Most of the insects that wreck a garden in May are already here in September tucked into old vines and leaf piles, waiting out the cold. They aren't hatching from nowhere come spring. Fall sanitation is one of the least glamorous jobs of the season, but probably the highest-return. So it's important to take steps to prevent spring pests now.

Targeting specifically to stop overwintering bugs in fall works better than chasing them in spring, mostly because they're sitting still and concentrated in a handful of predictable spots right now. The catch is that not every fall cleanup task helps keep away pests. Some of them clear out the beneficial insects that would have eaten problem pests for free.

Knowing which cleanup tasks to do now and which ones to leave alone is what separates a useful September from a needlessly busy one. Here are the pest prevention tasks you need to do now – and the one you can skip this September.

Pest Prevention Tasks to Do in September

The below list runs in order of highest need: vegetable beds first since that's where the worst offenders bed down, then fruit trees, then whatever plants are headed indoors before frost. Two unhurried weekends are all you need to complete these tasks in an average-sized yard.

1. Pull spent cucurbit vines.

Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) don't fly off anywhere for winter. The adults crawl under dead leaves, old vines, boards, scraps of plastic mulch, whatever is flat and sheltered near where they fed and they wait there until spring. Early fall is when they go looking for shelter, so now is the time to strike.

Clearing away spent squash and pumpkin plants now takes the invitation off the table to unwanted bugs. Weeds along the bed edges count, too. Don't just heap the garden waste at the fence line either. Till it under or run it through a hot compost pile to kill off any residual bugs.

2. Turn soil where borers overwinter.

Wilted squash vines back in July probably meant squash vine borer (Melittia cucurbitae) and the larvae that did caused this common problem are long gone from those vines by now. They exited, burrowed an inch or two (3-5 cm) down into the soil, and spun tough cocoons to sit out the cold.

Turning over that ground brings up the cocoons for weather and birds to get. Only bother in beds that had visible borer damage, though. There's no sense disturbing soil that was fine all season.

Home Depot carries a four-tine digging fork that works well for this purpose. The fork lifts and crumbles the top few inches of soil instead of slicing and flipping it like a shovel.

3. Clear fallen fruit under trees.

Fallen apples and pears are more than wasted fruit. Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) larvae ride down inside them, then crawl out to spin cocoons under loose bark or in the litter at the base of the tree. Mid-September into early October is exactly when that happens.

Getting the fallen fruit off the ground during that window intercepts a good share of next year's population of moths. Rake the leaves out from under the canopy while you're there. A rolling nut gatherer from Ace Hardware's garden aisle makes short work of a heavy drop year and saves your back.

4. Treat plants before bringing them indoors.

Any houseplants that summered outside picked up some pest passengers. Spider mites and aphids reproduce fast in warm, dry indoor air with nothing hunting them. By February, one overlooked mealybug colony might have worked its way across a whole windowsill.

Start the pest inspection now rather than on the night of the first frost warning when it's time to bring houseplants back indoors. Treatments need a couple of weeks, often more than one round. Check leaf undersides and the leaf joints. The soil surface matters, too. Slugs come up through drainage holes and settle into damp potting mix, so tip the pot and look underneath for hitchhikers.

Lowe's stocks a ready-to-use insecticidal soap for the soft-bodied pests, though a hard rinse with the hose knocks off a fair number first. Keep the returning plants away from your established houseplants for two to four weeks after moving them indoors.

The #1 Mistake to Avoid

The reflex after summer is to clear away any and all debris, but that’s actually a mistake. Raking the borders bare and putting the whole yard to bed looking well-swept can actually cause more pest problems than it solves. Don't totally clear out all the dead plants debris in your yard and garden. Leave some spots in where beneficial insects can overwinter.

Ladybugs, minute pirate bugs, syrphid flies, and parasitoid wasps overwinter in leaf litter, under loose bark, and in the stems left standing. These beneficial insects actually hunt problem pests like aphids and keep your spring garden pest-free, if you leave habitats for them in fall. Clear all of the debris and you lose out on those helpful bugs, while plenty of the pests you were targeting overwinter outside in the garden anyway.

Be thorough where the evidence of pests points: the vegetable beds, the ground under fruit trees, anything visibly diseased. Everywhere else, easing off is actually good pest control. Cutting back perennial plants to roughly 8 inches (20 cm) instead of to the crown leaves the hollow stems intact for beneficial insects sheltering in there.

A yard raked down to bare dirt in November tends to be a yard with no beneficial insects to help it come May. The diseased material is the one thing not to compost, though. A home compost heap often doesn't run hot enough to kill off the pathogens, so the trash is the safer destination for diseased plant matter.

September work is quiet work. Nobody photographs a cleared squash bed. But the payoff arrives eight months out when spring plants are free of unwanted pests.

Aphids are small, sap-sucking insects that can do significant damage, especially to tender new growth, when they infest in great numbers and are not managed. Aphids can cause curled, yellowed, or twisted leaves, stunted growth, and a sticky residue called honeydew that attracts ants and can lead to black mold.

While these are common garden pests, aphid control isn’t always straightforward. In fact, it’s easy to make mistakes that actually increase the chances that your plants will attract and support an aphid infestation.

Here, we share some typical mistakes you can learn from and avoid with tips that will actually help manage aphids as you see them.

1. Using Too Much Nitrogen Fertilizer

Nitrogen is great for encouraging lush, new, green growth on plants, but this can be an issue when it comes to aphids. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fertilize plants, but overdoing it, especially with nitrogen, can cause aphids to infest a plant, as they favor fresh growth.

When feeding plants, always choose an appropriate product and use a balanced fertilizer if you’re unsure. A gentle, balanced fertilizer like Jobe's Organics All Purpose Fertilizer from Amazon is a good choice for most applications. Follow the product instructions and resist the urge to use more than recommended or to feed more frequently.

2. Not Checking Plants Regularly

Any pest issue is best dealt with early. Aphids are particularly fast breeders, and a few individuals can multiply rapidly within days. Waiting too long to monitor plant health can lead to serious infestations and plant damage that could have been prevented.

Make checking plants a regular part of your routine, like while watering the garden. Look for aphids on new growth, growing tips, stems, and the undersides of leaves. In addition to the actual pests, look for signs they are present: sticky honeydew, ants, sooty mold, and curling, yellow, or distorted leaves. It’s especially important to regularly inspect plants during periods of active growth.

3. Letting Aphids Go Untreated

A small aphid population on a plant can multiply quickly and is much easier to manage than a big infestation. If you see any number of aphids on a plant, don’t wait to act.

Acting to manage a small group of aphids doesn’t mean you need to jump to the nuclear option. Starting early means you can use simple, safe methods of control. Start with a spray of water to knock them off the plant. Pay attention to stems and the undersides of leaves.

The next step, if the force of water isn’t enough, is to use an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. These are relatively safe and have low toxicity compared to stronger pesticides. You can make your own DIY insecticidal soap or purchase Captain Jack's Insecticidal Soap from Walmart or your local garden center.

4. Ignoring Beneficial Insects

One of the best ways to manage aphid damage is to be proactive. Supporting a natural, native ecosystem in your garden ensures it is rich in beneficial insects, many of which prey on aphids. These include lacewings and parasitic wasps.

Gardeners too often reach for broad-spectrum insecticides for all types of infestations, which disrupts natural pest control. These products kill pests but also all kinds of beneficial insects. Instead of automatically reaching for pesticides, consider each issue separately and find specific ways to manage them that are least destructive.

How to Keep Aphids From Coming Back

If you’ve successfully managed an aphid infestation on your favorite plants, make sure you don’t slip back into bad habits. Follow these best practices to reduce the risk that aphids will become an issue in your garden in the future:

• Fertilize plants appropriately, using specific recommendations or balanced products according to label instructions.
• Add pest inspection to your regular rotation of garden chores, checking new growth, stems, and leaves each time you water, for instance.
• Encourage native and beneficial insects in your garden by growing native plants and avoiding broad-spectrum pesticides.
• Consider releasing beneficial predator insects, like ladybugs, to increase useful predation in your beds.
• Always act immediately when you see signs of aphids. Don’t wait for a few pests to turn into an unmanageable infestation that requires drastic control methods.

Healthy plants, good management practices, and regular time spent in the garden make it much easier to catch any type of pest problem, including aphids. On the other hand, seeing aphids doesn’t mean you’re bad at gardening. These are extremely common pests that even master gardeners see.

Follow these guidelines, and you might see aphids, but they don’t have to become a garden emergency.

We’ve all been there. One second you are having a great time with your family and friends. The next thing you know, you are swatting left and right. These pesky bugs can turn a nice evening into a nightmare, and I’m here to sort out what works and what’s just garden hype.

Mosquitoes aren’t just annoying. They’re actually a real health threat, carrying stuff like West Nile virus or Zika that can knock you flat, quickly. I, myself and plenty of friends have dealt with itchy bites that turned into fevers, and it’s no joke at all. These mosquito repellent plants might help, but they’re not a magic shield, by any means. Most do best as backyard mosquito control in beds or big pots where they can spread out. I’ve tested a few myself, and with the right know-how, you can cut down those bites. It’s all about setting realistic hopes!

Every yard’s a battleground against these biters, and shade or standing water can make it worse. If you’re looking for more tricks, check out backyard mosquito control to team up with your plants. Let’s get into what these green helpers can do!

Why Mosquito Repellent Plants Might Help (Or Not)

Mosquitoes are a pain, but can planting certain types actually keep them away? The idea’s been floating around forever. Some folks swear by a yard full of these plants to scare off skeeters, while others call it a stretch. Certain plant scents can throw off mosquito senses, but it’s not like a commercial bug spray.

You need to plant them in big clumps in the ground for the best shot, not just a lonely pot. Crushing leaves to rub on your skin or brewing a tincture to spritz can amp it up, though it’s more of a mild nudge than a knockout punch. I usually use it by rubbing marigold tincture on my arms at a cookout or any other outdoor fun. It cut the bites down a bit, but a good picaridin bug spray like this one from Amazon is much longer lasting.

The trick is using them right. Rubbing crushed leaves gives a quick scent burst, while a tincture (steep leaves in water or oil, strain, and spray) lasts longer but takes effort. Editor Emma Kendell made her own highly effective catnip mosquito spray!

Placement matters when using plants to repel skeeters. Plant them near seating areas or paths where you hang out, and refresh the rub or spray every couple hours. I’ve found it works better on calm days than when the wind’s blowing the scent away.

Top Mosquito-Repelling Plants and How to Use Them

Let’s talk plants that might give mosquitoes the boot. You can try them for yourself!

1. Citronella Grass

Citronella grass is that tall, lemony stuff you see in yards, loving USDA zones 9-11, especially down south. Crush its leaves and smear them on your skin for a faint citrus shield, or steep them into a spray tincture if you’re up for it. It flowers with feathery tops in summer, but it needs room in ground beds to really let that scent fly. I planted some near my patio, and it’s been a decent buffer.

2. Marigolds

Marigolds with their bright orange blooms fit zones 2-11 and can handle a pot or bed. Rubbing crushed petals on your skin works for a quick fix, and they flower all summer, pulling in good bugs too. I keep a pot by the back door and dab it on before stepping out.

3. Lavender

Lavender is a beauty, thriving in zones 5-9 with purple spikes blooming in late summer. Crush the flowers for a rub or whip up a light spray. It’s best in ground plots with good drainage. I’ve got some by the fence, and it adds a nice touch.

4. Basil

Basil is a kitchen star that handles zones 4-10, flowering with small white blooms if it bolts. Crush fresh leaves for a skin rub or mix into a tincture. This works best in ground beds where it can bush out. I grow it near the grill, and a quick crush before flipping burgers helps.

5. Catnip

Catnip is one that loves zones 3-9, flowers with little white blooms in summer and can be rubbed on skin or turned into a spray. It’s strong stuff. Cats love it, but mosquitoes hate it. I keep it in a ground bed away from my pets!

Other Yard Practices to Kick Mosquitoes Out

Plants alone won’t win the war. Other moves can team up with them. Clearing standing water from buckets or gutters is a must, since mosquitoes breed like crazy there. I dump mine out every few days, especially after rain. You can also create a "bucket of doom" that uses Mosquito Dunks from Amazon to prevent mosquito larvae from reaching maturity. Adding a fan on the patio stirs up air, which makes it a lot harder for them to land.

Some plants can lure mosquito predators like dragonflies or bats. They are hungry little creatures. I’ve got a small pond with water plants that draw dragonflies, and they snack on larvae like it’s their very last meal! I’d say that it is a good idea planting nectar-rich flowers like yarrow near your repellents can attract these helpers too. It’s not instant, but over time, it builds a natural defense. I’ve noticed fewer biters since adding that mix!

Mosquito repellent plants aren’t a miracle, but they sure can help you to lighten the load if you use them just right. Pair them with smart yard habits, and you might just enjoy those summer nights again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have you ever heard of box tree moths? I hadn’t until my sister’s boxwood shrubs suddenly looked like they had been fried to a crisp. The box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) is an invasive species of insect that is spreading throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe and destroys boxwood shrubs.

An infestation can turn lush boxwood shrubs into twigs in a matter of weeks. Early detection and treatment is key to getting rid of boxwood moths and protecting your shrubs from future damage.

Simple cultural and biological controls like cutting back infested shrubs and applying a Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki spray, available on Amazon, can help stop the infestation. Keep reading to learn more about box tree moths and how to protect your boxwoods from this very hungry caterpillar.

What is a Box Tree Moth?

Box tree moths (BTM) are a species of moth whose larvae (caterpillars) can strip a healthy boxwood shrub (Buxus spp.) of all its leaves and kill it in a few weeks. These garden pests are native to Asia but have spread quickly through Europe and have now made it to the United States and Canada. As of 2021, the USDA has confirmed box tree moths in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Adult box tree moths generally have white wings with brown borders, but they are mostly active at night and hard to spot. The larvae of box tree moths are lime-green caterpillars with black stripes, white spots and a shiny black head. These shrub pests are about an inch in length and are the only type of pest that will fully defoliate boxwood shrubs.

Box tree moth damage starts with missing parts of leaves and progresses into “curlicue” damage to leaves where there is just the central vein of the leaf left which turns brown. Eventually, the shrub looks like a crispy, brown skeleton of itself. You might see webbing and small caterpillars amongst leaves and twigs and sawdust-like frass (excrement) on or around the infested shrubs.

Unfortunately, BTM can overwinter easily and survive temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 C). It is important to spot the infestation and begin treatment as soon as possible to prevent them from overwintering and spreading further next spring when they wake up.

How Do You Get Rid of Boxwood Moths?

Now that you have determined you have a box tree moth infestation, it is time to get to work treating it. It is a good idea to contact your local extension office and report the infestation, too, as this is a newly arrived invasive species and tracking is important.

Cultural Controls

Trimming boxwoods back as much as possible will remove damaged branches and the BTM caterpillars and pupae. It is very important that you place any affected plant material into two trash bags and dispose of it in the trash. Double-bagging will help prevent these boxwood shrub pests from escaping and damaging other shrubs.

Do not compost affected leaves and branches and don’t leave it in the street for the city to pick up. This will allow BTM caterpillars to spread.

Remove leaves, yard debris, and mulch from under the affected boxwood shrubs to reduce the places the caterpillars can overwinter.

Biological Controls

Luckily, one of the best methods of treatment is easily found at your local garden center. Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki is a naturally occurring bacterium found in soil that targets leaf-chewing caterpillars like box tree moth larvae. Beneficial insects, humans, and pets are unaffected by it and you can even find it on Amazon. Simply spray it on the leaves of your infested boxwoods and the bacterium kills the larvae as soon as they ingest it.

If you have treated your boxwoods and they don’t bounce back next spring, it might be a good idea to swap out your shrubs for native shrubs that are similar but more resistant to pests and diseases like a ‘Soft Touch’ holly shrub or Tater Tot thuja shrub from Fast Growing Trees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wasps are called social stinging insects, but that doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy their company in your backyard or garden. The term "wasp” includes both yellowjackets and hornets, and – as somebody who has interacted with both of these types of wasps in my yard in France – I can tell you that neither are desirable neighbors.

You are far more likely to have yellowjackets than hornets in the US, no matter where you reside. That’s because true hornets are rare in this country and yellowjackets are common, often living in nests underground. Though much smaller than hornets, yellowjackets are more aggressive and can zip out of a tiny hole in the ground and sting you multiple times.

So how do you know if a small hole in your yard is a hidden nest and how do you prevent yellowjackets from nesting in your yard? Here's how to tell if holes in your yard are the entrances to yellowjacket nests and what to do if they are.

Is That Hole a Yellowjacket Nest?

If you wander about your landscape looking for holes in your yard, you are sure to find more than a few. Yellowjackets nest underground and enter and exit by a small hole, usually about the size of a nickel.

But of course not every nickel-sized hole in the soil is going to be the revolving door to a wasp’s nest. A small hole might be a hole from an animal like a rodent. It could also be where you took out that stake from last year.

If the hole has piles of dirt, small rocks, or dead grass clippings around the entrance, that is more likely to hold yellowjackets. But there is one sure way of figuring out if a hole is one to watch out for.

Stand a solid distance away and watch the area during a warm summer afternoon. If you see a constant parade of small yellow-bodied wasps flying in and out of the hole, you’ve got yourself a yellowjacket problem.

How to Get Rid of Yellowjacket Nests

You can take steps to keep yellowjackets from choosing to live chez vous, like filling in old rodent holes you locate, keeping your garden free from garbage or yard debris, and cleaning every trace of food from your grill and picnic area.

But that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be free of these stinging insects. So if you note a nest location in the yard, here are some ideas for avoiding and safely battling yellowjackets in your yard.

1. Don’t use kamikaze tactics.

People may tell you to evict in-ground wasps by sticking a hose down the hole into the nest or some such, but it’s really not a great idea. Experts suggest that you don’t confront the wasps at all on your own.

Although they are not generally aggressive (e.g. they aren’t likely to swarm up and attack you while you are sunbathing), they will defend themselves if they feel attacked and defend their nest if you approach.

I got attacked once when I was weed-whacking in the area of a nest. One sting hurts and, unlike bees, a yellowjacket can sting multiple times. Call in experts if the nest is in a really bad location and must be moved for your family’s safety. Or you can try a yellowjacket trap like this one from Amazon.

2. Remove items that attract yellowjackets.

Yellowjackets don’t always just happen by. They are attracted into your yard for a variety of different reasons. By reducing or eliminating items that attract pests from your yard, you reduce your chances of having them nearby.

