A Pest-Free Fourth of July

Fireworks, barbecues, and patriotism—the quintessential elements of a perfect Fourth of July holiday.  Did you notice we did not include “pests” in that list?  They have no business being in your celebrations, so why give them the chance?  Join us today as we give you some easy tips to make all of your celebrations tomorrow completely pest-free!

Trashcans

While you’re setting up for your celebrations, remember that a pest’s favorite meal is the remnants of yours.  You can bet that they will be around the garbage can, rummaging for scraps, and then moving on to bigger and better things, namely the food on your plate.  You can cut this out entirely by preemptively moving your garbage cans away from the central eating area, and to somewhere on the outskirts of your festivities.  Sure, it may be a little walk for guests, but it is a fair price to pay for keeping annoying flies from the plates of those around you.

Serve Inside, Eat Outside

Another simple way you can reduce the pests at your barbecue is to have most of the food in the house, and then taking your plate outside to eat with others.  Keep it out of their reach, and they’ll most likely keep out of your yard, flying off to prey on another’s neighbor’s barbecue.  Just be sure that the only time the door is open is when guests are coming in or out, or you may up with a home infestation as well!

Smell Defense

When it comes to pest defense, fragrances are one of your best friends, since there are many out there that smell great to us and awful for pests.  The citronella candle is a staple of outdoor barbecues, and for good reason—it does work to keep away the mosquitoes.  If you find that you have an ant problem, mixing together a quick solution of peppermint or spearmint oil and some water will create a smell barrier that those critters will not cross.  Finally, if the bugs start to get bad and are going after guests, applying some Listerine or rubbing a dryer sheet on the parts afflicted makes for an excellent, quick, and effective repellant.

In short, there are many things you can do to keep the pests away, but this list we have put together will give you the most bang for your proverbial buck.  Should you want more tips on barbecue pest defense, feel free to look back on our library of articles, or give us a call; we would love to help.

Have a happy—and pest-free—Fourth of July!