Pest-Proof Your Summer BBQ

With the 4^th of July only a few days away, the biggest barbecue of the season is upon us!  No quite throws a party like the good ole USA, with a weekend full of family, friends, food, drinks, and fireworks.  No one wants uninvited guest at their barbecue; especially the peskiest type of invited guests— bugs.  

If yellow jackets chasing kids down and flies vomiting on your food doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, read on. Luckily enough for you we’ve complied some tips to keep the uninvited pests away from your barbecue:

1. Make sure the grass is cut short and drain any areas of standing water.

Tall grass provides a shady haven for many types of insects, including ticks. Keeping the grass well maintained will help to reduce the number of pests that thrive and hang out in your lawn. Mosquitos lay their eggs in areas of standing water, which can hatch in 24-48 hours. Draining standing water areas and replacing the water in decorative items, like bird baths, will help to disrupt this cycle and reduce the number of mosquitos around the property.

2. If possible, serve food and drinks indoors. If your event is fully outdoors, use containers that have lids, or get mesh covers to go over all the food.

Leaving food uncovered during an outdoor party is giving nearby insects the perfect excuse to crash your party! By serving your food inside the scent will carry less and is harder for the insects to detect. In the case that you are fully outdoors creating a barrier that keeps them from getting to the food and being able to chow down will be the best deterrent.

3. Clean up as you go and keep trash in covered bins away from your guests.

Yellow jackets love garbage, so our trash becomes their treasure. Clearing the tables of crumbs and any sticky, sugary substances as you eat will keep them away from the area everyone will be in. Keeping your trash away with a lid on your garbage bin will keep the yellow jackets and other insects from being instantly drawn to come and dig on in on discarded meats and sugary substances.

4. Provide guests with some bug repellant to keep them from becoming mosquito magnets.

There are many types of insect repellant, from natural DIY methods to store bought options that contain DEET.  Providing your guests with a couple of options as an added measure of protection against biting and stinging insects will be something that they surely will appreciate. Make sure to follow all directions on the product label regarding the use of the product.

Keeping your outdoor parties and barbecues pest free is a top priority. Let JP McHale Pest Management help you enjoy the outdoors and keep your family and guests safe with our Home Pest Prevention Plan and Tick & Mosquito control programs.

Contact JP McHale Pest Management today!