The things that attract yellowjackets include many different kinds of human food, especially anything with sugar in it, but also things like meat and fruit. Always clean up promptly and thoroughly after picnics and cookouts to wasp-proof your yard. This includes scrubbing down the grill and picnic table. Also, pick up and dispose of all fallen fruit since rotting fruit is full of sugars.

3. Secure garbage in bins.

Wasps are also attracted to garbage and compost. Sacks of garbage and open compost heaps may be sufficient to lure the yellowjackets to your property. This is especially true if your family consumes sugary beverages in cans, like sodas or even beer that end up in open garbage bins.

Put these temptations in bins instead of heaps. Get garbage cans with lids that attach firmly and instruct every member of your family to be sure the lids are fully shut every time.

Instead of an open compost heap, get a contained compost bin like this tumbler from Home Depot and keep it closed unless you are putting things in it. Many items that end up in the compost are sugary or juicy and therefore attractive to yellowjackets.

4. Provide an alternative habitat.

Yellowjackets sting, yes, but in many ways these wasps are beneficial insects. They eat (and get rid of) many other pests like unwanted caterpillars and aphids. Plus, they do some pollinating when they forage for nectar. If you can coexist with them, plant fall-blooming, nectar-rich perennials on the far side of your property to lure them yellowjackets from your patio.

What other flowers attract yellowjackets? Since they are especially hungry for plant nectary during late summer and autumn, pick flowers that appear in autumn. There are several fall-blooming flowers with shallow or open clusters that will appeal to yellowjackets. These include goldenrod, asters, catmint, salvia, yarrow, and sedum, which you can get from Nature Hills Nursery.

Here’s a typical scenario. You worked hard to create a beautiful outdoor space to enjoy in the summer. You set up an area to enjoy the evening in the garden only to hear a buzzing in your ear. Next, you’re slapping your neck, your arm, and running inside to avoid the mosquitoes that are plaguing your yard and garden.

Mosquitoes can absolutely ruin your outdoor peace. Not only are they a nuisance, but they are also a health risk, carrying diseases that can harm both humans and pets. Successful backyard mosquito control includes several key elements, including proper plant choice.

You might not have realized it, but there are some types of plants that actually attract mosquitoes. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to make your outdoor space less welcoming, even if you already grow some of these plants. Here are a few of the most common culprits that could be harboring mosquitoes in your yard and what to do if you grow them.

1. Bromeliads

Bromeliads are colorful air plants that lend a tropical feel to the garden. They can grow outdoors year-round in warm climates or as houseplants that you move outside in summer in cooler climates.

Either way, if you have them in your garden, these delightful plants create cups of standing water, which is how they survive without soil. But the water, unfortunately, can become an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. They look for still water like this to lay eggs, which can hatch in a matter of days.

There is a solution, though. Add a little oil or dish soap to the standing water to break the surface tension, so mosquitoes can’t land on it.

2. Dense Ground Covers

Ground cover plants play a very useful role in the garden, creating lawns of green where grass won’t grow or where you don’t care to mow. Many ground covers do their job well, creating dense mats of low-growing plants: pachysandra, spurge, deadnettle, and sweet woodruff, just to name a few.

But these ground covers create an ideal environment for mosquitoes who love shade, cool temperatures, and moisture. You might even get standing water under these plants that helps skeeters breed.

To manage mosquitoes in these areas, trim the plants with a string trimmer to improve airflow – here's a list of our experts' top tested trimmer tools – and inspect regularly for standing water that should be drained. Rake out any leaf litter that gets trapped under the plants, as mosquitoes love this kind of environment, too.

3. Bamboo

Bamboo can be a fun plant to grow. It’s easy, forgiving, and grows very quickly to create privacy borders and living fences. But your bamboo plants might be harboring a secret: standing water in the hollow stems that attracts mosquitoes and protects their eggs and larvae. Additionally, bamboo grows quite densely in moist conditions that mosquitoes love.

Thin out crowded bamboo canes to reduce localized moisture and improve airflow. Keep the area around the canes clear, too, by weeding and raking up fallen debris.

Remove damaged canes regularly, as these are more likely to contain standing water. When you trim canes, cut them at an angle to help water drain out. Use a sharp, clean pair of loppers, like these ones from Fiskars, to make easy cuts.

4. Hostas

Hostas are extremely popular bedding plants for several reasons. They’re easy to grow, thrive even in the deepest shade, and come in a variety of sizes and shades of green. But the issue, when it comes to mosquitoes, is that these beloved plants create the perfect environment for unwanted pests under their broad, overlapping leaves.

Although mass plantings of hostas look nice, you can minimize the ideal mosquito conditions by spacing them out. Allow for a little airflow between each plant. Also, be sure to regularly rake out debris from under the leaves.

5. Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses have become very popular in landscaping because they are generally easy to grow, offer a unique texture and look, and offer visual interest year-round. Unfortunately, when grown close together, these grasses can attract and harbor mosquitoes.

The dense growth of closely packed grasses creates areas of shade, stagnant areas, and moisture that mosquitoes love. Also, the dense grass makes it more difficult for natural predators of mosquitoes, like birds or dragonflies, to find and eat the pests.

Avoid planting ornamental grasses too close together and thin out those you already have. Trim away dead growth as it develops – a handheld hedge trimmer like this one from Amazon makes it easy – and divide mature clumps every few years. It also helps to plant ornamental grasses in areas where a breeze naturally passes through them.

6. Overgrown Shrubs

Any shrub can become a haven for mosquitoes if it becomes overgrown. Some types of shrubs are especially likely to create dense cover that provides these pests with the moisture and cool temperatures they love: boxwoods, hollies, viburnums, for instance.

The easy fix is to keep your shrubs trimmed. Prune them every year to open the canopy. Remove interior branches to reduce density. Clean up the area under shrubs to remove mosquito-harboring debris.

While certain plants tend to be very attractive to mosquitoes, you don’t have to avoid them altogether. Typically, it’s more the environment than the plant itself that causes the issue, so you can take steps to enjoy these plants while eliminating pests. Trim regularly, space plants adequately, check for and remove standing water, and you can naturally get rid of mosquitoes in your yard.

Shop Mosquito-Repelling Essentials

Wasps have a habit of rebuilding where a colony already did well. Filling that eave or porch corner with strongly scented plants makes the address far less appealing, and the right picks hold that line into fall.

Take down a nest in July and the problem looks solved. The site itself doesn't change, though. It stays dry and sheltered, out of the wind, and that is the short list a queen scouts for come early spring. She isn't looking for the old paper. She's looking for the eave.

Hanging something in that space works better than leaving it open. Plants that repel wasps do double duty here. They take up the real estate and put a strong fragrance right where a scout would land. None of this amounts to a force field, and an established colony won't be bothered by any of it. Occupancy is the point. A queen looking for a vacancy shouldn't find one. What you're doing is changing the site from empty shelter to active, occupied space.

6 Plants To Hang Where a Wasp Nest Used To Be

Aroma does the work, so these should be within arm's reach — a pinch or a brush in passing releases far more oil than a plant sitting undisturbed. A coco coir-lined hanging basket from Amazon is a simple way to get them up at eave height, where air moves through the foliage and keeps the scent at the site rather than four feet below it.

1. Spearmint

Mint plants get recommended for nearly every pest problem, which makes the suggestion easy to wave off. Spearmint (Mentha spicata) earns it here. Menthol content runs high enough that wasps tend to give it room, and the plant is hardy clear through USDA zones 3 to 11. It also spreads aggressively, so a basket is the practical way to keep it. Full sun to part shade, steady moisture, and a hard cutback whenever it turns scraggly is all it takes. Pinch a few stems every time you pass, though, as the fragrance fades within a day or so otherwise. You can find a 2-pack of spearmint plants from Lowe's.

2. Wormwood

Bitter is the whole point of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). Chemical compounds absinthin and thujone sit in that silvery foliage, and very little chews on it or settles in near it. Hardy in zones 4 through 9, it wants full sun and soil that drains fast. Soggy roots will kill it quicker than winter will.

Water sparingly once it's established, then shear it in spring so it doesn't go woody and open in the middle. Keep it clear of tender neighbors, too. The roots leach compounds that can stunt what's planted alongside, so planting in a basket or container by itself is ideal. MARS Gardens on Etsy has 1-gallon wormwood 'Powis Castle' plants for sale.

3. Common Thyme

Thymol turns up in a fair number of commercial repellents, which is reason enough to hang the herb it comes from. Common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) trails over a basket edge and takes zones 5 to 9 without much complaint. Full sun. Gritty soil, sparse water — it sulks in rich compost and rots outright in wet feet. Trim after flowering to stop the stems going bare and hard at the base, which is quick work with a sharp pair of bypass pruning shears from Home Depot. Skip that trim two years running and you're basically starting over.

4. Lemongrass

Citronella has a branding problem. The plant sold under that name is a scented geranium with very little perfume to it, while the real source sits much closer to lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) — loaded with citral and citronellal, and pungent the moment a leaf gets bruised. Perennial only in zones 9 to 11, so north of that it's a summer container that comes indoors before frost. It prefers full sun, generous water, and a pot bigger than looks necessary. It grows fast enough to fill a basket by August. Overwintered inside, it looks rough by March, but it does recover. Get a lemongrass plant delivered straight to your door from Fast Growing Trees.

5. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus

Florists hang eucalyptus in showers because steam drags the oil out of the leaves. A hot July eave does something close to the same thing. Eucalyptus cinerea holds in zones 8 through 11 and is usually grown as a container annual north of there, in full sun with soil kept on the dry side. Pinch the tips or it goes leggy in a hurry. Cut stems keep throwing scent for weeks after they dry, so a bundle tacked near the old site is a reasonable stopgap while a live plant fills in. Silver dollar eucalyptus plants are available from Etsy through Droke's Greenhouse, a certified nursery.

6. French Marigold

Planted for color, and working for wasp control on the side, French marigolds (Tagetes patula) carry their pungency in the foliage rather than the flowers. Their scent is strongest in afternoon heat, right when scouting activity picks up. Marigolds are annual everywhere, though they'll self-sow in mild zones. You can pick up a 4-pack of marigolds from the Home Depot.

These want full sun, deadheading through summer, and less water than seems right. Overfed plants give more leaf and less aroma. Mounting height does matter — wall-mounted plant hanger brackets from Walmart put the basket up under the eave rather than well below it.

Hot, dry weather is exactly what spider mites wait for. Populations explode fast, and the damage usually shows before the mites themselves do, which makes catching them early the difference between a quick fix and a lost plant.

Many people never see a spider mite. What they notice is the plant going downhill, and by then the mites have usually been at work a while. They're not even insects, strictly speaking — arachnids is the accurate word, more of a cousin to spiders than to the aphids everyone knows to watch for. The harm is in how they eat: they punch into plant cells one by one and drain them, and enough of that leaves foliage looking bleached and worn out, almost sunburned.

Hot, dry stretches are when spider mites tip from annoying into a real problem. They tear through generations in warm, dry air, sometimes a whole one inside a week, which is how a handful in June turns into a mess by August. Drought stacks it further as thirsty plants are easier to feed on. And the same heat tends to knock out the predators that might've kept things in check otherwise.

Why Hot, Dry Weather Sets Them Off

The one gardeners tangle with most is usually the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), and it happens to love the precise weather a heat wave hands it. Warmth is the accelerant. A generation that drags out two or three weeks in cool spring air can finish in five to seven days once temperatures push into the 80s and 90s (27 to 35C) during a summer heat wave. Each female lays dozens of eggs on top of that, so the numbers snowball before you can even realize what's happening.

Low humidity is the other half of the story. Dry air means fewer mites get taken out by the fungal diseases that usually thin their ranks, so more of them pull through. Dry conditions can also encourage them.

As water levels drop, sap becomes more concentrated, potentially making feeding easier for these pests. And the predators that keep a normal summer in balance — predatory mites and lady beetle larvae mainly — have gone into hiding in a long heat spell, right when they'd be doing the most good.

How to Spot Spider Mites

The first thing to turn up usually isn't the mites, it's the stippling. It shows up as fine, pale yellow or white dots scattered over the top of the leaves like someone dabbed them with a pin. Every speck marks a spot where cells got emptied. Leave it and it spreads, whole leaves going bronze or yellow and falling, the plant appearing dry and dusty even after a good watering.

Webbing near the bases of leaves means the numbers are already up there. That fine silk, usually found underneath the leaves and around the new tips, is the colony giving itself away.

The fastest check for spider mites: hold a white sheet of paper under a leaf you're unsure about and tap it. Specks that land and then start moving are your answer. A hand lens earns its place here, since at real size the mites can be barely visible. If you don't already have a magnifying glass laying around, you can find one cheaply on Amazon.

How to Treat a Spider Mite Infestation

Water is the first move, which sounds too basic to do much. But a strong blast from the hose, driven into the undersides where they gather, knocks a big share of them off and shreds the webbing while it's at it.

Repeat it every few days and the population never quite recovers its footing. It's no cure on its own. What it does is thin them out and buy some time before the stronger treatments come into play. Cranking up the humidity around the plant leans on them as well, damp air being roughly the last thing they want.

For whatever holds on, insecticidal soap from Amazon is the standard next move, smothering mites wherever it makes contact. The issue is that it only acts where the spray actually reaches, so getting up under the leaves is the bulk of the job. You can also make a DIY insecticidal soap and apply it with a small pump sprayer from Amazon handles that far better than a trigger bottle.

There's also neem oil from Amazon which disrupts feeding and breeding across a few rounds instead of all at once. Whichever way it goes, spray in the evening or under cloud, because soap or oil in full sun ends in scorched leaves.

Keep Spider Mites From Coming Back

A lot of prevention is just refusing to provide them the dry, dusty conditions they thrive on. A plant kept watered through a heat wave isn't stressed the same way, which makes it a tougher target from the outset. Rinsing the leaves off now and again drops the dust and nudges the humidity up, both working against them. None of it is a dramatic change in routine. Across a whole summer, though, that small routine stuff is what keeps the numbers from stacking up.

New plants deserve a second glance, since mites love to slip in on something from the nursery and spread from there. Flip a few leaves and check underneath before it joins everything else. And if the same infestation keeps returning no matter what, releasing predatory mites can sometimes settle it for good. It’s slower than grabbing a spray, but they tend to stay around for a while once they get established.

I grow heaps of catnip in my garden, so when I read new research that suggests the plant's oil is as effective at repelling mosquitoes as DEET, I didn’t hesitate to make my own skidaddle-you-skeeters spray. It was quick, easy and once I’d tried it out, I had to agree with those scientists. Catnip does seem to keep mozzies away.

In the 2025 study, its findings published this year in Scientific Reports journal, scientists tested how mosquitoes responded to various substances: a hand lotion infused with 6% catnip oil, the same lotion with 2% catnip oil, a commercially available repellent containing 15% DEET, and plain lotion to act as a control. In field trials with real-life humans, the lotion with 6% catnip oil proved just as effective as the DEET repellent; the lotion with a 2% concentration repelled skeeters a little less, but scientists still rated it ‘highly effective’.

I much prefer natural pest solutions over chemical ones, and I already make an effective skeeter trap with baking soda and vinegar. So, as I'm already growing catnip (Nepeta cataria) – one of three plants I grow for my cats in my garden – using the leaves to make my own natural mosquito repellent was a no-brainer.

It makes sense that catnip could repel skeeters as it contains high levels of a compound called nepetalactone, which it’s thought the plant has evolved to repel pests. My cats seem to subscribe to the theory, anyway, as they like to roll on the plants as if they’ve read the online blurb that this could afford some natural protection against fleas. And what do you know, with a little digging, I discovered that catnip is registered as an insect repellent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

It was time to cook up a batch of catnip-leaf mozzie repellent spray and test out its properties for myself.

How to Make Natural Catnip Mozzie Repellent

1. Pick a cup of fresh catnip leaves. It’s important the plants haven’t been treated with any pesticides. Crush the leaves with the back of a tablespoon.

2. Scrape the crushed leaves into a small heatproof bowl and pour over 1 cup just-boiled water. Place a plate on top of the bowl so steam can’t escape and leave to steep for an hour.

3. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, muslin cloth or a coffee filter, pressing or squeezing the leaves to extract as much moisture as possible.

4. Discard the plant matter and pour the strained liquid into a clean spray bottle. Store in the fridge where it will keep for 1-2 weeks; adding a tablespoon of straight vodka to the strained liquid will extend its shelf life.

As with any new topical skin product, spot-test the spray on a small area of your skin before using, to ensure it doesn’t cause irritation. Shake the bottle well before each use. Apply to skin, being careful to keep well away from eyes. Reapply frequently and gauge for yourself how effective the spray is at repelling mosquitoes.

If you have cats, expect company as felines adore the scent of catnip.

Does Catnip Mozzie Repellent Spray Work?

While steeping catnip leaves doesn’t extract nepetalactone as effectively as distilling, I found that while I was spritzed with my homemade spray, I wasn’t bothered by mosquitoes. Aware that natural repellents don’t last as long as chemical alternatives, I reapplied every couple of hours.

I’ve been testing the DIY spray in my garden while gardening and relaxing on the patio. If you are heading into an area heavily infested with mosquitoes, or it’s known that mosquitoes in your area carry a pathogen such as West Nile virus, that’s not the time to be testing out a homemade spray – use a commercially available repellent that's proven to work.

I found the spray has a mild earthy fragrance, which I found neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Thanks to the scent, my cats were especially fond of me though!

Other natural ways to deal with mosquitoes in your garden include using potted patio plants with mozzie-repelling scents, and setting up a mosquito bucket of doom.

Is Catnip Safe to Put On Your Skin?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed Nepeta cataria essential oil is safe for human use. Studies show that, even when applied to skin at a 25% concentration, it doesn’t cause irritation.

How to Grow Catnip

While catnip (Nepeta cataria) is never going to win any prizes for its flowers, with regular snipping of the stems, it grows into a pretty-enough potful of leaves on the patio. Don't confuse catnip with catmint, though both are closely related. Catnip has much higher concentrations of nepetalactone, though catmint does still contain this compound.

A hardy perennial in zones 3-9, growing catnip is easy. It's quick to raise from seed or economical to buy as young plants, and both catnip seeds and catnip plants are available from Lowes. It’s important to grow this member of the mint family in a container set on hard landscaping as, like many of its cousins, it’s too vigorous to grow in the ground in most gardens. It needs well-draining conditions so mix a handful of sand, gravel or horticultural grit such as this from Amazon into any multipurpose potting soil, or use a moisture-control compost such as this, also from Amazon.

