If you want to be able to enjoy your yard this summer, you are going to want to take steps to keep the wasps away. Wasps, such as yellow jackets, Eastern cicada killers, and European hornets, are very territorial insects and are known to sting anyone who gets in their way. Wasps do contribute to pollination efforts, and can be beneficial to farms, but are usually best kept out of your backyard if you want to spend time in the pool or enjoy meals outside.
Step #1: Cover Your Garbage
First, you are going to want to cover your garbage cans with a lid. Make sure that the lid fits over the top of your garbage cans tightly and doesn't allow for any gaps.
A wasp will be able to get through even a small gap and use that to get to the food inside of your trash can. Wasps really like to snack on human food, so keep your trash covered and secured. It is also a good idea to place your trash cans as far away as possible from your porch, so that if your trash cans attract wasps, they will not be near where you want to hang out.
Step #2: Be Mindful of Excess Water
Wasps need more than food to survive; they need water as well. Try to keep excess water around your home to a minimum. For example, make sure your gutters are not clogged-up and waterlogged. Make sure that the base around your potted plants is not full of water that isn't draining out. Try to minimize standing water around your home.
Step #3: Clean Up Your Fruit Trees
If you have fruit trees on your property, stay on top of picking the fruit from the trees. Once the fruit starts to fall to the ground, don't just leave it there. Clean it up right away. If you leave the fruit on the ground and allow it to rot, wasps are going to show up. Wasps really enjoy feasting on rotting fruit, so don't let the fruit get to that point around your fruit trees.
Step #4: Use Neutral Colors on Your Patio
Wasps are attracted to bright colors, which is why you should use neutral colors on your patio. You should also plant your more colorful flowers further out in your yard, away from your patio area.
If you take the few steps above, you should be able to reduce the presence of wasps around your home. If you still have a wasp problem, talk to your local pest control specialists, and they will help remove the wasp's nests in a safe manner, helping to get rid of the wasps in your yard.
When you come upon an ant in your home, what do you do? Maybe you kill that one ant and then set some traps to catch any others that come with it. Perhaps you spray some insecticides along the baseboards or in other places where ants tend to congregate. Sometimes these measures might take care of the problem, but other times they don't. If ants continue to be an issue, you'll need to call a pest control company. The same goes if you are dealing with roaches, mice, or some other pest. Learn more about pest control and what these companies do as you explore this website.