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How To Keep Bugs Off Patio

Dont Let Bugs Hitch A Ride On You Or Your Pets

Keep Mosquitoes Away with Thermacell Patio Shield Mosquito Repeller

One of the most common ways for bugs to gain entry to your yard and garden is for them to ride in on you and your pets. To prevent this from happening, take the necessary precautions. Check your pets regularly for ticks and douse them with natural bug-repellents. If you plan on going for any hikes through the woods or fields, always spray yourself with non-toxic insect repellent.

Plant Plants That Keep Away Bugs

Believe it or not, instead of attracting pests, there are some plants that can help keep them away. Lavender, marigolds, citronella grass, rosemary, basil, mint and more all have properties that can keep bugs away. If you dont want to add any plants to your yard, consider spraying essential oils around your patios perimeter to deter invading insects.

Make Your Patio Less Appealing To Insects

Bugs are no different than humans and animals: they frequent the places where theyre the most welcome. Unfortunately, there are a lot of elements in your backyard and around your patio that insects find so appealing they consider it an open invitation to come over and hang out as often as they please.

If you want a pest-free patio this spring, the most important thing you can do is take away those elements that bugs find desirable. If thats not as effective as youd like, the next step is to find ways to actively repel those bugs.


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How Do I Keep Bugs Off My Patio At Night

Keeping bugs away from your patio during the night can be tricky because you cant see them to pinpoint what exactly theyre eating or doing.

So the best solution to this is to use passive approaches that dont require you to be around to keep them away.

You can start by using some natural repellents like essential oils, cinnamon powder, diatomaceous earth, borax, and simply keeping your yard clean.

Additionally, you can add in sticky tape, fly traps, and spider traps to double down on securing your patio.


These approaches work 24/7 and dont rely on you to be present or constantly monitor them.

Note that many pests, including spiders and flying pests, are nocturnal.

This means theyre active during the nighttime hours when theres no sunlight.

Theyve adapted to this lifestyle to shield themselves from daytime predators and will only show themselves after dusk. You may never actually SEE bugs on your patio furniture, but theyre there at night.

And they may leave behind webs, dead bugs, or feces. If you constantly see some kind of organic debris left behind on your patio fabric, this may be due to some kind of nighttime pest.


You should start by setting up those natural defenses and see if you can get rid of the pest.

Have Bees And Wasps Invaded Your Front Porch In The Past These Tips Can Help You Reclaim That Lovely Space For Yourself This Year

How to Keep Bugs Off Your Patio

I cant tell you how many times I have gone out to the front porch, eager to sit down in my rocking chair and watch the sun go down, maybe with a tall glass of iced tea in hand and the moment I approach the chair, I hear that tell-tale buzzing noise. A few moments after that, I am having a staring match with a yellowjacket, wasp or something even more sinister, a tiny creature determined that my porch is actually his porch, thank you very much, and I can try to enjoy it at my peril.

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What Animals To Watch For

Alberta is home to many nesting animals, being mixed and short grass prairie, boreal forest, and foothills with sparse thickets of aspen trees. In this type of landscape, small mammals and birds are looking for a safe, enclosed shelter year-round and insects look for homes from spring through fall.

Porcupines arent that concentrated in urban areas, but they can affect suburbs near the edge of town. Theyre known for chewing wood, so if you have wicker or teak chairs and tables, they can cause a lot of damage. Garden mice or Albertas meadow voles are small and flexible enough to shimmy into the smallest cracks, and theyll chew wood to make room for living space.


Why Are Bugs Attracted To My Patio

There are a number of ways that you can unintentionally make your backyard and patio appealing to a wide variety of insects. If you have standing water, piles of debris or an unkempt lawn, all of these conditions can entice bugs to take up residence on your property. Luckily, these are conditions that you can change.

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Replace Incandescent Bulbs With Leds

If your patio or deck is adorned with twinkling string lights, you may want to rethink the bulbs youre using. Theres no doubt that bugs will be attracted to light sources no matter what, but more so to bright and hot lights more than other styles.

Gaughan suggests switching out any traditional incandescent bulbs with warm-colored LEDs, like orange or yellow hues. These outdoor LED string lights create a warmer glow than an incandescent counterpart.

Put Up Mosquito Curtains

Keep the bugs off your patio and enjoy! Universal MotionScreens

These are commonly used to cover beds in temperate climates where rooms are often left open to the fresh air. The holes in the netting are very small, so mosquitoes cant get through. But theyre practically transparent, so they wont interfere with any views.


Mosquito netting isnt very durable, though. If youre going to be opening and closing it all the time, it may wear out. But its not a big deal since its so cheap to replace. This is one of the fastest and most effective solutions, especially since it doesnt wear off like sprays and other treatments!