Nepeta cataria is enthusiastic enough to thrive in partial shade as well as full sun and is drought-tolerant so be careful not to overwater. It grows to 2½ feet high and has white or pale pink flowers, sometimes dotted with purple. It tends to have straggly stems, but pinching off the tips encourages it to grow into a dense, bushy mound of foliage.

What the Research Report Said

The report (Evaluating repellence properties of a catnip essential oil-based mosquito repellent using the human landing catch method in Eastern Uganda by Charles Batume et al) states that lotions containing both 2% and 6% catnip oil was highly effective at preventing mosquito landing, and recommended their use as a natural alternative to synthetic mosquito repellents. With the research carried out in 2025, the findings were published in the March 2026 Scientific Reports journal.

The catnip oil used in the research comprised of 92% nepetalactone and was derived from mature Nepeta cataria plants grown outside with 12 hours of sunlight a day. The plant material was dried before being distilled, to extract pure essential oil.

The report referred to previous studies that found that nepetalactone repelled several mosquito species, ticks, red poultry mites and bed bugs.

A bird bath is not only a beautiful addition to any landscape, but it also benefits local and migrating birds who need a relaxing spot to cool off and hydrate during the hot summer months. There is one big problem, however, that you need to be aware of before adding a bird bath to your yard or garden: mosquitoes.

Any standing water in your yard can quickly become a breeding ground for mosquitoes – and that includes bird baths. Figuring out how to prevent mosquitoes in a bird bath is yet another item on the ever-growing garden to-do list. But there’s one affordable item that can make the job a bit easier and turn your bird bath into a gorgeous mini water fountain that birds adore and that adds the soothing sound of trickling water to your garden.

A solar-powered fountain from Amazon costs less than $10 and stops mosquitoes from turning your bird bath into their own personal breeding pool. If you’re considering adding a bird bath to your yard or already have one that’s full of mosquito larvae, here’s how to turn your bath into a bug-free fountain that birds will love even more.

Why Bird Baths Attract Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes lay eggs and develop larvae in or near standing water. Bird baths make the ideal spot for breeding mosquitoes because they are shallow vessels of stationary water. Add in debris like fallen leaves, dirt, algae, and warm summer temperatures and you have a prime environment for mosquito larvae to pupate and grow.

Standing water is one of the main requirements for breeding mosquitoes and it only takes five days for your bird bath to turn into an insect incubator. So to keep them free of mosquitoes, you need to change out the water in bird baths once every few days or find a way to keep the watering moving. That’s where a solar-powered fountain comes in handy.

How a Solar Fountain Stops Mosquitoes

This solar-powered fountain from Amazon only costs around $10 and keeps water moving in bird baths and prevents mosquitoes from breeding. A small fountain like this is a simple way to turn a stagnant bath into a beautiful showpiece in your garden that also stops mosquitoes.

Another option is to add a water agitator to your bird bath, but a solar fountain has another additional benefit. It adds the soothing sound of running water into your landscape, turning a basic bird bath into a lovely sensory garden feature.

Adding a fountain to your bird bath can also attract more birds. Birds love moving water – it more closely resembles a natural water source like a stream – so you should have more birds and less mosquitoes in your bath when you pop a solar fountain into your bath.

To add a solar-powered fountain to a bird bath, all you have to do is place it in a bird bath in a sunny location where it will receive charge and power the motor. Keep your bird bath clean of fallen debris like leaves that can cover the solar panels and prevent the fountain from charging. You also need to regularly clean the filter to keep water flowing.

Your bird bath also needs to have enough water in it to submerge the motor of the solar fountain. Basically, keep your bird bath clean and full of water in order for the solar fountain to function properly. You should be able to wait a few more days between changing out the water in your bird bath with the addition of a solar fountain, without the risk of mosquitoes breeding.

More Ways to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay

July brings a wave of garden pests out in force. Heat and lush growth are exactly what they want, and a few of them can strip a tomato plant or hollow an iris rhizome in a matter of days. Catching them early is most of the battle.

Something shifts in the garden around July. The spring rush of aphids and slugs settles down in many gardens, and a tougher, hungrier crew takes over. Some tunnel out of sight, inside stems and rhizomes, doing their damage before you notice. Others arrive in swarms, or as a single caterpillar big enough to strip a plant overnight. Warm nights and dense foliage are just what they want, and a bed that looked spotless in June can take a beating before the trouble is obvious.

Knowing the common garden pests likely to show up this month makes them far easier to stop, since most do their worst while nobody's looking. The six here hit both edible and ornamental beds, and each has a tell — a specific kind of damage, or a spot it likes to hide — that gives it away early. Catch that, and treatment is usually simple.

6 July Pests, and How to Shut Them Down

One rule cuts across all of these: early action beats cleanup, every time. By the time the damage looks dramatic, the pest has usually moved on or multiplied. Catching the first signs is the whole game.

1. Squash Vine Borer

A squash plant thriving one day and collapsed the next almost always points to squash vine borer. The adult is a clearwing moth that looks more like a wasp, laying eggs at the base of squash and zucchini stems in early to midsummer. The larvae bore straight into the stem and hollow it from the inside until the vine can't move water — hence the sudden collapse.

Look for a small hole near the base ringed with sawdust-like frass. Prevention wins here, and a floating row cover from Amazon over the young plants keeps the moth from laying in the first place — it just has to come off once flowers open for pollination.

If a borer's already inside, sometimes you can still save the plant. Slit the stem lengthwise, dig the grub out, then mound moist soil over that spot so the vine roots again above the injury and keeps feeding itself.

2. Tomato Hornworm

For something that can reach 4 inches (10cm), the tomato hornworm is shockingly easy to miss. It's the exact green of a tomato stem, with a soft spike on its tail, and it feeds fast — a couple can defoliate a plant and start on the fruit in a day or two. The droppings give it away before the caterpillar does: dark pellets on the lower leaves, bare stems up top. Handpicking at dusk works well.

Editor Kathleen Walters’ favorite way to spot them is with a UV (black light) flashlight! They light up neon-green when you shine a black light, available from Amazon, around your tomato plants in the dusk or dark. No more hiding hornworms!

For a heavier run, the go-to spray is Bt from Amazon. It's a naturally occurring soil bacterium that affects only caterpillars, harmless to everything else. One exception: a hornworm studded with white rice-like cocoons should be left alone. Those are parasitic wasps, and they are already handling it for you!

3. Iris Borer

The worst of an iris borer's damage happens underground, out of sight, which is exactly what makes it so destructive. Eggs laid last fall hatch in spring, and by July the larvae have tunneled down the leaves into the rhizome and hollowed it out. That opens the door to bacterial soft rot, which finishes the job: a firm rhizome turns to foul-smelling mush.

Early on, watch for water-soaked streaks or ragged notches along the leaf edges. No spray reaches them once they're inside, so this one comes down to sanitation. Cut and destroy old iris foliage in fall to kill the eggs before they overwinter. Divide clumps every few years and toss any rhizome that's gone soft.

4. Phlox Bug

Tall garden phlox is a July staple, and the phlox bug times its arrival to match. The orange-and-black adults and their nymphs gather on stems and leaf undersides, piercing the tissue to drink sap. The result is a stippled, mottled look — pale flecks and yellowing that curl the leaves and warp new growth, sometimes stunting the flower heads before they open.

Since they feed in groups, a quick shake over soapy water takes out a lot at once. For a real colony, insecticidal soap from Amazon sprayed onto the undersides where they hide does the trick, though it only works on direct contact. Clearing plant debris in fall removes the eggs they leave behind for next year.

5. Japanese Beetles

The traps sold for Japanese beetles are, counterintuitively, one of the worst things you can hang in a yard. The pheromone lure pulls in far more beetles than it ever catches. The beetles are hard to miss otherwise: metallic green and copper, about half an inch (1cm) long, feeding in groups through July on roses, beans, grapes, plus many more plants. They skeletonize leaves, chewing out the soft tissue and leaving a lacy web of veins.

Hand-picking is the most effective fix (as low-tech as that sounds). Knock them into soapy water early, in the cool of morning when they're sluggish. For the long game, treating the lawn for grubs thins out next summer's crop.

6. Spider Mites

Hot, dry, dusty weather is a spider mite's ideal world, which is why they tend to explode in July. They aren't insects at all, they're tiny arachnids. Spider mites a barely visible, so what most people notice first is the damage: fine pale stippling across the leaves, then a dull bronze cast as it spreads. Webbing strung between the leaves turns up later, once they're established.

Because they aren't insects, plenty of general bug sprays do nothing to them. What works is water and oil. A hard blast from the hose knocks them loose, and neem oil from Amazon smothers the rest. Raising the humidity around the plants helps, too.

Flies can ruin an outdoor gathering faster than you can say Diptera (the insect order in which the more than 150,000 fly species are found). They buzz around you, landing on food, and some species pack a powerfully painful bite. These pesky insects also make their way inside during the summer months and continue to annoy us in our own homes!

You can plant fly-repelling herbs and plants to help keep them away, but there may be some mistakes you are making around your yard and in your house that are attracting flies. Fixing these common issues can help reduce fly populations and help you and your family have a safe and swat-free summer.

Insecticides don’t generally work well for fly control, and they may hurt beneficial insects or harm pets or humans. You can use an insect trap like Zevo from Amazon to catch any strays that make it indoors. But the best way to control flies is to mitigate any issues that might be inviting them into your home or backyard gatherings.

Types of Flies and What Attracts Them

• House Flies: House flies are commonly found indoors, are strong fliers, and can transfer diseases to humans and animals when they land or walk around on surfaces or food. They lay eggs in garbage, animal dung, and decaying vegetation like your compost pile.
• Blow Flies: Blow flies, or bottle flies, have iridescent blue/green/copper bodies and lay their eggs in rotting meat or animal feces. You’ll find them around your trashcans outside if you have any meat scraps or dog doo sitting around in your cans during warm weather. You also might find them indoors if you an animal has made its way indoors and then died in the walls or attic.
• Black Flies: Black flies are biting flies whose larvae are aquatic. They swarm and bite in the summer and, unfortunately, are more common in areas with clean, well-oxygenated moving water. Covering exposed skin with loose, light-colored clothing and your favorite bug spray is about the only thing you can do for black flies short of going inside.
• Fruit flies: Fruit flies lay eggs in fruit and the larvae eat the fruit leading to decay. In addition to ruining your fresh summer produce, fruit flies are really annoying to have flying around your kitchen or picnic! Removing and disposing of overripe fruit and using a trap like the Zevo fly trap from Amazon will help keep populations under control

5 Mistakes You’re Making and How to Fix Them

Nobody wants flies buzzing around them indoors or outdoors and, moreover, flies can transmit diseases to humans and pets. Here are five common mistakes that might actually be attracting flies.

1. Not Keeping Spaces Clean

Keeping indoor and outdoor spaces clean will help keep many types of fly populations down. Remove trash from your home at least once a week and keep outdoor dining areas clear of food and beverage debris. Be sure to pick up and dispose of any fallen fruit from fruit trees in your yard.

Cleaning your outdoor trash bins will also help discourage flies and animal pests. If you still have a fly problem, the Terro Garbage Guard pest strip from Amazon can be used in outside trashcans to kill flies and maggots and prevent future infestations for up to 4 months. However, use with caution and only place in sealed, outdoor bins. It’s not safe to use indoors.

2. Leaving Compost Exposed

Your compost is the perfect place for flies to breed. You can cover your compost pile with a black plastic tarp or move to a compost tumbler with doors that close like this Vivosun tumbler from Amazon. It will also keep animals out of your compost and makes it super easy to turn, no pitchfork needed.

3. Using Plants That Attract Flies

Flies, despite our grossed-out reactions to them, are important pollinators. Unfortunately, that means some of the plants we like to look at also end up becoming a fly haven. You might see blow flies swarming your panicle hydrangeas, Manhattan euonymus, mountain mint, and linden trees.

Using plants that keep flies away around your patio, especially near windows and doors, is a good way to combat flies naturally. Rue, basil, lavender, and petunias all do a good job.

4. Insecure Doors and Windows

Having holes, even small ones, in window and door screens will let flies right into your home. You can find screen repair kits from Amazon or your local hardware store.

Additionally, flies might be sneaking in if you accidentally left the door ajar while carrying hot dogs and hamburgers outside for that 4th of July cookout. A magnetic mesh screen door from Walmart is a good solution that is quickly and easily installed.

5. Leaving Food Uncovered

Cover your barbecue foods with mesh cloches from Amazon or even a mesh colander you have in the kitchen. Using a fan directed at the table or a tabletop insect fan will also keep flies and other insects from crashing your party.

Fly Control Essentials

Many of the beetles people lump together as June bugs aren't June bugs at all. And the one most often mistaken for one can quietly chew a whole garden to lace while you're busy not worrying about it.

Look at them properly and you'd never confuse the two. But in that half-second before you do, they blur. Both are scarab beetles. Both crawl out of the soil in early summer and start eating. The similarity pretty much stops there. One is the June bug, a clumsy night-flier that chews a few leaves and moves on. The other is the Japanese beetle, near the top of every list of the country's worst garden pests. One is a nuisance you can mostly live with. The other can take a bush apart in a few days.

Identifying garden pests correctly is the whole game here, because the right response depends entirely on which beetle is in front of you. Pick the wrong fix and you either overreact to a bug that was never much of a threat, or you wave off one that's about to skeletonize the roses. A few clear differences sort it out fast, and once you know what to look for, you won't mix them up again.

June Bugs

The June bug (or May beetles) most people know is the one that shows up at the porch light and won't leave. Its color runs reddish-brown, sometimes nearly black. It's round and hard-shelled, about the size of a thumbnail, anywhere from a half-inch to a full inch (1.3-2.5cm) long. And it flies like it's never tried before, loud and heavy, bouncing off the screen.

The brown June bugs do their feeding after dark. Through the day they're hunkered down in the soil or under leaf litter, waiting it out. Come nightfall they're up and moving, feeding, knocking into every lit window on the block. The adults go for tree and shrub leaves more than anything in the vegetable patch, and what they leave behind is just ragged little notches around the edges. It looks rough up close. The plant barely registers it, though, and the season carries on fine.

“June bug” is a loose name. It covers a whole batch of related scarabs, including a daytime metallic-green one that throws people off and makes them think Japanese beetle.

Japanese Beetles

The Japanese beetle is the smaller of the two, around three-eighths of an inch (1cm), and far and away the flashier bug. Its head and thorax shine metallic green, and the wing covers turn a coppery bronze. Along each side of the body runs a row of little white tufts of hair, five to a side with two more at the tail. Those tufts are the giveaway. Nothing else in the garden presents them.

Where June bugs work alone and after dark, Japanese beetles do the reverse. They're out in the open in full daylight, happiest on a hot, sunny afternoon, and they almost never show up solo. Here's the nasty part: feeding beetles release pheromones and trigger plant stress signals that attract more beetles. So you spot two or three in the morning, write it off, and by evening there's a clump of thirty on the same branch. They snowball, and that's the whole problem with them.

Reading the Leaf Damage

Truth is, the pests' leaf damage might tell you more than the appearance of the beetle does.

A Japanese beetle eats the soft green tissue between the veins and leaves the veins behind, so the leaf turns into a kind of brown lace, see-through where the green used to be. They also skeletonize petals and can scar fruit surfaces. They start at the top where the sun hits and chew their way down.

June bugs don't work like that. Theirs is messier, more random—chunks and notches torn in from the edges, scattered around, nothing like that fine skeleton.

What really sets them apart is appetite. A Japanese beetle will eat just about anything—roses, grapes, beans, the fruiting canes, something like 300 species all told. That range is why they turn up as a problem in so many gardens. June bugs are fussier and stick mostly to trees. And then there's what goes on underground, where the two finally line up.

Both lay eggs that hatch into those fat white C-shaped grubs, and the grubs sit there eating grass roots, killing the lawn in patches from below. Japanese beetle grubs tend to concentrate in turf grass, while June bug larvae often feed deeper on roots in soil.

Getting Rid of Japanese Beetles

Because Japanese beetles cluster, hand-picking does real work here. Knock them into a jar of soapy water first thing in the morning, while the cool air still has them sluggish and slow to fly. Keep at it daily through the worst weeks and you stop the scent from building up and calling in reinforcements. One thing to skip is the pheromone bag trap. It pulls in far more beetles than it ever catches, so all you've done is bait your own yard.

Covering the plants they love can help as much as anything else. A floating row cover from Amazon draped over roses or beans for the few weeks beetles are active keeps them off the plant entirely. On anything too big or too numerous to cover, a neem oil spray from Walmart works as a repellent and feeding deterrent without wiping out every insect in the bed. And if the crowd gets ahead of you, an insecticidal soap from Amazon knocks them back, though spraying at dusk spares the bees doing their rounds. You can also make your own insecticidal soap!

Handling June Bugs

June bugs mostly aren't worth much fuss. The adults do surface damage at worst, and an established tree or shrub takes a few chewed leaves without any harm done. Cut the porch lights through their peak weeks and fewer of them gather near the house, since those lights are half the reason they show up. For most yards, leaving them alone is the right call.

The grubs are the part worth keeping an eye on, for both beetles. When they're feeding hard, the lawn goes spongy and yellow in patches, and the turf tugs up loose like it's barely holding on—late summer, mostly, is when you'll see it. Beneficial nematodes, watered into the soil, hunt the grubs down without any chemicals. A deep-watered, healthy lawn handles the light stuff on its own, too. But if the brown patches keep creeping outward, peel up a corner of sod and count what's under there before reaching for anything stronger.

A chewed leaf is usually a clue, and not just an eyesore. The shape of the damage and where it shows up usually point straight to whoever’s responsible, and naming the culprit is most of the battle.

You put in the work all spring, and then one morning the leaves look like someone went at them with a hole punch. It is common to happen, and it’s rarely a mystery for long. Most of the bugs that eat plants leave a calling card—a particular style of damage that gives them away. Once you learn the signs, the rest is mostly follow-through.

This isn’t about reaching for the strongest spray on the shelf, either. Half of identifying garden pests is just looking closely—at the holes, sure, but also the leaf undersides where things hide, and the little black specks they leave behind. Match the damage to the bug, and the fix usually turns out simpler and gentler than you’d expect.

Match the Damage: 7 Common Culprits

None of this needs a lab. Most damage falls into a handful of patterns, and once you’ve seen each one a couple of times, you’ll start spotting the culprit at a glance. Here’s how the usual suspects sign their work.

