There is no better time of the year than a summer evening filled with the scent of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. Not to mention all of the side dishes, drinks, friends, family, and games. The only downside to this perfect evening is the annoying party crashers that were not invited. No, not the neighbor you “forgot” to invite, but the bugs that swarm your drinks, get into your food and leave you with itchy or stinging bites all over your body. The summer brings warmer temperatures and with warmer temperatures stinging insects, ants, mosquitoes, and flies are more active.
Don’t cancel your plans just yet, there is no need to stop the party over some pesky bugs. We have some useful tips to help prevent unwanted pests from crashing your party. If you’re looking for simple ways to improve the quality of your BBQ consider some of these suggestions and tips:
1. Avoid Standing Water
The best way to be prepared is to plan ahead, inspect your yard or area you will be hosting the BBQ, and look for any places that have standing water. Did you know that mosquitoes only need about ½ an inch to breed? Check for other areas in your yard such as birdbaths, flowerpots, baby pools, and puddles in the yard.
2. Keep Your Yard Trimmed And Well Kept
Not only does a clean and trimmed yard look good and helps create the perfect atmosphere for a BBQ but it also does wonders in preventing insects. By keeping overgrown landscaping trimmed and well maintained will help reduce hiding spots for bugs.
3. Close the Doors In Your Home
Before guests come to your party, check all of the screens on your doors and windows to ensure there are no tears or rips. An easy way to keep pests from coming inside is to repair these beforehand. You can also ask guests once they arrive to ensure they close the door behind them to prevent bugs from entering your home.
4. Skip The Perfume
Naturally, when it is hot outside your body temperatures tend to rise especially when wearing darker clothing. Insects are attracted to warmer body temperatures and body odor. You may want to hide the sweat in your armpits but if avoiding insect bites is more important go for the lighter-colored outfit.
Other attractants are anything else that is heavily scented like:
- Lotions
- Perfumes
- Colognes
- Hair products
These scents not only attract suitors but they make you irresistible to bugs as well.
6. Avoid Aluminum Cans And Plastic Bottles
Even flying pests like to play “hide and go seek”. They consider Aluminum cans and plastic bottles as a good hiding spot. Have plastic cups out for your guests and encourage them to not play the game and instead pour their drinks into plastic cups.
7. Keep It Neat, Keep It Clean
Spills and crumbs are destined to happen, just be sure to clean them up as quickly as possible to avoid attracting more bugs to the area. Keep lids on the trash at all times.
Another useful thing to do is to periodically pick up abandoned cups and plates whether on the table or on the ground to avoid putting on a small BBQ for bugs.
Bugs at BBQs can be challenging to avoid completely. The best way for an enjoyable and bug-free BBQ is to prepare beforehand. If you’re still worried by their presence, consider having a licensed pest control professional inspect your home and yard before the party. They will be able to notice any potential hideouts and know how to treat and remove the potential pest.