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Install Bat & Birdhouses

Bats love eating insects, and if youre ok with having a few around, a bat house can be a really effective way to keep your area bug-free. There are pre-designed birdhouses and bat boxes that can be purchased online. Make sure to keep them a little farther away from your porch. You can enjoy nature without having it right on your doorstep.

If you have reached the point of a full blown infestation, more drastic measures to remove them and keep them gone will be necessary. Spider nests, abandoned webs, debris from wasps and other insects are the signs that you may need to talk to a professional to help you remove the infestation and keep it from coming back.

What Can I Put On My Patio To Keep Mosquitoes Away

Murphys Natural Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks Mosquitoes are arguably the biggest nuisances in the summer, but you can keep them at bay with Murphys Natural Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks. The sticks are made with natural ingredients like citronella, rosemary and peppermint, all of which repel bugs.


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Keep Your Patio Clean

Keeping your yard clean and free of debris is the number one way to get rid of patio bugs

The only reason there are bugs all over your patio set is that theyre attracted to your garden. They came for shelter, food, or both.

And your set just happened to be a favorable object for some species to nest in. The first step is to clean up your yard.

Here are some common pitfalls that end up attracting bugs to your patio furniture:


  • Long, tall grass
  • Leaf litter
  • Plant litter

Set aside some time and clean up your yard. This will do wonders for keeping it pest free, which ultimately should clear up the problems on your patio set.

A lot of those pests are there to hunt other pests, but if you keep your outside area clean, then they have nothing to eat.

What Attracts Bugs And How To Keep Bugs Away From Patio

How to keep Bugs Off Patio

Surprisingly, specific colors can actually attract bugs. They will gravitate toward white, yellow, and orange but be less attracted to colors like green and blue. In order to prevent bugs from taking up your patio, you can strategically choose the colors that you use for it.

As you will see below, bugs can also be called on by dirt, moisture, decay, and leftover food and drinks. Overall, the best way to keep them away from your patio is to keep it clean in every way possible. By following the steps below, you will see that there are many additional ways to control bugs when you are finding too many of them.

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Keep Your Porch Very Clean

While it may come as a surprise, even just sweeping your porch more often can help keep bugs away. These animals thrive in dirty environments, so try to keep your porch as clean as possible. Its best to sweep the floors and shake out the furniture cushions once a week.

Another important way to make sure that your patio keeps out bugs is to clean the surfaces of tables. Whether your patio has a coffee table where you set your drinks and cheese boards or you sometimes eat dinner at the outdoor patio table, these need to be wiped clean after every use. Any leftover residue from food and drink will attract bugs and should be minimized.

Regular Spraying And Cleaning

Ideally, cloth seat pads need to be washed weekly. Chlorine bleach can even come in handy for killing anything thats growing in the fabrics and stuffing. Be sure to dry the seat pads thoroughly or else pests can nest in the wet material and make the problem worse.

Chairs, tables and other furniture can be power washed with hot, soapy water. Be sure to look underneath the furniture too because thats where bugs and spiders really love to nest.

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Remove All Standing Water

Just like humans, insects need water to survive. Any standing water that you have on or near your patio, whether its a birdbath or just an area with poor drainage, can lure a variety of bugs to the vicinity. Even worse, mosquito larvae need stagnant water to survive. In other words, if you have standing water, mosquitoes wont just be living there, theyll be breeding there as well. Its important to identify and get rid of any and all standing water on your property.

Which Types Of Flying Bugs Are Dangerous

Keep Mosquitoes Away with Thermacell Patio Shield Mosquito Repeller
  • Mosquitos
  • Wasps
  • Spiders

The good news, most of the flying bugs that youll encounter at your patio arent very dangerous. Theyre just annoying. The flying types that are dangerous are mostly located in places like Africa and Australia. So if youre not located there, you can take a deep breath. And if you are in Africa or Australia, dont worry. Youre about to learn 16 new ways to get rid of bugs.

But there are a few bugs that you should watch out for just in case. Mosquitos are very common in personal spaces like patios, and they will usually only give small bites and not do much harm, but they could also carry diseases. This means that you dont want mosquitoes to be free-flying around your patio.

Bees are another common yard bug that you should watch out for. They are not too harmful, but they will sting if bothered and it might hurt, especially for children. Wasps are a bit more dangerous because they are aggressive and territorial, which may cause them to use their long stinger more often. It is best to try to eliminate spiders, mosquitoes, bees, and wasps from your personal patio, though its not a big problem if they exist in your yard.

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How Do I Keep Bugs Off My Outdoor Tv

patiokeep bugs

. Just so, how do I keep bugs off my patio?

To keep the flying bugs away, place citronella Tiki-Torches around the perimeter of your patio, and/or place citrus candles on surfaces such as tables or benches. This should help keep flies and other pests off your patio.