1. Slugs and Snails

If the holes turn up overnight and there’s a silvery trail glinting nearby, you’re looking at slugs or snails. They go for soft, low growth—seedlings especially—and they’re at their worst after rain. Heading out after dark with a flashlight to pick them off works, though it’s not everyone’s idea of a good evening.

A few slug hacks gardeners swear by include beer traps, copper tape, and trap boards. Beer traps sunk level with the soil pull them in, and copper tape around a pot gives them a jolt they won’t cross. For a real infestation, an organic slug bait from Amazon (currently 20% off for Prime Day) uses iron phosphate is safe around pets and wildlife, unlike the older pellets. Mostly, though, clearing the damp boards and pot rims they shelter under does more than any trap.

2. Caterpillars

Look for the droppings. Large, irregular bites out of the leaves, plus a scatter of dark frass pellets on the foliage below, almost always means caterpillars. They like to hide on the undersides by day, so flip a few leaves over. A tomato hornworm can strip a plant in a day or two if you miss it.

Hand-picking honestly works if you keep at it; drop them in soapy water and move on. When there are too many to chase, a spray of Bacillus thuringiensis from Amazon (Bt) hits caterpillars only and leaves the bees and everything else alone, which most sprays can’t manage to do. Netting over the crop stops the moths laying eggs to begin with.

3. Japanese Beetles

You’ll usually catch Japanese beetles in the act. Fat, metallic green-and-copper beetles clustered on a rose in the afternoon sun, the leaf behind them eaten down to a lacy net of veins. They’re among the showiest bugs on garden plants, and among the most maddening. Knock them into a tub of soapy water early in the morning while they’re still sluggish; it thins a group fast.

Skip the pheromone traps, whatever the box promises—they pull in more beetles than they catch. Neem oil from Amazon makes the leaves less appealing, and since the grubs spend winter in the lawn, treating that breaks next year’s cycle. Plan on staying after this one all season.

4. Flea Beetles

It looks like someone fired birdshot at the foliage. Dozens of tiny round holes peppering the leaf. That’s flea beetles, and they live up to the name, springing away the second you lean in. Seedlings take it hardest; young brassicas and eggplant can stall out completely under a heavy attack.

The surest answer is keeping them off from the start. A floating row cover from Amazon dropped over the bed at planting lets in light and rain while shutting the beetles out. Sticky traps catch the adults, and once a plant is big and growing strong, the damage isn’t near as noticeable.

5. Earwigs

No slime, but soft leaves and flower petals chewed into ragged holes, and nothing in sight during daylight? Suspect earwigs. Dahlias and marigolds are favorites, along with any tender seedling. They feed at night and tuck into tight, dark crevices by day, which is exactly how you beat them.

Set out a loosely rolled damp newspaper, or an upturned pot packed with straw, and empty the hideouts come morning. One catch worth remembering: earwigs also eat aphids and other small bugs eating plant leaves, so a few around the garden actually earn their keep. Step in only when they’re wrecking blooms you really care about.

6. Sawfly Larvae

Sawfly larvae get mistaken for caterpillars all the time, which sends people reaching for the wrong product. They graze the surface off a leaf and leave a thin, translucent windowpane – green veins showing through where the tissue’s been scraped away. Rose slugs are the common version.

Because they aren’t true caterpillars, Bacillus thuringiensis does nothing here, so you have to go at them directly. They gather on leaf undersides, often in tidy rows, so a hard blast of water knocks plenty off, and insecticidal soap or neem mops up the stragglers if you hit where they feed. Get on it early. Five minutes of squishing now spares you a skeletonized bush in July.

7. Vine Weevils

The notched leaf edges are the obvious part of vine weevil damage. The neat little scallops bitten out of the margins almost look decorative, but the real trouble is out of sight. Cream-colored grubs chew through the roots underground, and the first you know of it is often a potted plant that wilts and topples over for no clear reason.

Container heucheras and primulas are prime targets, strawberries too. The adults can’t fly and wander at night, so hand-picking or a sticky barrier handles them. The grubs are the harder problem. An application of beneficial nematodes in late summer, while the soil’s still warm, is the one thing that reliably reaches them down there.

If you’ve got curious kids or pets who use your garden, you won’t want to be using chemical traps to get rid of your resident ants. Neither will you want to be dabbling with borax – while it is a naturally occurring mineral, some countries restrict its sale because of concerns about toxicity. But other natural ingredients like orange peel do absolutely nothing, right? Well, if you're wondering how to get rid of ants naturally, the chemical-free solution you need that effectively kills ants is a combination of baking soda and powdered confectioners’ sugar, with a little help from a splash of white vinegar.

The first two pantry staples create a delicious yet deadly concoction to get rid of ants and anthills naturally. While the sweet sugar tempts the ants, the baking soda reacts with their stomach acids to kill them. Ok, so it’s not a good way to go but if you, like me, garden with wildlife in mind, this is an effective method to stop ants overtaking your yard without eradicating them completely.

Ants are a super-helpful part of your garden’s ecosystem because they aerate the soil as they tunnel underground, allowing air and water to reach plant roots. By scavenging dead insects and crumbs of organic waste, they aid the process of decomposition to nourish soil. Ants are also extremely good at hoovering up eggs, larvae and pupae of pests such as fruit flies, fleas and caterpillars. So, get rid of all the ants in your garden and you may just find yourself with a different pest problem. I find encouraging the beneficial critters and discouraging the pesky ones brings a good balance.

And that’s what’s great about this method: you can adjust the potency of the trap so it controls numbers rather than destroying the nest, or up the ante to get rid of the entire colony. This means you can significantly reduce the number of ants in your garden if they’re becoming a problem, but leave a small population that’s beneficial. Or employ a strategic combination in different areas: it might be that you have a colony in your front yard that’s creating ant hills on the driveway paving, that you want to eradicate, but only want to lower the number of ants in your back-garden lawn to reduce the likelihood of your kids getting bitten.

Disrupting the ants' scent trails with diluted white vinegar ensures the ants find the trap quickly. And then, with ant numbers under control, you can employ deterrents such as pots of pennyroyal, a pretty plant that naturally repels ants, to keep these biters off your deck or patio (and seeds are available from Amazon). And voila! You have yourself an effective, natural solution to dealing with ants in your garden.

How to Make a Natural Ant Trap

1. Make Holes in a Clear Container

You’ll need some sort of small plastic container with a lid – I use old takeaway tubs. Poke two or three holes low on the sides; I do this by melting the plastic with the heated tip of a skewer.

2. Add the Ingredients

Then add a tablespoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and a tablespoon of powdered confectioners' (icing) sugar and mix well. It’s important that you use powdered sugar because if you use granulated or caster sugar, the ants will be able to separate those larger granules from the finer baking soda.

3. Decide How Potent the Ant Trap Will Be

Here’s the clever bit! If you want to reduce the number of ants, simply mix the two ingredients well to combine the two powders. If you want to eradicate the nest, however, add a little water to make a thick paste. Worker ants will consume the dry mix in situ, but the paste is much easier to carry so they’re far more likely to take this back to their colony.

4. Position the Ant Trap

Pop the lid on the container and place the ant trap in your garden near to ant hills or whereever you regularly see ants. I'm targeting the ants that are loosening these pavers next to a raised bed – this is my zero-water border that I literally never water, so ants love the dry conditions a little too much.

5. Encourage Ants to Use the Trap

Placed close to an anthill, ants will be attracted by the sweet scent and quickly find the trap. However, if you don't have anthills to guide your trap placement, it's a smart idea to help ants find it faster by getting rid of existing scent trails they follow to regular sources of food. You’ll no doubt have spotted lines of ants using the same highways around your garden, and by confusing these scent trails you’ll encourage ants to explore and find your trap.

To do this, mix a blend of half white vinegar and half water and wipe this along any ant highways you’ve noticed, paying particular attention to edges of paving as these are usually well-trodden routes.

These ant traps are just as effective indoors, if ants invade your kitchen or greenhouse. Baking soda and white vinegar is also useful to make a natural trap for mosquitoes and, combined with vegetable oil, dish soap and water, to make a natural spray to prevent fungal diseases in tomato plants.

A bird bath that hasn’t been emptied in five days can already have mosquito larvae in it. A female mosquito needs only a small amount of still, warm water and 24 to 48 hours to go from eggs to hatchlings. The full cycle from egg to biting adult takes place in less than a week in summer heat.

Changing the water in your bird bath every few days helps, though timing matters significantly. Miss the window by a day or two and the problem has already started. So it’s important to find ways to prevent mosquitoes in bird baths or else you’ll have a big problem on your hands.

Luckily, I’ve found the perfect solution to stop your bird bath from becoming a mosquito breeding ground. All it takes is a simple device called a water wiggler. This nifty trick keeps mosquitoes from reproducing and also creates a cleaner, more welcoming environment for backyard birds.

What Is a Water Agitator?

A water agitator, like the Water Wiggler from Amazon, is a battery-powered motor that sits in a bird bath and creates a continuous ripple across the surface of the water. It only takes a couple minutes to set up and has many other benefits besides repelling mosquitoes.

The ripple this device creates is intentionally gentle – closer to a light breeze on the surface than actual agitation. This is good because birds won’t use a bath that feels unstable and the whole point is to attract birds to your bird bath. Moving water also prevents mosquitoes from breeding in your bird bath.

Why Birds Love Moving Water

Many birds can’t resist moving water. In the wild, still or stagnant water signals risk, but moving water signals a safe and fresh life source. The ripple from a water agitator works on the same principle, which is why baths with any kind of surface movement tend to get more use than those without.

Water that moves constantly stays cleaner longer as well. It’s harder for algae to form and loose debris won’t sit on the surface of the water. You end up having to clean your bird bath less often, which is another big benefit for both you and the birds. Algae buildup can create conditions that affect the health of birds using the bath.

The sound of moving water attracts birds to your garden, too. Moving water makes a soft, audible trickle that carries across a garden and birds use that sound to locate water the same way they do in the wild. A still bird bath is silent, but one with a water agitator imitates the sound of a naturally trickling stream. Birds will flock to your yard within just a few days of installation.

How a Water Agitator Stops Mosquitoes

Mosquito larvae need to breathe and they do it from the surface via a small tube that stays in contact with the air above the water. Still water makes it easy for them to breathe – the larvae just hang there. But a surface that’s constantly moving makes survival considerably harder.

Egg-laying females will look for calmer water to reproduce once you add a water agitator to your bird bath. The water doesn’t need to be turbulent for this to work either. A gentle, persistent ripple is enough to put off most mosquitoes. Even a small solar-powered fountain, like this one from Amazon, will do the trick.

Compared to chemical treatments or biological controls like BTI, a water agitator is passive and requires no reapplication or dangerous chemicals. There’s nothing to add to the water, no residue, and no concern about what it might do to visiting birds that drink from the bath.

Other approaches work well in a wider range of standing water. But for a bird bath specifically, a mechanical solution like this that also doubles as a bird attractant is hard to argue against.

Setup & Maintenance

Setup is as straightforward as it gets. A water agitator drops into any bird bath without modification. For battery-powered devices, like the Water Wiggler, or solar-powered versions, like this water agitator from Amazon, there’s no need to connect to plumbing or wiring. The unit is ready to run in under a minute.

You can remove the device for bath cleaning and drop it back in easily, which is useful since most bird baths benefit from a scrub every few weeks regardless. The device is designed to be submerged and run continuously.

For any garden that already has a bird bath or if you’re considering adding one, a water agitator will prevent your yard from becoming a mosquito breeding ground.

This simple solution doesn’t require any real commitment of time or effort. It’s a small addition that removes a problem most people didn’t realize were creating when they added a bird bath to their garden. Plus, the birds who visit your bath will love it!

It’s June, so it’s time to say hello to backyard bugs like aphids, stink bugs, and Japanese flea beetles. These insects feed on many flowers and vegetables, and are not exactly welcome visitors. They suck sap, munch foliage, or dig into fruits or flowers, leaving the garden less lovely than before they arrive.

Common garden pests are called pests for a reason. If you want them gone, June is the time to jump into the fight. The longer a pest population is permitted to establish, the harder it is to get rid of them.

Let’s dig in and banish June garden pests!

Garden Pests to Look Out for in June

June is known for many pleasant things in the garden, including warmer weather, peonies, roses, and hydrangeas. But insect pests also appear, attracted by the young plants and new flowers. Unlike pollinators, these pests don’t do anything good for your flowers or vegetables, and you’ll want to jump into the fight.

Here are six common pests to watch for:

1. Aphids

Aphids may be among the most common garden pests. Although each bug is soft-bodies and tiny, you’re not likely to ever see one aphid alone. Instead, you’ll see large groups of aphids (green, black, or brown) partying on the underside of leaves. The party food consists of plant sap that they consume with their specialized piercing/sucking mouth parts. This wilts the plant and stunts growth and, even worse, the bugs leave behind a waste product called honeydew. Despite the “honey” in the term, there is nothing sweet about honeydew. It is sticky and icky, hosts sooty mold, and attracts ants.

What to do in June? Get out the hose early on and blast off those bugs with a strong spray. Or buy a box of live ladybugs at the garden store and release them in the garden to eat the aphids. If you need to bring in bigger guns, mix liquid dish soap into a pressurized garden sprayer and hit the undersides of the foliage. Content Editor Kathleen Walters swears by this Vivosun handheld pump sprayer from Amazon.

2. Stink Bugs

Picture an armored tank in your mind, then use your imagination to shrink it smaller, smaller, smaller until it could sit on a nickel. That’s what a stink bug looks like. The common name refers to the awful smell you will experience if you crush one.

But the smell is the least of the issues. Stink bugs also have piercing mouthpieces that they use to pierce fruit and vegetable skin – think tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. What’s left behind is ugly, sunken, brownish spots.

Here’s a fun job for June: pick off these ugly buglies in the early morning – that’s when they are only half awake - and pop them into a bucket of soapy water. If this idea makes you sick, you could invest in a vacuum insect catcher and suck the stink bugs off your plants while not experiencing the “stink.” This bug vacuum from Amazon is made for kids to explore nature, but it works great for adult gardeners, too!

3. Flea Beetles

This is the first of this list of garden pests that is pretty, but not pretty enough to want in the garden. Tiny, jumping flea beetles are small, round and shiny but they munch small BB-like holes in your young, tender garden foliage. These holes can severely damage young seedlings.

You’ll know that these pests are flea beetles because they jump around like fleas. Their favorite foods include the leaves of eggplants, radishes, and arugula. June is the peak season, and you’ll need to act quickly.

You can cover the most vulnerable crops with row covers or use sticky traps to snap up mature flea beetles before they breed. Alternatively, sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the foliage – it cuts up any insects that walk over it. You can find food-grade diatomaceous earth on Amazon.

4. Japanese Beetles

Here’s a beetle that is even prettier than a flea beetle: a Japanese beetle. They are all dressed up in metallic digs but they aren’t heading out to party. They are always hungry and will skeletonize leaves so fast your head will spin. Look for them to appear on roses, grapevines and other favorite plants in June.

You may be sad to hear that the best way to deal with these pests in June is to pluck them off by hand in the morning and, like with stink bugs, drop them into a bowl of soapy water. Alternatively, make a garlic soap spray to keep these beetles away. Blend garlic cloves and mint leaves in water, boil it down, and strain into a spray bottle. Mix in dish soap and more water to fill the whole bottle.

5. Slugs

Okay, we admit it up front: slugs are not insects. But nobody likes them and they tend to turn up during June evenings in your garden and under everything that isn’t tied down. You may never see them but you will notice that your seedlings look half-eaten and the flowers on your transplants are entirely gone. And you will probably see their slimy trails.

Slugs should also be handpicked from the garden and dropped into that same soapy water. You’ll want to use a flashlight to catch them red-handed in the evenings. An alternative solution for slugs is probably more pleasant for you: buy slug traps with sunken rims or make your own beer trap for slugs to drown in.

6. Spider Mites

There’s a reason they call these pests spider mites, and yes, it has to do with the fine webs you start to see in June between your plant stems. The leaves will also give away the present of these teeny tiny insects – they’ll look dusty, speckled, or lifeless. Small though they are, spider mites suck the chlorophyll out of your plants.

Bring out the hose to get rid of the spider mites. A strong spray every few days will do it. Alternatively, use a Neem oil spray on both sides of the leaves. You can find neem oil at Amazon or your local garden center.

June is when patio season actually gets going, and also when mosquitoes, flies, and no-see-ums (also called biting midges) show up in force. The two things are connected — warmth drives both — and for a lot of people the bugs win. A spray handles it for a few hours. These plants handle it differently, and the space ends up better for having them in it.

The mechanism is real enough: volatile oils in fragrant plants interfere with how insects find food and hosts. Getting a handle on which bugs are actually causing problems is part of dealing with common garden pests effectively but for general patio use, this list covers most of what shows up in June.

Let's explore what you can plant to have a swat-free summer.

Fragrant Plants That Help Repel Patio Pests

These eight plants make this list — some that show up in every garden center and a couple that tend to get overlooked despite working just as well. All of them hold their own near outdoor seating, whether in containers or tucked into a border close to where people actually sit.

1. Lavender

The reputation is deserved, though the mechanism gets oversimplified. It's not just that lavender smells nice to people and bad to bugs — it's specifically the linalool in lavender oil that mosquitoes and flies avoid. June bloom pushes the oil concentration up, so the repellent effect peaks right when the patio gets the most use.

Container placement close to seating does more work than a lavender hedge planted at the garden's edge — proximity matters here. A 2-in-1 patio planter and bench from Amazon let's you sit right between the plants where they'll do the most good. Lavender does best in the heat with well-drained soil left to dry between waterings.

2. Lemongrass

Citronella candles use a synthetic version of what lemongrass produces naturally, which is worth knowing. The plant releases oils continuously from the foliage without needing heat, and the scent runs cleaner than any candle version of it. Tender in most climates — put out after frost risk passes, back inside before fall. They get big fast; a single clump in a large pot can hit 4 feet (1.2m) by midsummer. Brush the leaves when the ambient effect feels light. That releases a second wave of oil that carries for a while. Get an established lemongrass plant delivered straight to your door from Fast Growing Trees.

3. Rosemary

Camphor is the active compound in rosemary, and mosquitoes and flies don't like it. As a passive container plant it offers background deterrence — useful against flies in particular. The effect jumps when stems get disturbed or burned, which is why some people toss a sprig onto a grill fire. Beyond the pest angle, rosemary holds its structure through summer heat better than most herbs, so it pulls its weight as a container plant visually too. Give it infrequent watering, full sun, and it pretty much runs itself. Find heirloom rosemary seeds from Sow Right Seeds on Amazon.

