a handful of non-chemical insect repellants that can just as effective at driving insects away from the areas of your yard that you use most. Many will have to be applied more regularly than traditional pest control treatments, but here are a number of remedies that will work for you.

• Cedar oil is a proven, versatile natural insect repellant. It’s safe to be applied to your skin, but can also repel mosquitoes, fleas, ants, cockroaches and other insects when applied to your porch, patio or garden beds. It can also be applied to dogs and furniture to guard against fleas.
• You’re probably familiar with citronella candles, but citronella oil can be used around the house to guard against many insect threats. If you’d prefer to go right to the source, plant Citrosa Geranium near your patio to naturally repel mosquitoes.
• Essential oils like rose, lavendar and more can be used to make homemade insect repellants.

Attract Good Insects

Unless you have a fear of creepy crawlers, the best way to get rid of annoying bugs is to work to attract beneficial insects to your flower beds and yards. These insects will be be natural predators of the type of bugs that bite and annoy you throughout the year. Ladybugs, predatory bugs, ground beetles and mantises are very effective at maintaining a pest-free yard. Many can be bought at garden shops, but you can also work to create a welcoming environment that will attract these beneficial bugs to clean up your garden. Even birds can do the job as these insects can be the perfect meal for them, so attracting birds using birdfeeders, water bath, and by providing shelter for the winged companions can be a good idea.

Use a Green Pest Control Company

Many pest control companies, practice a number of green pest control techniques that rely on addressing the sources of bugs, rather than treating them with chemicals. Green companies will identify and remove areas of your yard that bugs love, such as woodpiles and standing water. Most will also treat your yard with horticultural oils and other natural remedies to drive pests away and leave you with a clean yard.