Outdoor Entertaining: Keep Pests Away

As we are in the heat of summer on the East Coast, managing pests when trying to entertain outdoors is a challenge. This post explores strategies to keep pests such as mosquitos, flies, and wasps at bay, keeping everyone comfortable during your outdoor party.

7 Tips to keep unwanted pests off your food and guests:

1. Remove all standing water. Any containers or pots sitting around collecting water will breed mosquitos. Also, pick up yard debris and keep your lawn mowed to eliminate breeding areas.
2. Set up fans. Place fans strategically around the dining and seating areas. The breeze deters flying insects.
3. Keep your food covered. Use mesh food covers available in nylon fabric or metal, depending on your preference.
4. Clean up spills. If a sugary drink spills, you will want to clean it up quickly not to attract wasps.
5. Swap out your clear string light bulbs for yellow bulbs that won’t deter bugs but don’t attract them.
6. If you have a fountain or pond, treat the water with Mosquito Dunks that do not contain poisons and use a natural ingredient that is not harmful to birds or animals and kills the mosquito larvae.
7. There are mosquito coils that you can burn to repel them, but if you have small children, you may not want something burning and emitting smoke. When you start reviewing sprays and repellents, some options work; again, you may not want to use them on children or yourself. The DynaTrap, in which you can choose the size of the area you wish to protect, uses CO2 to attract mosquitos and traps them.

By following these tips, you can significantly reduce the presence of flying pests to make your outdoor parties successful!

By Debbie Correale, Redesign Right, LLC. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Houzz, and LinkedIn. Feature image licensed from Ground Picture | Shutterstock.