4. Scented Geranium

Not the standard bedding geraniums — the scented-leaf types, which smell nothing like the flowers and everything like citrus, rose, or mint depending on variety. Citrus-scented ones work best against mosquitoes. The oils are in the leaves and release on contact, so placement where people brush past — near chair arms, along a path edge — gets more out of them than a pot sitting in a corner. These are tender perennials that overwinter well indoors. Find a 'Fingerbowl Lemon' scented geranium from GingersGreenhouse on Etsy.

5. Marigold

Pyrethrum is the compound — the same one extracted for use in commercial insecticides — and marigold foliage produces it in amounts that register to mosquitoes, aphids, and whiteflies at very close range. French types run more potent than African ones and stay compact enough for container use. Get them in now and they'll carry through to fall. There's a secondary benefit worth mentioning: whitefly pressure on nearby edible plants tends to drop when marigolds are close, which is a practical bonus if herbs or vegetables share the patio space. Find a 12-pack of French marigolds from Lowe's.

6. Basil

Estragole and linalool are the relevant oils in basil — both put mosquitoes and flies off, and neither requires the plant to be touched to work. Sweet basil is widely available and does the job; lemon basil runs hotter on the citrus end and may edge it out against flies. A pot on the table is about as close-range pest deterrence as it's possible to get, and it doubles as a herb within arm's reach. Pinch the flowers off regularly — once basil bolts, the oil production drops, and so does the effect. Find Genovese sweet basil seeds from Sow Right Seeds on Amazon.

7. Peppermint

Menthol is broad-spectrum against pests — mosquitoes, ants, and flies all avoid it — which puts peppermint ahead of some narrower options on this list. Containers are the right approach anyway since it spreads aggressively in the ground. Brushing against the plant releases a significant oil burst, so anywhere foot traffic is regular is a good spot. A raised bed from Walmart establishes the right growing conditions and keeps it from spreading into the rest of the garden. Keep it in its own container — it crowds out neighboring plants fairly quickly if given shared space.

8. Lemon Verbena

Sharper and more volatile than lemon balm, more immediate than lemongrass — lemon verbena has a citrus scent that mosquitoes and flies find genuinely off-putting rather than mildly inconvenient. The oils are most active when the foliage is warm and in direct sun, which happens to be the same window when patio usage peaks. It gets shrubby and fairly large by late summer given decent conditions. Frost-tender, so it comes in for winter — though honestly, even without the pest repellent angle, it's worth growing near a seating area just for what it smells like on a warm afternoon. Find 2-pack lemon verbena plants from Walmart.

Summer is here and with it come the ultimate picnic crashers: ants. Lately, I have seen tiny ant hills in every sidewalk crack throughout my whole neighborhood and I have even found them, to my chagrin, in my vegetable garden. Consistent warm weather sends ants into a frenzy. They begin foraging for food and establishing new colonies which is why all those new ant hills have popped up in your yard.

Getting rid of ants might be on your gardening checklist if they are making a mess of your yard or if they are a species of ant that bites or stings. Ants are social insects and, like humans, they are omnivores. Keeping your outdoor spaces free of food debris and fallen fruit from trees can go a long way. But sometimes you need a little help to keep ant populations at bay.

Here are five natural ways to get rid of ants and their hills so you can enjoy your summer without the creepy crawlers or their dirt mounds all over your yard.

5 Natural Solutions to Get Rid of Ants

Ants can quickly establish a colony in your yard or garden and even migrate into your home. Most species of ant are harmless to humans but some can bite or sting. Not what you want when you’re gardening or trying to enjoy a backyard cookout! Ant hills also don’t look very nice in the middle of your ornamental garden.

Typically, ants are drawn in by food which you can often control. Picking up fallen fruit from fruit trees (a Garden Weasel nut gatherer from Ace Hardware makes this easy), getting rid of aphids and their ant-attracting honeydew, and regularly working your soil will help keep them from building a nest.

Whether you are finding ant hills in your lawn, between your patio pavers, container plantings or garden beds, here are some simple and natural ways of getting rid of them without resorting to harsh pesticides.

1. Boiling Water

Boiling water works best in areas of your yard where you don’t mind killing other plants, like cracks between pavers that contain weeds in addition to ant hills. Pouring 2-3 gallons of boiling water on an ant hill will kill many ants, but also disrupt the structure of the colony. Soak the mound thoroughly with the boiling water for best results.

2. Flatten the Mound

A simple and non-lethal option is to flatten the ant hill with a shovel or spade. This will disrupt their colony and make them move somewhere else. It might take a few repeated flattenings for them to get the message. If you have ants like fire ants or Asian needle ants, which can harm humans, do not do this. It is safer to call a pest professional so you don’t get a deadly sting.

3. Boric Acid Bait

Creating a boric acid bait is a good solution for ant control if their hill is located somewhere near delicate plants that you don’t want to harm. When I was transplanting tomatoes into my raised bed a few weeks ago, I learned that an ant colony had taken over and they became frenzied because of my intrusion. A boric acid bait is perfect for this situation.

To make boric acid ant bait, mix equal parts boric acid, available from Amazon, and sugar water. Pour the mixture into small containers like bottle caps and leave them near the ant colony. The sugar water will attract the ants and the boric acid will kill them.

4. Flooding

A good old garden hose can come in handy for taking care of ant hills on your sidewalk or in your lawn. Flood the ant hill thoroughly with a steady stream of water. A few minutes of soaking will disturb the structure of the ant hill and the ants will disperse.

5. Dish Soap

Another simple solution that won’t kill your grass is a mixture of dish soap and water. Add a few drops of dish soap to a gallon of water and pour it into the ant hill. The dish soap will break the surface tension of the water which will allow it to drown the ants, killing the colony.

I wish you an ant-free summer. Happy gardening!

Ah, the summer sun is sweet. We wait all winter for it, then finally June arrives and out we go to the garden patio. But as you enjoy the garden in summer, so do the mosquitos who hang around the patio and look for opportunities to fly into the house. Many of us no longer use toxic sprays so what’s a gardener to do?

One appealing alternative is to rely on plants that deter pests, or, more specifically, scented vines that repel mosquitos. That’s right, the same fragrant vines you love carry scents that send mosquitos over to the neighbor’s yard. These are not weird plants with names you cannot pronounce, but familiar favorites like jasmine and clematis.

These vines will do double duty, framing your windows and doorways with beautiful flowers and foliage and also keeping those mosquitos at bay.

1. Jasmine

I have a jasmine vine (Jasminum spp.) running up an oak tree on the edge of my patio in France, and it fills the entire area with an intoxicating scent in spring and early summer. The vines can climb to 20 feet (6 meters), plenty long enough to surround a door or window in your house. They need at least six hours of sun a day and regular water to keep them healthy. My vine is utterly lovely but it was only recently that I learned that it also keeps mosquitoes away. Grow on a trellis like this tall garden trellis from Wayfair to frame your door beautifully.

Yes, jasmine is known for its ability to keep mosquitoes away. This applies both to common jasmine (Jasminum officinale) and Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac). Both are extremely effective in repelling mosquitoes. This vine will naturally repel mosquitoes, so it's a great choice to plant in doorways and around windows in USDA zones 7-10.

2. Clematis

Clematis is a wonderful climbing vine offers spectacular flowers as well as mosquito protection. Clematis flowers are amazing and they come in many forms including saucers, bells, tubes, tulips, open bells, doubles, and semi-doubles. The hues are special too, cool pinks and purples but also blue, white, magenta and yellow.

Give your clematis a full sun location and soil that drains well. Walls and doorways are ideal locations to grow this woody, deciduous vine that can grow to 20 feet (7m) tall. Most bloom in spring or summer and are hardy to USDA hardiness zone 4.

3. Damask Rose

The Damask rose (Rosa x damascena) is an ancient hybrid that is famed for its intense fragrance and delicate ballerina-pink blossoms. It is considered by many to be the queen of flowers.

The fragrance of the Damask rose is sweet and honey-like, with spicy and cognac notes. The scent is so robust that it is often used in perfumes and essential oils. It is a climbing rose that can grow to 7 feet (2m) tall and 3 feet (1m) wide in USDA zones 4-9.

4. Ivy Geraniums

Ivy geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum) are easy to grow and produce bright and beautiful blossoms. They do double duty in the garden, contributing both as a beautiful climbing plant and by repelling mosquitoes. But that’s not all. Their strong fragrance also repels other unpleasant bugs like ants, whiteflies, spider mites, aphids, Japanese beetles, thrips, and cockroaches.

Although they are called climbing geraniums, they also can cascade beautifully. Planted in full sun in well-draining soil, these geraniums grow vigorously and flower for long periods, making them a top choice for vertical gardening in USDA zones 9-11.

Ticks don’t wander randomly — they sit at the edge of vegetation and wait. Creating a barrier around your yard cuts off the route they use to cross from wild areas into your lawn, and it takes an afternoon to install.

Most tick encounters in a yard don’t happen out in the open lawn. Ticks want humidity and cover, so the real pressure point is the perimeter — wherever mowed grass runs into brush, shrubs, leaf litter, or a tree line. That’s where they sit and wait. It’s also where an intervention actually does something.

The strategy behind preventing ticks in the landscape is straightforward: create conditions ticks don’t want to cross. A dry, exposed barrier of wood chips or bark mulch does exactly that. Ticks tend to avoid open ground where they’re exposed. A strip of wood chips laid along the perimeter of the lawn acts as a zone that’s unfavorable to them.

How the Tick Barrier Works

Ticks desiccate fast. Unlike many insects, they can’t regulate water loss, which makes dry open surfaces absolutely hostile rather than just inconvenient. Wood chips tend to dry out more quickly on the surface than soil and don’t hold the cool, shaded humidity ticks need to survive in transit. A three-foot (90cm) strip isn’t an absolute barrier, but it’s wide enough that most ticks won’t attempt the crossing. They’ll stay on the shaded, vegetated side where conditions suit them.

The barrier also works as a visual boundary that separates managed lawn from the wilder areas where ticks breed and shelter. Keeping that edge clean and defined, rather than letting grass gradually blur into brush, removes the gradual transition zone ticks rely on to move inward. A maintained chip strip makes clear where the yard ends and the habitat begins, and ticks tend to stay on their side of it.

Building a Tick Barrier

Run the barrier along the edges where tick pressure is actually coming from. This includes where the lawn meets wooded areas, overgrown borders, brush piles, or any dense vegetation that stays shaded and damp.

It doesn’t need to circle the entire yard, just the sections that border habitat where ticks breed and shelter. Before laying chips, mow or clear the strip down to bare ground so the barrier sits on a clean base rather than over existing vegetation. It is also important to remove honeysuckle, which is a big tick-magnet because it draws in deer and holds humidity.

Lay landscape fabric down first if you want the barrier to stay functional longer—without it, wood chips can break down into organic matter over a few seasons and can eventually become tick-friendly habitat themselves. Landscape fabric from Amazon pinned flat before adding chips extends the barrier’s effective life and limits weed growth through the strip.

Add three to four inches (7–10cm) of wood chips or shredded bark on top, keeping the full three-foot (90cm) width. Top up the chips every season or two as they break down—the ongoing maintenance is minimal. Pine bark nuggets, available from Home Depot, or playground mulch are good options.

Reduce Mouse Habitat Near the Perimeter

The wood chip barrier handles the crossing problem, but ticks don’t appear at the perimeter on their own, they arrive on hosts. White-footed mice are among the primary carriers of the Lyme disease bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi and sometimes B. mayonii) and they’re common in most suburban and rural settings. Reducing the habitat that shelters mice near the yard’s edges addresses the tick population closer to its source, rather than just blocking movement after the fact.

Brush piles, wood stacked directly on the ground, dense low shrubs against the fence line, and accumulated leaf litter along borders are all mouse habitat. Moving wood off the ground onto a rack and clearing debris from the perimeter removes shelter without major effort.

It won’t eliminate mice from the area, but it makes the immediate perimeter less useful as nesting territory. That has a real effect on how many ticks are lurking nearby.

Keep Deer Out of the Garden

Adult blacklegged ticks use deer as their primary reproductive host. A single animal moving through a yard can be carrying several of them, dropping ticks along the way that then sit and wait for whatever comes next. Keeping deer out doesn’t just protect plants. It cuts down on how many ticks get introduced into the immediate area in the first place, which is a different kind of protection than the barrier provides. Fencing is the most reliable method, but deer-resistant planting along the perimeter helps in lower-pressure situations.

A deer fencing needs to be at least eight feet (2.4m) tall to reliably deter deer, which isn’t practical everywhere. Motion-activated deterrents, strong-scented repellent plants, and double-fence systems that exploit deer’s reluctance to jump into confined spaces are alternatives that work in some settings.

Deer repellent spray from Home Depot can be applied around the perimeter and reapplied after rain. It's a lower-effort option that reduces deer incursion without permanent installation. It’s not foolproof, but combined with the chip barrier and reduced mouse habitat, it adds another layer to an already effective system.

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming of a bug-free garden? This sort of thing happens to me when I find half of my favorite rose eaten by worms, or aphids sucking the life juices out of gorgeous hosta leaves. But of course, every bug has a purpose in Mother Nature’s universe.

Let’s face it: a natural, healthy ecosystem has bugs, a wide variety of bugs, including aphids. Yes, a whole lot of aphids can overwhelm and destroy a fragile plant, but they also serve an important role in the landscape. (I try to remember this when I find aphids crowding the underside of a leaf.)

Those aphids are necessary to feed other insects, beneficial insects, that will show up in your yard to eat those aphids.

Good Bugs vs. Bad Bugs

We humans tend to divide the world into good and bad. The things that make our immediate lives easier are the good things. Those things that are immediately annoying or pesky, are bad. But the earth’s greater wisdom is that there is a purpose for everything, including bugs.

While pests in the garden – from mosquitoes to snakes – can alarm us, each one is a part of the natural ecosystem. Bats eat mosquitoes (up to 100 a night) and so do birds, dragonflies, and certain fish. Hawks, eagles, bigger snakes and hedgehogs eat snakes.

Aphids Are Important, Too!

What about aphids? They suck the juices out of your new tender plant growth and new stems, including tomatoes, peppers, citrus fruits and roses. Aphids produce a waste product called honeydew, which attracts ants. Honeydew also promotes fungus growth, and transmits plant viruses. All this is bad news for the garden.

You can always use an organic insecticidal soap, available from Amazon. But lots of very beneficial insects eat aphids. These include ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings. The fact that you have aphids in your garden means that those beneficial insects will come into your backyard and enhance the overall health of your garden.

Benefits of Pests in the Garden

You want to have a natural ecosystem in your landscape, including a wide variety of different bugs, some of whom will qualify as pests. That’s because nature contains its own checks and balances. Pests attract their natural predators, and those predators will not only help contain the population of those pests, but others as well. For example, ladybugs will eat up some of your aphids, but will also kill and consume mealybugs and mites.

When biologists talk about biodiversity, this is what they have in mind. Biodiversity in a garden refers to the variety of life forms that live there. These can include plants, insects, animals, and microorganisms too that all exist together in a garden ecosystem. By allowing “bad” bugs, you are allowing biodiversity. That biodiversity makes your garden healthier by making it resilient and supporting important ecosystem services like pollination and pest control.

Plants Are Tougher Than You Think

Yes, you say, natural ecosystems and biodiversity is great, but what about the damage those pests are doing to my plants? It’s not a good reason to bring out the pesticide spray. Almost all plants are more tolerant of pests than you think. Most can recover from losing leaves without significantly reducing their productivity. There are a few tomato varieties that can lose up to one third of their leaves without affecting their fruit yield.

I know this to be true. Once I had a ficus tree in the garden that started losing its leaves one summer as a result of pests and sunshine. The majority of the foliage yellowed and fell. But after the first cool weather of autumn, new little leaf buds showed up on the branches. And, over time, the tree filled with leaves.

Long-Term Advantages

Increasing the variety of insects in the garden immediately increases biodiversity. It also encourages predator insects to come into your landscape, providing additional food for birds and small mammals.

But what are the longer term advantages of learning to tolerate insect pests in the garden? One of them is a dramatic reduction in chemical use. The more people in a neighborhood who decide to allow a greater range of insects in their landscape, the less toxins are used in that neighborhood. Decreasing pesticide use benefits both the plants and the people and animals living in the area.

Ah, spring. As the days get warmer and longer, many of us are spending more time outdoors. Backyard barbecues with friends and family are a wonderful way to welcome the season.

You’re trying to sit back, relax and enjoy your evening, when all of a sudden you hear this agitating, buzzing noise. Flies. They’re almost as bad as mosquitoes for ruining an outdoor gathering.

In addition to being annoying, flies can spread diseases. Luckily, there are some fly repelling herbs and plants you can grow around your garden to help control flies. Let’s dig in and explore how to keep flies from crashing your party!

1. Petunias

Petunias are perfect for container plantings and hanging baskets and they will help to repel flies, too. Who knew that such a pretty, billowy annual flower could be a bully to pests! Their scent and hairy, sticky stems and leaves help send flies, mosquitoes, and other garden pests packing.

Plant petunias in pots or baskets with well-draining soil. They will flower all the way through to the first frost especially if you deadhead petunias regularly. Find a 3-pack of brightly colored petunias at Lowe’s.

2. Basil

Growing basil for use in your home cooked cuisine is low effort and high reward. And, surprisingly, basil also repels flies! Plant basil in window boxes and its strong fragrance will keep flies from entering your open windows. You can also take a leaf and rub it on your skin to keep flies and mosquitoes from coming after you.

You can also blend fresh leaves with some vodka, strain out any large bits of leaf, and place the mix in a spray bottle to mist your patio and yourself. Basil is perfect for growing in containers and you can find sweet Italian basil seeds from Amazon.

3. Lavender

Lavender has a wonderful scent that is attractive to humans and bees, but flies will steer clear. Pot up some lavender in a container garden or use some to make an herbal salve to keep pests off of you.

Deadheading lavender after the first flowering will promote more blooms so you can extend the flowering period and the fly repelling abilities. English lavender seeds from Sow Right Seeds can be found on Amazon.

4. Rue

Probably the strongest fly repelling plant you can use is rue. Unlike lavender and basil, you should not rub it on your skin or ingest it because it can cause skin irritation and is toxic if eaten. Plant rue in containers around your patio and its strong aroma will banish flies from your summer gatherings.