Subsequently, question is, how do I keep bugs off my porch ceiling? I poked around to find solutions for keeping your porch pest free, ranging from the very effective to the potential myths.

  • Put up a bat house.
  • Hang a bird feeder.
  • Get rid of still water.
  • Cover food.
  • Paint the ceiling Haint Blue.
  • Also question is, how do I keep bugs from coming through my screens?

    Citronella oil is a bug deterrent that is easily applied to screens. Put on a pair of rubber gloves, so the oil stays off your skin. Pour a little bit of citronella on a paper towel and rub it all over the screen. If you want a stronger deterrent, place a few unlit citronella candles inside the window ledge.

    What helps with flies outside?

    DIY some fly strips.Moisten each strip with several drops of any of the following: clove, lavender, lemongrass, citronella, eucalyptus, rosemary or mint. Tie the strips on branches and the railings around your patio, and let the scent of the oil get rid of the flies outside.

    How Do I Keep Spiders Off My Patio Furniture

    Spiders are one of the most common pests youll find on your patio furniture.

    You can use an assortment of home remedies to naturally manage and control them found throughout this page.

    But for spiders specifically, you can use a combination of essential oils, vinegar spray, sticky traps, and regular cleaning.

    Tarping your furniture to keep spiders out and cleaning it with a vacuum to suck up all the eggs helps. It also destroys their web and forces them to migrate elsewhere.

    Continuing these practices can help keep them off your outdoor furnishings.

    Note that spiders are especially tricky because they hide upside down- under your patio chairs, tables, BBQs, trash cans, and more.

    Do a thorough evaluation and see if you can find their hiding places.

    Abandoned webs, debris, and spider eggs are all common signs that spiders leave behind. Since theyre nocturnal, they only come out at night which makes it even more difficult.

    You should start with regular cleaning.

    Combine that with some equal parts vinegar and water and spray it into the hiding places on your future. Vacuum regularly and do a complete cleaning.

    Keep it free of debris and webs. Watch out for damage on the fabric because vinegar is acidic, so always test it on a small portion first.

    You can keep spiders away by using a patio cover thats snug and placing sticky traps around your patio set in a rectangle.

    When spiders try to crawl up, theyll get caught in the trap.

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    How To Get Rid Of Nesting Wasps On Patio Furniture

    Wasps that nest within your patio furniture is another common pest.

    They like to establish a nest in the strangest places, like under chairs and tables. There isnt much to do other than to professionally have the wasp nest removed.

    This will require a licensed exterminator in your area.

    After you get it taken out, youll want to prevent future wasp infestations. You can use wasp repelling plants and place them out around your patio set to prevent them.

    Additionally, wasps hate peppermint oil which you can spray around your patio set to keep them away naturally. Just mix a few drops of peppermint essential oil and water and spray it on.

    Dish soap also seems to work well against wasps. Never spray a wasp directly and never remove them without protection.

    Hire a professional to handle wasp infestations on your patio set, deck, or even in your deck box. These buggers will sting when provoked.

    Ways To Rid Your Porch Or Patio Of Bugs All Summer Long

    Infographic_2

    So you can actually enjoy those summer nights spent outside.

    Love to eat outside on a summer night, but hate the feeling that you’re crawling with bugs? You may think there’s nothing you can do, but taking some proactive steps now can keep the outdoor pests in check all summer long. Follow these tips to eliminate bugs, like cockroaches and silverfish, from your deck or patio. A big added bonus: pest-proofing the perimeter of your house will also help secure the inside.

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    Spray Mouthwash Around Your Patio

    If you dont have rubbing alcohol or essential oils, an alcohol-based mouthwash can be another effective way to repel bugs from a patio. Just load some mouthwash into a spray bottle, then spray down the perimeter of the deck, or even your patio furniture. This can repel bugs and leave a pleasant scent, but the rapid evaporation of alcohol means that regular reapplication may be necessary.

    Soybean Oil To Extend The Life Of Homemade Insect Repellents

    If you want to extend the longevity of homemade insect repellent that you have made soybean oil is a must. It is a fixative in repellents made from home.

    You need to mix it with whatever essential oil you choose. Then just spray it on your clothes.

    When you need protection that is going to last and is great for outdoor activities this comes in handy.

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    Common Signs Of Pests On Outdoor Furniture

    You may easily come across visible bugs on your patio furnishings, or you may just notice debris or remnants left behind.

    There are telltale signs of a bug problem that you can recognize:

    • Spider nests
    • Pigment streaks
    • Leaf litter or plant foliage

    Since many different bugs are commonly found on patio sets, its hard to pinpoint the exact pest without solid evidence. And some are nocturnal so you only see them at night.

    But any kind of debris or dirt left behind is a sign that SOMETHING is infesting your outdoor furniture.


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