Preventative meaures for backyard water features – from Tri-County Pest Control

For many of us, the onset of summer is a time for backyard entertaining and showing off our hard work and landscaping to our friends and family – which may include that prized water feature you labored over for hours to mesh well with the existing environment. But whether you have a man-made feature such as a decorative stream – or even another body of water on your property – you may be unknowingly inviting water-loving pests to the party, too.

Insects such as diving beetles, giant water bugs, boatman, mayflies, mosquitoes, dragonflies, horseflies and more either spend the early portion of their existence on or near the water or live in the water in order to prey on much smaller bugs. Some are just a nuisance pests, but others – such as mosquitoes – will have a greater impact on humans.

But, what, if anything, can be done to prevent them from crashing your backyard party?

One way you can reduce their frequency is to, by all means, avoid using bright lights around your water features, which will be sure to attract these insects. Additionally, any build-up of algae will serve as a food source for these pests and will be sure to keep them sticking around.

Also, be sure to keep any grasses trimmed well in order to reduce hiding places for these pests.

In addition to these measures, we recommend calling on us here at Tri-County Pest Control to perform regular treatments to particular areas of your property which may be harboring these water-loving pests.

Allowing us to be a part of the solution will make for a more enjoyable summer of entertaining in your back yard.