You can even dry some rue cuttings and hang them around your porch to keep flies away. Placing dried rue in a cloth sachet allows you to use it indoors wherever you’d like to repel insects, too. Rue’s delicate yellow flowers will look lovely in a cottage garden setting and it also keeps Japanese beetles away. You can find rue seeds from the Seeds Needs Store on Amazon.

More Ways to Repel Flies

Wasps are territorial enough that the sight of an existing nest nearby can send a scouting queen elsewhere. A stuffed paper bag hung under the eaves costs nothing and can redirect the problem before it starts.

Most social wasp species—yellowjackets, paper wasps, and several hornet species—won’t establish a new colony within about 20 feet (6m) of an existing one. The competition for foraging territory and the risk of conflict make it not worth the effort. That territorial instinct is exactly what a fake nest exploits, and a convincing decoy hung early enough in the season can steer scout wasps toward someone else’s yard before they’ve had a chance to settle in.

This isn’t a substitute for knowing how to get rid of wasps once a nest is already built—it’s a preventative step, and the window for it is narrow. Timing matters more than the decoy itself, and placement matters nearly as much. Get both right and a brown paper bag can do a surprising amount of work.

The Paper Bag Method

A standard brown paper lunch bag is the most common starting point when wasp-proofing your patio or porch. Stuff it with crumpled newspaper or plastic bags until it holds a rough oval shape—something close to the elongated teardrop profile of a hornet nest. Tie off the top with twine, leaving enough length to hang it, then crinkle and scrunch the outer surface so it loses the flat, new-bag look. The goal is a gray-ish, papery, irregular surface that reads as “nest” from a distance rather than “bag.” (You can also purchase a ready-made decoy wasp nest from Amazon).

It doesn’t need to fool anyone up close. Scout wasps are doing a quick visual survey of a site—they’re not conducting a thorough inspection. The shape and general texture are what trigger the territorial response, not fine detail. A bag that’s been roughed up a bit and hung in a visible spot under shelter tends to be convincing enough. Some people paint theirs grey or add pencil marks to suggest the papery cell pattern, which probably helps, though it’s not clear it makes a meaningful difference. Get brown paper lunch bags from Amazon or your local grocery store.

Why Timing Is Critical

The fake nest strategy works on scouting wasps looking to set up a new nest of their own. Specifically they work on the queens that emerge in spring and spend a few weeks surveying potential nesting sites before committing. That window runs roughly from early April through May depending on the climate, and it’s the only time this approach has real leverage. A queen that sees what looks like an occupied territory nearby will typically move on and look elsewhere rather than risk a conflict she doesn’t need.

Once a colony is established, the decoy loses most of its value. Workers from an active nest will eventually investigate the fake one, figure out it’s not real, and stop reacting to it entirely. By that point the territorial deterrent has already failed—the nest is built and the decoy is just decoration. The bag needs to go up before wasps have started building, which in most regions means sometime in March or early April at the latest. Get it up early or don’t bother.

Where to Hang Paper Bag

The fake nest needs to stay dry and stay visible to keep yellowjackets and wasps from nesting in your yard. A spot under a deck overhang, porch eave, patio umbrella rib, or pergola beam works well—somewhere sheltered from direct rain but out in the open where a passing scout would actually see it. Tucking it behind a pot or under dense foliage defeats the purpose. If the location where wasps typically become a problem has a specific overhang or corner they tend to favor, that’s the right spot for the decoy.

Hang one decoy per potential nesting zone rather than clustering several together—multiple “nests” in the same small area doesn’t read as more convincing, and it may actually undermine the effect by looking unnatural. One bag per patio corner, one under the deck, one near the front entry if wasps have been an issue there. Space them out so each one covers a distinct area. The 20-foot (6m) deterrence radius is a rough guide, not a hard boundary, but it’s a useful starting point for spacing.

When a Paper Bag Isn’t Enough

The paper bag version works, but it has a practical lifespan. Rain eventually softens it, wind can tear it, and after a season or two the whole thing needs replacing. For anyone who’d rather not re-stuff a bag every spring, crocheted or fabric decoy nests hold their shape considerably better and can be reused for several seasons without much upkeep. Commercial versions like the Wasp Out decoy nest are designed specifically for this purpose and are built to weather outdoor conditions. A Wasp Out fake wasp nest from Amazon is worth considering for a permanent spot that’s been a recurring problem year after year.

The underlying principle is the same regardless of which version gets used. What varies is durability and how much effort the setup takes each season. A paper bag costs nothing and takes five minutes; a fabric or commercial decoy costs a few dollars and lasts considerably longer. Either way, the decoy only earns its place if it goes up before the scouts show up—that part doesn’t change.

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Some pests are hard to hate - like rabbits nibbling the lettuce leaves. But slugs? Slippery, slimy slugs? There is nothing cute or cuddly about them, plus they can decimate your favorite foliage plants as well as seedlings and garden crops.

Yes, there are chemicals you can buy to kill garden slugs and snails, but we’re all trying to keep toxics out of the garden. So let’s get creative. We’ve pulled together the best weird and wonderful hacks we know for “dealing with” slugs in the backyard.

Slugging It Out

Before we get around to ways to eliminate slugs from your garden, it’s a good idea to remember all the harm they can cause. They are not evil creatures, intent on mischief, just hungry terrestrial mollusks. And their preferred food happens to be the tender leaves and foliage of your garden plants. One slug alone can eat big, ragged holes in leaves, but a group of slugs can do even more significant damage.

Slug favorites include soft-leafed plants like hostas, strawberries, lettuce, and cabbage. Seedlings are also favorites. They are tender and can be entirely consumed by a slug. Vegetables and fruit in the garden are also vulnerable. If you aren’t sure your plant damage is due to slugs, look for slime on your plants and also in the soil nearby. The slime trails are more visible in the early morning.

6 Weird (But Effective) Slug Hacks

I've rounded up six of the most effective slug control methods that you may not have heard of. Try them out and see how well they work!

1. Wood Plank Slug Trap

Many of these hacks are not for the squeamish, and this one is included. That’s because they are ways to lure the slugs to a handy pick-up spot. That way, in the early morning you can pluck them up and toss them in the compost or somewhere far from the garden.

To create a slug trap board, water the ground well, then lay wood planks (or large pieces of cardboard) on the soil around your garden plants. A fine grouping of slugs should be gathered beneath the board or cardboard. Pick them up, take them away, then put the trap back in place to get more the next day.

2. Grapefruit Skins

Slugs like it cool and moist and a grapefruit trap will lure them in. Cut a grapefruit (or cantaloupe or coconut) in two, eat out the fruit, then position the remaining shells in the garden. They seem custom-made for slugs to hang out in.

The slugs are attracted to their shape, smell, and cool, moist interior. They use them as lounge sofas overnight, so come morning, you can collect and toss them.

3. Beer Traps

You may like beer, but even if that's not the case, you know lots of people who do. Will it surprise you that slugs like beer as well? That leads us to the slug-be-gone hack: beer traps. Slugs love beer so much that they will not just get drunk, but drown themselves in the brew.

Here’s how to “load” a beer trap: get a container - at least a few inches deep. For best results, dig a hole and sink the container into the ground. Then fill it with beer and you’ll have less slugs in the morning. Replace the beer every morning until things are under control.

4. Diatomaceous Earth

I think of diatomaceous earth (DE) as “diabolical” earth. It is a natural substance, silica-based, and crumbles into fine powder. This powder is abrasive, like pumice powder, and, as a result of its high porosity, it sucks up any moisture that it encounters. Slugs hate it. They avoid crossing a barrier of DE. That makes it a great, easy slug-barrier.

Build a “wall” of food-quality DE, as wide as your palm when dry weather is expected. This is an effective and non-toxic way of controlling slugs, since it injures and dehydrates their outer skin. You can find food-grade diatomaceous earth from P.F. Harris on Amazon.

5. Copper Barriers

Slugs don’t really like to cross copper surfaces, and this can have a protective effect in the garden. It is said that slugs can feel something like a slight electric shock when they touch copper, so they avoid it.

The way to use this in your garden is to use copper tape or copper rings around your plants. The copper tape needs to be 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide to work best. Don’t bet the bank account on this though. In my experience, slugs may not love copper, but they may cross it if there is food on the other side. Like with many other types of pest control, using multiple methods together will yield the best results. Find 3-inch wide copper tape at Amazon.

6. Chickens, anyone?

An obvious way to rid your garden of slugs is to bring in predators who enjoy eating them. Your friends and family are not likely to qualify here, but if you’ve ever thought of having chickens or ducks in your yard, they will act as pest control.

No can do with the chickens? You might be more open to putting in a pond that will attract amphibians, like toads or frogs. They like to eat slugs too. Other slug predators include garter snakes, turtles and salamanders.

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Nothing ruins a summer gathering faster than wasps buzzing around. Wasps are attracted to the food and drinks we humans like to enjoy outside on our porches and patios, and their stings can be dangerous. Wasps will set up nests under eaves and in trees near ideal locations with easy access to food. Your backyard barbecues are an enticing buffet for wasps.

By mid-summer, many homeowners are researching how to kill wasps, but what if there was a way to stop them before they even settled in? Well, you’re in luck. Spring is the perfect time to begin wasp-proofing your outdoor areas before they build their nests.

There are a few changes you can make to your yard and habits that will keep wasps and yellowjackets away. And there are even some cheap and effective things like using fake wasp nests, this one is from Amazon, to ensure they won’t set up shop on your porch. Keep reading to learn more about how to repel wasps before summer is in full swing.

What Attracts Wasps?

Unfortunately, many of the things we love are also loved by wasps and yellowjackets. Wasps are great pollinators and do important things like break down animal carcasses in nature, but this also makes them attracted to the flowers and vegetables we plant and the tasty meats we enjoy at our backyard picnics.

Wasps are also attracted to sugary beverages that may get spilled on the patio and any fallen fruit from trees and shrubs in our yards. Wasps feast on spiders, aphids, and other insects that might be hanging out in our plants or on our homes.

Deter Wasps with a Decoy Nest

Spring is the ideal time to deter wasps from building nests near or on your home. Scouts begin looking for new areas to set up a nest in the spring and the nest will be well established by early summer. The key to successful wasp deterrence is to act early.

Wasps are beneficial insects in our environment, but their stings can be harmful or even deadly and it is best to try and deter them before they become a problem. Keeping wasps away from the areas you and your family use outside can be as simple as setting up a decoy nest. Wasps and hornets are territorial so, the theory goes, if wasps think there is already a nest of hornets at your home, they won’t build their nest near it. This technique only works for nest-dwelling wasps and hornets. It will not be effective for types of wasps that nest in the ground.

A decoy nest made from a brown paper bag will make wasps think twice before nesting in your home. You can even purchase a pre-made fake hornet nest from Amazon and hang it under the eaves of your home or under your covered porch. A pre-made fake hornet nest has the advantage of being able to be reused year after year. But you can make a brown paper bag decoy nest in a pinch.

Make a Decoy Nest From a Brown Paper Bag

1. Stuff a simple brown paper lunch bag, like these from Amazon, with newspaper or any other materials you have laying around.
2. Tie off the top of the bag with string or a twist tie.
3. Hang the bag under the eaves of your house or under a covered porch so it is protected from rain.

Other Ways to Keep Wasps Away

Placing a fake nest in spring before wasps move in is a great way to protect your outdoor living areas from these stinging pests, but there are other measures you should take, too. Wasp deterrence needs to be a multi-faceted endeavor for the best results.

Keep Outdoor Areas Clean

• Clean up any spilled food or drinks. Wasps and yellowjackets are attracted to sugary foods and beverages and also meat products.
• Pick up any fallen fruit in your yard with something like the Garden Weasel large nut gatherer, available on Amazon.
• Keep trash cans clean and closed tightly.
• Clear away spider webs hiding under your eaves and treat aphid infestations so wasps aren’t lured in with a buggy meal.

Plant Thoughtfully

Wasps are important pollinators, but you may not want to draw them to your porch with the flowers that you are planting. Wasps love yarrow, Queen Anne’s lace, fennel, sunflowers, raspberries, and goldenrod, so avoid planting these near areas you and your family gather.

Looking to use plants that wasps hate to further repel them from your patio? Plant wormwood, marigolds, mint, spearmint, thyme, basil, lemongrass, and geraniums in pots around your patio to keep wasps away.

Wasp Removal

If wasps do end up making a home on your home, there are some steps you can take. Creating a DIY wasp trap can be done quickly and with things you probably already have laying around. A 2-liter bottle, some dish soap, water, and grape jelly will draw the wasps in and drown them. Or you can purchase a wasp, hornet, and yellowjacket trap from Amazon or your local hardware store. If wasps have set up a substantial nest, call an exterminator to remove the nest safely so you are not stung by the wasps.

Gardeners work hard all spring and summer preparing, planting and tending their vegetable gardens to ensure they have a delicious harvest when the time comes. Unfortunately, the appearance of veggie garden pests can make all that hard work even harder.

Whether you have a single, small raised vegetable bed, or a massive plot of edible delights, bugs, slugs, birds, and mammals can take a toll on your plants. Spring is the time to install preventive barriers and get your pest arsenal ready for when you transplant veggie starts outside. Luckily, there are some easy and natural steps to get rid of vegetable garden pests after they strike, too.

Keep reading to learn about the best natural methods for preventing and dealing with pests in your raised bed vegetable garden. I have four fool-proof tricks that will help beginners and garden gurus alike!

1. The Fortress Method (For Birds, Bugs, and Mammals)

The best way to keep your garden pest free without the use of harsh chemical pesticides is installing a barrier. You won’t have to use any sprays if the pests never make it to your produce! I have protected seedlings with cheap garden cloches, aka plastic colanders, with great success. However, they only work while the seedlings are small. There are cuter and larger wire garden cloches available from Amazon which will keep seedlings and young plants safe from birds, squirrels, and groundhogs.

Once your plants get bigger, a taller cover will allow them to keep growing while still staying protected from bugs, birds, and pesky critters. Vego Garden has an awesome mesh cover system that works with their raised garden beds, but also can be used with other types of raised beds or even inground plantings.

2. Double-Duty Natural Remedy (For Aphids and Mites)

No matter how well you cover and protect your raised bed veggies, some pests will slip through. Pests often overwinter underground and can pop up underneath whatever barrier you have chosen. Enter, neem oil. Neem oil is a naturally derived vegetable oil of the neem tree. It is incredibly helpful for pest control and also battling fungal infections in your garden.

It treats infestations of mealybugs, thrips, aphids, mites, cabbage worms, leaf miners, caterpillars, and more, but doesn't harm birds, worms, honey bees, or ladybugs. And if your cucumber plants always get powdery mildew (like mine) neem oil will knock that out too! You can find neem oil from Amazon or your local garden center.

3. The Powder Barrier (For Crawling Insects)

If your garden suffers from crawling pests like cucumber beetles, cutworms, ants, or Japanese beetles, diatomaceous earth is a great way to control populations. Pair diatomaceous earth (DE) with netting to really up your chances of winning the bug battle. Sprinkle it around the edge of your raised vegetable beds to create a deadly barrier for bugs. DE is made of ground up diatoms, which are fossilized aquatic organisms. When the powder is dusted on plants and surfaces, crawling insects get cut up by the tiny fossils which cause them to dry out and die. You can find food-grade diatomaceous earth from Amazon or your local garden store.

Safety note: While DE is a safe and non-toxic mechanical pest control, the powder can still hurt your lungs if you inhale it, so wear a dust mask when using. It also doesn’t discriminate between beneficial insects and pests, so use wisely.

4. The Shock Barrier (For Slugs & Snails)

Slugs and snails can wreak havoc in a vegetable bed. You go to bed with a wonderful patch of lettuce and wake up to utter destruction the next morning. Creating a snail and slug trap is a great way to draw them away from your plants, but a simple ring of copper tape will protect your beds even further. I had never heard of this until recently, but copper reacts with the mucus of slugs and snails which results in what feels like an electrical shock to them.

Apply a 3-inch (7.62 cm) line of copper tape around the rim of your raised bed or plant pots and slugs and snails will steer clear. It doesn’t harm them, just keeps them out! You can find copper tape from Amazon. I’m very excited to try this one myself!

Shop Pest-Proofing Essentials

You’ve probably used tin foil for many things, from wrapping baked potatoes to wrapping a holiday gift. Why not try wrapping plant stems in the garden as a means of pest protection? It’s an effective, inexpensive way to keep certain pests from garden favorites.

Wrapping plants in tinfoil is not the best known method of natural pest control, but it’s having a moment. After all, anything you can use to put a barrier between pests and plants can deter them. But the concept of wrapped plants is not without its downsides.

Read on for an honest “wrap up” of what you need to know about using tinfoil in the continuing battle against plant pests.

How to Use Foil for Pest Control

A gardener has to be creative these days when it comes to deterring plant pests. The recommended sprays can be toxic, fencing is impractical, and picking off bugs by hand is not an option for the squeamish.

Using tinfoil in the garden as a bug repelling plant collar is certainly a creative idea. It may not be a permanent solution but it’s certainly worth a try. The general idea is to wrap foil around the plant stems to keep bugs out.

Keeping Pests from Attaching Tender Stems

This gardening technique is used to protect tender plant stems from garden pests. The idea is to wrap 2-3 inch (5-7cm) strips of foil around the base of the main stem. The foil acts as a barrier against certain insect pests, like vine borers, cutworms, and squash bugs. You’ll need to start the foil just below the soil line.

The protection is versatile; it works in different ways on different bugs. A tinfoil wrap that starts in the soil will prevent moths from laying squash vine borer eggs on squash and cucumber stems. The same setup also stops cutworm larvae from using young stems as dinner, and prevents squash bugs from attacking the lower, softer parts of the plant. If you’d like to try this one, be careful not to wrap the foil so tightly it impedes growth.

Confusing Insects with Reflected Sunlight

I personally have never had squash bugs, vine borers or cutworms in the garden. My plants do seem to attract aphids however, as well as whiteflies. While these insects may be too small and mobile to be kept off plants by a ring around the base of the stem, the shiny side of the foil may also repel them.

If you wrap your plants with tinfoil and leave the shiny side out, it will reflect the sunlight. This reflected UV light confuses these insects, making it harder for winged aphids to find and feed on a plant. In fact, you don’t have to wrap plants at all to make this happen. If you cut strips of foil and hang them near the plant, you get the same effect. Some recommend adding strips of foil to your mulch.

