How to Get Rid of Summer Bugs

Warm temperatures in summer mean picnics and parties outdoors, but you may find some unwanted visitors outside.

Follow these tips for controlling insect pests in your backyard this summer.

• Remove sources of standing water that attract mosquitoes. Even the smallest amount of standing and stagnant water can become a mosquito breeding ground.
• Keep bird baths and outdoor ponds clean. Look for larvicide treatments like mosquito dunks that are safe to use in bird baths, fountains and ponds.
• Keep trash cans closed and secured. Eliminate food sources for pesky insects.
• If you have food outside, keep it covered. Mesh food covers are handy to protect food.
• Use personal protection like sprays to ward off insects like mosquitoes.
• Keep in mind that if you’re spending lots of time outdoors, you’ll likely need several types of controls, like an oscillating fan, electronic bug zapper and citronella candles.
• Before you use any pest control product, read the label and make sure it will solve your particular pest problem. Always follow label instructions for use, wear eye protection and gloves where noted, and be sure to store chemicals away from where pets and children can reach them.

How to Control Mosquitoes:

Protect your family and landscape and take precautions against mosquitoes. Not only are mosquitoes annoying for their buzzing and biting, but they can spread diseases, too, like West Nile virus and Zika virus.

The way to reduce the mosquito population is to take measures at every stage of the insect’s life cycle. There are four stages in a mosquito’s life: egg, larva, pupa and adult. When you disrupt the life cycle, you will reduce the mosquito population in your area.

Mosquitoes breed in summer and lay their eggs in water. And they don’t need a lake or pool – mosquitoes can breed in as little as a bottle cap of water. For this reason, the top mosquito-control advice is: Kill mosquitoes before they are old enough to bite by eliminating sources of standing water.


It’s easy to control mosquitoes in water by placing a type of larvicide called a mosquito dunk in the source of water. Dunks are made of Bti, short for bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, a bacteria that creates toxins in mosquito larva.

Mosquito dunks will not harm birds, fish, wildlife and pets. When you place a dunk in standing water, it will control mosquito larvae for up to 30 days up to 100 square feet of surface water, regardless of depth.

Diatomaceous earth is a natural product that stops soft-bodied insects like ants and earwigs. Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of small aquatic organisms called diatoms that are made of silica. These silica deposits in rivers and streams are mined and the sediment is turned into diatomaceous earth.

The product causes insects to dehydrate and die after contact. Unlike with other solutions, insects cannot build immunity to diatomaceous earth. Look for the OMRI label, listing the product safe in organic gardens.

To use diatomaceous earth outside, close to your house, lightly coat areas where pests are found or may hide, including windows, door frames and sills, and outside of entryways.

In your lawn, sprinkle diatomaceous earth in trouble spots where ants, earwigs, fleas, roaches, crickets and other creepy crawlies travel. Reapply after a hard rain.

Wearing gloves and a dust mask is recommended when applying diatomaceous earth. Read product labels before using.

How to Treat Fire Ants:

Fire ants are aggressive pests that attack and sting repeatedly when their territories are disturbed. Take charge of fire ant invasions by understanding their behavior and options for how to control infestations.

The most effective way to kill fire ants is to use the two-step method: baiting and mound drench. The first step involves using bait to kill the queen and other worker ants deep in the colony. The second step is to use insecticide for targeted treatments on the mounds. For both methods, it's best to treat fire ant infestations in cooler weather or in early morning or late evening hours when the ants are actively foraging.

Read more about fire ant control.

Another method to reducing insect pests in your outdoor space is to treat your lawn with products that will kill grubs, fleas, ticks and more. Be sure to read packages carefully before applying to your lawn.

Apply lawn insect control products in spring and early summer, or when you first see insect damage.

To use these products, calculate how much product you’ll need to treat your entire lawn based on width by length, and the delivery rate per square foot listed on the package.

On a dry day, pour product into a rotary spreader. Apply half, running the spreader in a north/south pattern and half in an east/west pattern to lawns and flowerbeds. Water thoroughly.

Flying insects like Japanese beetles, yellow jackets and wasps can be a nuisance. The good news is that they can be captured with traps. Place traps 30 feet from doors and places where people congregate.

You can use traps for Japanese beetles, but they’re likely to just attract more Japanese beetles to your yard. The organic method of controlling Japanese beetles is effective: hand-pick and drop beetles into a bucket of soapy water (you may want to don gardening gloves first). Japanese beetle infestations typically last for just a few weeks in summer.

Wasps, especially yellow jackets, encountered in the wild don’t pose much threat if you steer clear of their hive. However, when you encounter a yellow jacket nest or find that you have a full-on yellow jacket infestation at home, getting away from these problematic insects can be a challenge.

In general, sprays and foams are best for spaces that are relatively easy to get in and out of. Working with sprays and foams in tight spaces, particularly with a large infestation, can be dangerous. Traps and baits are often a better solution when there are yellow jackets holed up in eaves or other tight spots around your home.

Spray treatments can be effective for killing individual yellow jackets you spot around your home. They can also help destroy small to medium-sized colonies.

Sprays are especially convenient when dealing with nests that have been built on structures around your home instead of in hidden areas. When the nest is easily visible, a foaming aerosol will both cover the openings and expand into the nest to trap and kill the yellow jackets.

Place traps: Most traps come with chemical lures. If bait is needed, a small amount of meat will best draw yellow jackets during late spring and early summer. Sweet foods and liquids like fruit juice will work best in late summer and fall.