Note that it’s not a good practice to wrap leaves, since they need sunlight. Likewise, you’ll have to remove the tinfoil when frost arrives; they create a home for fungus like powdery mildew. You should also be sure to not wet the stems of plants wrapped with foil for the same reason. Using a drip irrigation system like this one from Amazon will help keep all the moisture at soil level and reduce the chances of fungal infections.

Wall Out Slugs and Snails

Aluminum foil can also be used against slugs and snails. Now this one interests me, since both of these garden pests attack my plants both in California and in France. The idea is to create a slippery surface that stops slugs and snails in their tracks.

Both snails and slugs are ground insects, sliding along the soil to find plants to eat. If you wrap sheets of foil around the base of plants in your garden, you are installing a shiny, slippery surface that these creatures do not want to crawl on.

To create a barrier, place large strips of tinfoil on the soil around them and pin them in place with rocks. If you are planting in a raised bed, cover the walls in tinfoil to bar entry to snails and slugs. You can also protect potted plants by wrapping their containers in aluminum foil.

Downsides and Drawbacks

Using aluminum foil for garden pest control is not without issues. Generally, you should consider it a temporary solution since it requires daily maintenance (to make sure the foil remains in place) and creates non-biodegradable waste. Here are a few downsides to consider.

• If you wrap the foil too tightly, your plants may not be able to grow.
• Tightly wrapped foil can damage the bark and hold in moisture that leads to rot.
• Reflected light can cause leaf burn, especially as summer temperatures rise.
• The foil can scare off beneficial insects as well as the pests you want to deter.
• Wind, rain, and rodents can dislodge or tear the foil, requiring replacement.
• Determined insects may push their way through to your plants despite tinfoil.

If you are looking for a new, creative way to stop pests, give this foil trick a try. Just be sure to keep an eye on your plants to mitigate any problems that may arise. It is worth a shot!

Japanese barberry has been a favorite landscaping shrub for years, but its dense, humid thickets shelter far more black-legged ticks than native plants do, raising Lyme disease risk around homes—pulling it out cuts down tick numbers and makes yards safer.

Japanese barberry spread across landscapes because it handled tough spots nobody else wanted. Shady corners, dry slopes, deer-prone areas—it took them all without complaint. Those thorny branches and reliable color kept it in nurseries for decades.

The same features that made it popular create prime tick territory, though. Dense growth near the ground traps moisture and blocks wind, giving ticks the cool, humid cover they need. Preventing ticks in the landscape often comes down to breaking up those exact conditions barberry builds so well. Controlling Japanese barberry will help to reduce tick populations in your area and also support native wildlife better than this invasive does.

Why Japanese Barberry Caught On

Gardeners grabbed Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) for problem areas that other plants wouldn’t tolerate. North-facing foundation beds that stayed dark and damp? It thrived. Rocky banks with thin soil? No issue. Property lines needing a natural deterrent? The thorns worked perfectly.

The plant basically asked for nothing once established—drought, shade, salt spray, compacted dirt, it handled the lot. Deer walked right past it, rabbits too. Colorful cultivars like 'Crimson Pygmy' brought red foliage to dull spots without extra work. For anyone planting tough sites on a budget, barberry felt like the easy fix that actually stayed put.

The Tick Connection

Black-legged ticks need humidity and shade to survive dry days. They hide in leaf litter, climb low branches waiting for hosts, and quest in protected spots. Japanese barberry delivers all of that in one dense package.

The shrub's arching branches pile up leaves underneath, building deep litter layers that ticks love. That canopy keeps the ground cooler and more moist than open areas around it. White-footed mice—the main Lyme bacteria carriers—nest safely inside the thorny thickets, infecting more ticks that drop off. On average barberry patches can host several times more ticks than nearby native shrub areas.

Identifying Japanese Barberry

Japanese barberry gets to 3-6 feet (1-2 m) tall, with branches that arch out and pile into those dense, rounded clumps—once you spot one, they jump out everywhere. The leaves are small and spoon-shaped, lining up alternately along the stems instead of opposite like on many shrubs. Right under each leaf sits a single sharp thorn that snags clothes or skin every single time.

Spring brings little clusters of tiny yellow flowers hanging underneath the branches. Then come the bright red berries that stick around through winter—birds grab them and scatter seeds all over. Leaves shift to orange-red in fall before they drop. Once it digs in, it shoves natives aside quickly, building thorny messes along roadsides, fences, and wooded edges.

Removing Japanese Barberry Safely

Removing invasive plants is important for the health of your local ecosystem and, in the case of ticks, human health. Small plants come out easiest after rain—grab low at the base wearing thick gloves and pull straight up. Roots usually release if soil stays loose. Larger shrubs fight back hard, resprouting from any root pieces left behind.

Cut the top growth first to make handling easier, then dig wide around the base to expose the root ball. A Fiskars mattock like this from Amazon or a digging bar helps pry stubborn roots free.

Heavy-duty thorn-proof gloves will save your hands from serious scratches during the job. Bag everything—stems, berries, roots—and dispose off-site. These abrasion- and puncture-resistant work gloves from Amazon will keep you safe during shrub removal.

For big stands, painting cut stumps with concentrated triclopyr like this from Amazon right away stops regrowth better than cutting alone. Please follow all safety instructions on the packaging when using chemical applications.

Native Alternatives to Barberry

Native shrubs step in for the same roles without building those thick, tick-loving hideouts. They handle rough spots, throw in color or berries, and actually help local wildlife instead of giving pests a home. Try some of these barberry substitutes in your yard.

• Inkberry Holly. Inkberry (Ilex glabra) keeps its leaves year-round and hits 3-6 feet (1-2 m) tall, matching barberry size-wise. It takes shade fine, wet or dry soil, and barely needs attention once settled. Deer mostly ignore it.
• Winterberry Holly. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) loses leaves but loads up with bright red berries that hang on all winter. It deals with soggy spots well and grows to about the same height. Birds go for the fruit without causing the spread problems.
• Northern Bayberry. Northern bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) has those aromatic leaves and waxy gray berries people use for candles. It shrugs off poor soil, salt, and drought, staying 5-8 feet (1.5-2.5 m) tall with a nice natural mound. Reliable native inkberry shrubs get going fast and handle the same jobs without the invasiveness or extra tick worries.

Why Removal Actually Matters

Lyme disease keeps showing up more where Japanese barberry has taken over. A single shrub probably won't move the needle much, but when whole neighborhoods are full of it, people run into ticks way more often. Pulling it out really disrupts that pattern.

Getting rid of barberry won't kill off every tick, but it hits their best hiding spots hard. Pair that with keeping grass short and clearing leaf litter regularly, and the drop in ticks happens quickly. The plant doesn't do anything useful for ecosystems anyway—ditching it boosts biodiversity, lowers tick risk, and makes room for natives that fit right in.

Whether you are hosting gatherings and parties indoors during the holidays or outside during the summer months, one of the biggest vibe killers is a flying insect that just won’t leave you alone. Somehow flies, gnats, and mosquitoes always seem to find a way to zero in on a party and ruin the fun.

You can plant fly repellent herbs and try to use various natural ways to get rid of mosquitoes but sometimes you need something a little quicker to solve the flying insect problem. No one wants a big fly buzzing around the charcuterie board!

Keep your holiday parties and backyard shindigs pest free with this top-rated KOOSA bug zapper from Amazon that is 36% off for Black Friday. It makes a great gift for that uncle who loves hosting family cookouts, too!

Pest Control in a Pinch

The bug zapper from KOOSA is conveniently rechargeable so you never have to dig through your junk drawer searching for batteries when you need pest control in a pinch. You can always have this zapper charged up and ready to go when you need it. It charges in just 2-3 hours. I plan on adding this zapper to my Amazon cart so I am ready to host bug-free parties next summer!

This pest control device is a nice alternative to slathering on bug spray or using other chemicals to repel flies and mosquitoes during backyard birthdays. It also has a safety guard around it so children and pets can’t come into contact with the electric device. And it is waterproof so you won’t accidentally ruin it if it stays out in a storm if you forget to bring it inside after your barbecue.

Additionally, this device can be used both indoors and outdoors. If you are like me, you are always baffled at how the world’s largest housefly has somehow survived in the dead of winter and made it into the house! This device will attract houseflies, gnats, fruit flies, and mosquitoes with its glow and take care of them quickly.

Best Usage

This bug zapper device will help you stay bug free when you need it, but it is still important to have a measured approach to pest control. While this device has an automatic shutoff that lets you leave it on all night, I wouldn’t recommend it. There are many important beneficial insects in our yards and gardens and this bug zapper isn’t able to discriminate between good and nuisance bugs.

I recommend only using this zapper as needed outdoors and turning it off when you go inside for the night. Flying insects and other creepy crawlies are important to our ecosystem and they are already being eliminated from our environment. You can prevent bugs ruining your gathering, but only using a zapper when absolutely necessary is important to the health of your local ecosystem. The moths, fireflies, and other pollinators will thank you!

Prepare for your winter holiday parties and outdoor fun next summer by grabbing this great Black Friday deal from Amazon!

Boxelder beetles will usually sneak into homes when the fall weather hits. Knowing how to keep boxelder beetles out requires you to do a bit of prep-work and planning. These red-and-black critters like to swarm when days start to get chilly, searching and hunting warm spots like your attics, walls, or under siding to hole up for the winter. They will slip right through any of the cracks and around windows, doors, vents, or baseboards, so it’s best that you deal with them thoroughly.

These common garden pests aren’t actually harmful, at all. But if you squash them you’ll be left with ugly stains and nasty smells on curtains, floors, or furniture like couches or tables. Fortunately, though, there are quite a few things that you can do to prevent this, and good fall pest control stops boxelder bugs from crawling onto windowsills, chairs, or countertops in the first place. Some work now can keep any pesky bugs from getting into your house later, saving you from endless sweeping or scrubbing all of those stinky stains.

Not only are you keeping annoying pests out, but you’re also making your home a fine spot to enjoy. Boxelder bug prevention products will help block those bugs tight. Then you can relax in the fall with no beetles disrupting your quiet nights.

Seal Entry Points with Insect-Proof Materials

Boxelder beetles sneak through tiny gaps, so sealing up is the first step to prevent bugs from entering the house. Use weather stripping and foam sealant for doors, windows, and vents. And an exterior-grade caulking seals gaps around siding, foundations, or pipe entries where beetles creep in.

Attic vents let beetles slip through, so placing metal mesh screens over the vents will keep them out. Check cracks near chimneys, soffits, or utility lines—it takes some work to do, but it’s worth it. A good seal not only stops boxelder beetles but also blocks ants or spiders, keeping your home ready for fall gatherings.

• Using a simple foam weather stripping around doors will seal gaps preventing boxelder beetles and gusty winds. This roll of weather stripping from Amazon is 33 feet (10 m) long.
• This Loctite spray foam sealant from Amazon will fill in gaps and cracks around windows, dryer vents, and it bonds to most building materials for a secure fill.
• Silicone caulk, like this all purpose caulk from Amazon, is waterproof, freeze proof, and resists sun damage.
• Cover attic vents with this sturdy stainless steel mesh from Amazon to keep out boxelder beetles while still allowing air flow.

Use Outdoor Insecticides and Natural Repellents

Some fall pest control for boxelder bugs can stop them before they get inside. Spray insecticides labeled for boxelder beetles, like this from Amazon, around the foundation, windows, and door frames—check labels to stay safe.

For a greener choice, homemade insecticidal soap or neem oil from Amazon does the job with some spraying on sunny fall days when the beetles congregate on the southern side of homes and sheds.

I also have had success using a squirt of dish soap and a splash of rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle filled with water. Just spray on the beetles and they quickly perish.

These organic pest control options treat beetles without hurting your garden or pets. Spray corners, under eaves, or near doorways where bugs pile up. Some effort to hit those spots keeps beetles from building up and sneaking into your home.

Clean Exterior Surfaces

Boxelder beetles leave messy residue and eggs on siding or patios, so cleaning stops trouble. Power wash exterior surfaces to blast away beetle traces that draw more in.

Clear gutters and rake leaf litter where bugs hide. It’s a chore, but skipping it may create problems. Check under rocks or wood piles, too. Some upkeep stops infestations early. Keeping things clean helps with fall pest control for boxelder bugs and keeps your place looking sharp.

Use Traps and Indoor Deterrents for Stragglers

If boxelder beetles get inside, vacuuming them up works. Suck them up carefully with a hose attachment to avoid smelly stains on carpets or walls. Sticky traps near windows, baseboards, or doorways snag stragglers with some quick setup. Place them in corners, near lights, or by vents where bugs wander—it’s simple and works.

There are ultrasonic pest repellers that are sold as a cure all for keeping pests out of your home, but the science doesn't back up their claims. You are better saving your money and using lower tech boxelder beetle control methods.

Maintain Nearby Vegetation

Boxelder bugs feed on boxelder trees and maple trees, so you’ll want to trim branches well away from your house. Cut branches touching roofs, walls, or eaves. If infestations are really bad, professional tree removal might be an unfortunate last resort.

Just a bit of planning makes your yard less pest-friendly. Smart trimming and a few boxelder bug prevention products not only cut down on bugs but also keep your garden looking great.

Boxelder beetles show up in homes during fall. With a little effort, like sealing any cracks or applying sprays, you can prevent them from taking over your home.

Overwintering bugs make gardening tough, hiding to dodge winter and attack your plants. They lurk in debris or your home, ready to chew crops come spring. A no-brainer fall cleanup trashes their bug hideouts to prevent bugs in winter.

Pick fall pest control tricks that fit your garden, guarding greens or blooms. Blocking their crash pads stops common garden pests from overwintering and causing chaos.

Preventing bugs in winter depends on your garden setup. Clean beds and sealed structures stop overwintering bugs from slipping through cracks. Combine cleanup with barriers, and your garden stays protected all year.

Why Gardeners Should Worry About Overwintering Bugs

Overwintering bugs are pests that hunker down to beat cold months, and they’re patient little things. While the garden sleeps, Japanese beetles, aphids, and other damaging pests bury down in the mess—inside stems, under leaves, anywhere that stays dry. By spring, they crawl back out like nothing happened, ready to bite holes through the first fresh shoots. Some invade houses through vents or windowsills, becoming a real hassle. Fall pest control stops them fast, keeping your plot and home ready for planting season.

Fall Garden Cleanup: Your First Line of Defense

Clean up the garden to prevent bugs in winter. Leaf piles and rotting fruit hide squash bugs or earwigs ready to strike. Rake leaves and pull dead annuals to trash their bug hideouts. Once frost rolls in, roses and other perennials make perfect bunkers for stink bugs. Cut them back before the bugs dig in. Keep bugs out of your compost heap with a DIY anti-bug spray. And be sure to place your compost bin far from the house. Turn the compost pile often so nothing nests inside. Bag the rest for pickup—or burn it if you’re allowed. This blocks overwintering pests from hanging out in your plot.

Inspect Garden Structures and Entry Points

Check garden setups to stop overwintering pests from crashing through winter. Greenhouses, sheds, and raised garden beds hide bugs in tiny gaps. Spiders love wood joints, so slap caulk on cracks to seal them. Ants or termites slip through foundation splits near beds, so inspect closely. Clear mulch piles touching walls; pest eggs often lurk there. Poke around pots for hidden larvae. Cleaning used flower pots and containers now will ensure that your plants next year will have fewer pests problems. Thorough fall checks can help to keep these spots from turning into pest haven for spring.

Use Plants and Natural Methods to Deter Pests

• Mint: Likes shady, moist areas, releasing menthol to repel aphids and moths.
• Lavender: Likes sunny, dry spots, emitting linalool to disrupt beetle behavior.
• Chrysanthemums: Likes bright locations, producing pyrethrins to eliminate stink bugs.
• Garlic: Likes sunny spots in the garden and emits sulfur compounds to deter spider mites.
• Rosemary: Likes dry, sunny patches, releasing camphor to repel ants effectively.
• Marigolds: Likes humid areas, secreting thiophenes to deter whiteflies and attract pollinators.
• Borage: Likes moist conditions, growing bristly hairs to block slugs. Borage also attracts beneficial bees.
• Onions: Like sunny beds, releasing sulfur to repel weevils and other pests.
• Sage: Likes dry, sunny spots, emitting oils to deter moths and beetles.
• Petunias: Likes bright areas, producing scents to repel aphids and attract beneficial predators.

Plant these pest-chasing picks near your house to deter overwintering bugs. Spread diatomaceous earth, like this food grade kind on Amazon, around beds to slice pests like tiny blades. Neem oil hinders insects' ability to feed on your plants and can be found on Amazon or at your local garden center.

My go-to product for heavy infestation, or even just prevention, is STEM Plant and Garden Spray. It is naturally plant derived, and can be found on Amazon, as well. Row covers block moths from laying eggs in your beds. Sticky traps snag beetles before they settle in. Hand-pick slugs at dusk to clear your plants or set up a slug trap overnight.

Cedar mulch has a scent that chases ants away from beds. Insecticidal soap sprays smother soft-bodied pests like aphids. Bird feeders bring sparrows to eat bugs. These fall pest control moves will give you a clean garden without harsh chemicals.

Keep the Garden from Becoming a Gateway to Your House

Your garden can turn into a pest freeway to your home without care. Keep shrubs one foot (0.3 m) from exterior walls to reduce the chance pests will make the leap from plants to your home. Store firewood and tools 20 feet (6.1 m) away, so bugs don’t use them as bridges.

Even changing your lighting can help. Using yellow lights draws fewer moths than white lights. Turn off your outdoor lights when you go to bed to further help reduce insect activity near your house (this also helps migrating birds!).

Following these simple steps will shut down overwintering bugs and keep your house and plot pest free.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore the autumn and winter months. There are so many reasons why: the gorgeous leaves shifting color, people putting up sparkling lights, looking forward to making batches of baked goods that fill the kitchen with festive smells.

But what I dislike the most is pests coming into my home. I swear they always seem to find a way, even if I’m keeping a watchful eye. Pests love the warmth inside a house in fall and winter. And I don’t blame them! But I wish they wouldn’t make their way into my home where they're unwanted guests.

If you’re like me and want to feel prepared for what pests may be coming your way this fall, you’re in the right place. I talked to experts in insect and pest control to learn about the top methods to keep creepy crawly visitors out of your house this fall, as well as how to keep common pests at bay all winter long. You’ll sleep much more soundly after implementing these tips to keep unexpected intruders outdoors where they belong.

1. Mice and Rats

Mice and rats can be cute, but not when they’re invading your space without invitation. When temperatures drop, rodents actively seek out areas that are warm and have easily available food sources. This perfectly describes someone’s kitchen or pantry, especially when the house is all toasty from a roaring fire or radiators.

Adham Perriseau, a licensed pest management professional and eco-solutions specialist at Dr. Killigan’s, a leader in eco-friendly pest control solutions, says, “Small and agile rodents like house mice, roof rats, and Norway rats can squeeze through tiny gaps as small as a quarter to half inch (6-12 mm) to invade homes. As temperatures drop in fall and winter, they seek warmth, food from pantries and crumbs, and cozy nesting spots in attics or walls, making homes an ideal refuge.”

Soaking cotton balls in peppermint oil and placing them near entry points, sealing gaps with steel wool, or sprinkling some cayenne pepper as a pest deterrent near your pantry will all greatly help, according to Adham. Also, ensure your food areas are free from crumbs and unsealed bags.

A sonic device like the X-PEST Ultrasonic Rodent Repeller from Amazon can work wonders too, humanely deterring rodents by emitting a sound that sends them scuttling away.

2. Ants

Ants are a particularly tough pest to remove from your home. They’re small, fast, and often come in large numbers. But there are a few things you can do to make your home less appealing to ants as the temperatures drop this fall.

Nicole Carpenter of Black Pest Prevention explains, “All pests, without exception, look for weak spots in the house structure and if they find them, they sneak in through them. The sad truth is that tiny insects like ants only need a fraction of a millimeter to slip through.”

Therefore the number one way to stop ants from entering your home is to block anywhere they may be getting in.

“For small gaps and cracks around pipes, windows, vents, or cable entries it's best to use steel wool as a filler before sealing over it with caulk,” says Nicole. “Using the wrong material can end up with a mouse chewing through or an ant slipping in between the foam and the wall as if it isn’t even there.

“For small pests like cockroaches, ants, spiders, and silverfish, I use the Nature’s Dome Eco-Friendly Spray from Amazon both indoors and outdoors. It won't deter mice, but is effective against most crawling pests.”

If the problem persists, investing in a product like the Bonide Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer from Amazon will likely be necessary. This product is great as it works for both indoor and outdoor use. You can also go chemical-free and try the chalk trick to keep ants out or pick up some steel wool from Amazon.

3. Stink Bugs

Stink bugs, particularly brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSBs), have become a common pest in homes across the United States in recent years. And these malodorous interlopers are forecasted to persist throughout the coming cold season, according to the National Pest Management Association’s Bug Barometer of 2025.

Jim Frederick, the NPMA’s Vice President, said, “The forecast of our report is produced by a team of board-certified entomologists who analyze weather predictions and pest biology to provide insights for the coming months—and one of the pests we’re predicting being a problem is stink bugs.

“When temperatures drop, it could drive more BMSBs indoors to seek shelter, especially in regions including the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and the Midwest.”

This is because of the warmer than usual conditions so far this year, meaning when temperatures do finally drop to being notably colder, swarms of these critters will be looking for warmer places to hide.

Blocking entry points with caulk and placing cotton swabs dipped in natural deterrents such as mint and clove oil are said to be the most impactful. Though it’s important to note that when stink bugs get into your home, they typically fester in hidden areas.

As entomologist Emma Grace Crumbley of Mosquito Squad Plus, explains, “Once inside the home, BMSBs will either infest areas with abundant light and warmth, typically near windows and high ceilings, or they will infest undisturbed areas, such as under furniture, behind baseboards, in closets, or attics.”

So make sure to check under furniture and in undisturbed areas, too. Otherwise you’ll still have these pests inside your home. Where possible, setting some of these flea traps from Amazon near the foot of your sofa or on your attic floor would be helpful. The traps work to eliminate pests already in your home as they crawl out from undisturbed zones at night.

4. Spiders

Spiders have to be my least favorite pest to see in my home. I fully admit to asking my partner to come over to remove any that are particularly large!

Though spiders can make their way into people’s homes at any time of year, they tend to become more common during the cooler months of the year as they seek shelter, as well as food sources. In the Pacific Northwest, these creepy crawlies are so pervasive around this time of year, people actually call it "spider season."

“Some spiders are present in our homes all year round, however, the fall in temperatures is often the reason why we might see increased activity and visibility as they take shelter, seek warmth and look for a mate,” says Daniel Baldwin, a board-certified entomologist at Hawx Pest Control. “Spiders may also be attracted to our homes on the lookout for other insects they can use as a source of food, too."

One of the top ways I keep spiders out of my home is by placing draught excluders, like the Comfyanno Under Door Draft Stopper from Amazon, on my doors. Think about it: if you’re a spider and you see light under a door and feel a wave of warmth, you’re going to find that appealing. Draft excluders like these create a physical barrier, limiting spiders to only being able to access your entryway.

On top of sealing any obvious holes or cracks insects could enter through, Adham also recommends rubbing citrus peels near entry points. Spiders find the scent incredibly off-putting. Also, vacuum regularly to remove prey insects and debris.

5. Cockroaches

No one enjoys finding cockroaches in their home, but unfortunately you’re more likely to see them pop over for a visit during the fall and winter months. Though they’re more resilient than a lot of other insects out there, they still find it hard to survive in cooling temperatures and will be seeking a warm environment, as well as any food they can get.

“With cooling fall weather, cockroaches enter homes through cracks, drains, or windows in search of warmth, moisture, and food scraps to survive the colder months,” says Adham. “Some of my top recommendations for effective natural deterrents include sprinkling food-grade diatomaceous earth in corners to dehydrate them, and placing bay leaves in cabinets for their repelling aroma.”

This diatomaceous earth from Amazon is a small bag, great for trying out the product. But if it’s working wonders for you and you’re looking to stock up on supplies, the HARRIS brand diatomaceous earth from Amazon will have you covered for the whole fall and winter season.

It’s spider season in the Pacific Northwest—the time between September and November where orb weavers, giant house spiders, and more come out to mate and wind up, well, everywhere.

Spiders show off their large webs on trees and plants, patio furniture, doorframes, and anywhere between. They eventually make their way into homes and nestle into corners, onto walls, and the occasional bedsheet or blanket. And while I appreciate how beneficial these critters are for the environment, I can’t help but shudder at the sight of each creepy crawly slowly encroaching on my home.

I’ve always lived in apartment complexes that were likely treated with some sort of chemical to keep spiders at bay. So aside from the odd spiderweb in my entryway or balcony, spider season never impacted me…until now.

This is my first spider season in my new home and the spiders are starting to take over. I’m not willing to treat my property with any chemicals that harm beneficial insects, so I’ve been on the hunt for an all-natural way to reclaim some of my outdoor space and stop spiders coming into my home. Here's the best organic spider control product I've found—and it costs less than $20.

The Spider Prevention Super-Ingredient

While peppermint is a well-documented pest deterrent, I don’t always have the time to DIY a solution. Enter Mighty Mint Insect & Pest Control Spray, which is available at most large retailers including Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

With 4% high-concentration peppermint, Mighty Mint Insect & Pest Control Spray stops spiders in their tracks. Plus, mint repels other pests, like insects and rodents as well. That gives me great peace of mind because our home has also had wasp and rodent issues in the past. And with over 45,000 positive reviews, it’s safe to say this spray works.

I opted for the Mighty Mint Insect & Pest Control Spray because it doesn't kill spiders, it simply repels them. However, if you’re looking for something heavier duty, try Mighty Mint Peppermint Oil Spider Spray. It contains 3% peppermint and 1% geraniol, which kills spiders when sprayed directly on them.

There are fragrant plants that repel spiders, too, but they're not as effective as this concentrated spray.

This Spray Is Safe & Really Works

This spray has been a saving grace in my home. When I first sprayed it, I was shocked to see how many spiders scuttled out of cracks and crevices around my windows and doorframes. I literally watched this product repel them out of my house. This spray is an absolute must for Pacific Northwest pest control.

I have two cats, as well as several neighborhood cats, dogs, and deer that roam through our yard on any given day. So I wanted to make sure anything I used would be safe for these creatures. This organic pest control spray is all-natural, 100% plant-based, as well as kid and pet-friendly.

I’m also very sensitive to smell and develop headaches easily. I can honestly say that this spray smells great—no strong, headache-inducing chemical smells here. When I came back inside after I sprayed around the house, my husband actually told me I smelled like Christmas.

Where to Spray for Spiders

If I could pressure wash my entire home with this stuff, I would. But since I can't, here are the key spots to spray to keep spiders out of the house:

• Front & back porches: We haven’t quite hit the rainy season in the Pacific Northwest yet and still have a few more weeks of sunny afternoons. But my front and back decks, along with all of my patio furniture, have become home to the spiders. Luckily, Mighty Mint Insect & Pest Control Spray smells great and doesn’t trigger my headaches, so I can still hang out on my freshly-sprayed deck.
• Door & window frames: Can you blame me for seeing a large opening to the outside and wanting to spray it? I’ve seen so many spiders set up shop around my doorframes and windows, so spraying around them is a no-brainer—especially if you don’t have screens.

• In and around crawlspaces: This is where we’ve seen wasps and rodents make their homes. This spot also gives critters easy access to our walls and pipes. It was obvious we needed to treat our crawlspace with this spray. Be sure to also spray around any exterior vents into your crawlspace and laundry room, as this is how wasps wound up in ours.
• Water spouts: This sounds like a nursery rhyme, but spiders actually do climb up the water spout! Ever since we found three different spiders nestled around our hose and on our water spout, my husband has fully taken over watering our plants. But not anymore! After a light spritz of peppermint spray on our downspouts, I’ve been able to get back to what I love: taking care of our new yard and hoping all of our first-year plants are happy and healthy.
• Around trashcans: We’ve seen some spiders form intricate webs across and around our garbage/recycling/yard waste bins. So I gave them all a good spray. Now I don’t have to fear potentially tracking a spider or two back into the house.

You can also spray anywhere inside your home—along baseboards, vents, windowsills, and even lightly spritz your couch or blankets.

So if you live in the Pacific Northwest or if you’re seeing increased spider and insect activity around your home during the change of seasons, be sure to pick up Mighty Mint Insect & Pest Control Spray.

The departure of the glory days of summer may leave many of us feeling out of sorts. Although fall can still be a life-affirming medley of color outside, we’ll inevitably be turning more of our attention indoors. Trouble is, with the seasonal shift and the drops in temperature, you’ll likely be aware of more activity associated with certain house guests you haven’t invited to join you indoors... Yes, I’m talking about spiders.

The phase from late August to October is known as spider season. For a lot of male spiders, this is prime mating season. Unfortunately, the combination of amorous arachnids and the cooler weather means many spiders are heading indoors on their quest for companionship. We all have our own ways of grappling with this unsettling upswing in spider pests. If you’re industrious, you can seal up gaps and cracks. If you’re more expressive, you might stand on a chair waving a newspaper – or lean uncertainly over a bath or wash basin with jam jars and glasses.

If none of that appeals, though, there is a simpler way – and that’s introducing plants that repel spiders. These plants work as nature’s deterrents, thanks to the fact that they emit particular smells and release chemicals that spiders find unpleasant, irksome, and ultimately off-putting. Grow these plants indoors, and you’ll have an organic and fragrant solution to the domestic problem associated with spider season. So put down that newspaper, and find out about some very welcome plants that can keep those pesky creepy-crawlies at bay.

Choosing Plants that Repel Spiders

You might not want to spend too long thinking about spiders (after all, even seeing one scuttling across the shag pile can be distressing!). Still, it’s helpful to understand a little bit about why certain plants are so effective at repelling arachnids from your cosy warm interiors during spider season.

Put simply, spiders are very sensitive to smell – using tiny hairs and receptors called sensilla to pick up vital environmental cues. Their sensilla are acutely active during the mating season. But as well as being used to hone in on potential mates, these sensilla are primed to detect and respond to vibrations and smells, good and bad, and respond accordingly.

If you can position certain fragrant container plants in choice areas of the home, you create conditions that are a lot less hospitable for spiders. Aromatic fall flowers and plants that emit powerful fragrance will challenge and confuse any spider wishing to set up home with a prospective mate. Plant fragrances can overwhelm a spider’s receptors and interfere with their ability to pick out scent trails that are important to them.

Where you can keep these fragrances pumping out in a fresh and regular supply, in the form of specific healthy plants, spiders will be discouraged from sticking around and will head somewhere else. So read on to find out about some of the best plants to repel spiders. Some spider repellants are fragrant herbs, while others are classic scented ornamentals.

1. Chrysanthemums

The pairing of mums and autumn is as natural and harmonious as peanut butter and jelly. Growing chrysanthemums is a great way of boosting morale with high impact flowering ornamentals as high summer gives way to a more contemplative season in the gardening calendar. What you might not know is that container-based mums are also great news if you want to know how to get rid of spiders in the home. As spider repellant plants go, they don’t get more vibrant than these fall-friendly favorites.

Chrysanthemums emit a chemical called pyrethrin, which is actually toxic to spiders. This chemical is used in several bug repellents, such as the BASF PT PI Pressurized Contact Insecticide Spray from Amazon (which is convenient for targeted use). You may think mums have an innocuous (albeit pleasant) nutty, earthy smell, but while they are harmless to us, this chemical causes nerve overstimulation in spiders. It can interfere with coordination, disorient the spider, and even result in paralysis. So keeping mums is a colorful yet wickedly effective way of creating problems for wayward arachnids. Buy Chrysanthemum ‘Matchsticks’ from Burpee.

2. Rosemary

Several key plants that keep spiders away come from the herbal world – and one is rosemary. While many of us appreciate the complex olfactory notes, which add an intriguing element to culinary and aromatherapy applications, the same is not true for old spidey. Arachnids are overwhelmed by the intense herbaceous hit, particularly the camphor and eucalyptol. So place some container-based rosemary plants near windows and doorways to serve as a natural deterrent. Just make sure the spot you choose receives plenty of sunlight (at least six hours, and preferably more).

Particularly strong smelling varieties include ‘Chef’s Choice’, ‘Spice Island’ and ‘Tuscan Blue’ Rosemary, which you can buy from Walmart. As a fragrant extra, why not cut some sprigs of rosemary after propagation, hanging them over doorways? You can also use rosemary essential oils in diffusers and oil burners. A few drops of an oil like Siva Organics Rosemary Essential Oil from Amazon is highly concentrated and can go a long way if you are looking to intensify your levels of rosemary potency.

3. Eucalyptus

The delectably pungent eucalyptus is my personal favorite aromatic spider repellent – possibly because it’s one of my favorite smells in the universe. Just as well I’m not a spider, or else I’d be in big trouble. It might not seem like an obvious choice to grow these fragrant beauties indoors, and it’s true there are a few caveats. You’re better off with a compact variety if you’re growing eucalyptus in a container indoors. Think pretty gray-blue Eucalyptus cinerea ‘Silver Dollar’ if you’re willing to keep it well pruned, or scalloped E. gunnii ‘Silver Drop’ kept around 65-75°F (18-24°C).

Your potted eucalyptus needs to be positioned near a window to access eight hours of sun a day – ideally south facing and preferably a conservatory, where multi-directional light is possible. You also need to be willing to monitor water levels closely, ensuring that the pot is well draining to prevent the risk of root rot. Get this right, and eucalyptus can be a devastating spider foe, as well as a handsome aromatic houseplant. Loaded with eucalyptol, like rosemary, it will muddle a spider’s navigational abilities, mask scent trails, and leave them feeling discombobulated.

If you’re not overly confident you can keep a eucalyptus thriving indoors, here’s another idea – and this one, friends, is being deployed in my house! Keep your actual plant outdoors, like my ‘Baby Blue’ – but steal a few branches for cutting, and place them in killer positions to infuriate your spider guests. I have cuttings of eucalyptus regularly infusing their aromatic loveliness around the home – gorgeous for me, not so great for the arachnids. Grow your own ‘Baby Blue’ Eucalyptus, available as a live plant from Amazon, and as insurance, grab some Siva Organics Eucalyptus Essential Oil, also from Amazon, and pop a few drops in a diffuser.

4. Peppermint

It wouldn’t be right to advocate too heavily for the science behind peppermint as a spider deterrent, as opinion is genuinely divided. On an anecdotal basis, though, two active ingredients in peppermint – menthol and cineole – are believed to be repulsive and disorienting to spiders. I’ve been known to leave cotton balls soaked with peppermint nestled against doorways, or stuffed along uneven floorboards. And for as long as I’ve been growing herbs, I’ve resolved to keep at least a couple of pots of peppermint indoors at close quarters, wherever I feel it’s needed most.

The trick with peppermint is to maintain concentrated levels around potential spider spots. You may think peppermint is losing its intensity quickly when you sit near it. Remember, a spider is receiving the chemical information in a very different way. Still, you can enhance the impact by adding a few drops of peppermint oil to water and pure liquid soap like Castile soap from Amazon. Spray wherever you suspect there may be spider activity (and repeat every few days). It’s also worth placing a few peppermint leaves in select spots, such as near a window. Buy Bonnie Plants’ Peppermint in pots from Lowe’s. And for an instant hit you can add in ready-made form, try Mighty Mint Peppermint Oil Spray from Amazon, effective on spiders, roaches, ants and more.

5. Scented Pelargonium

Organic pest controls, as noted, can sometimes be received with a measure of skepticism – but if there’s one smell that seems to be broadly accepted as a problem for pests, it’s citronella. Famed for its reputation as a mosquito repellant, citronella is often used in outdoor candles and incense. With its distinctive lemony aroma, scented pelargonium variety ‘Citronella’ works in a slightly different way to other plants here. It works by repelling the insects on which spiders feed (including flies and skeeters), making the indoor space a lot less attractive for hungry arachnids.

As a pretty bonus, this spider-fighting fragrant charmer has one more joyful treat – lovely lavender pink flowers with crimson stamps which appear each summer. Grow some Clovers Garden Pelargonium ‘Citronella’, available from Amazon in a sunny window spot to make your home a lot less yummy to spiders. Don’t be afraid to crush a few of the leaves and scatter them in areas where you need to target more keenly. I’m a big fan of these potted tender perennials, but I have learned from experience that it’s best to keep this pelargonium separate to other scented forms so you don’t inadvertently muddle up the scents and negate Citronella’s potency.

6. Lavender

What plants keep spiders away while helping you sleep better? If you really want to send your spiders scuttling for the nearest floorboard and really rest easy, there’s one heavy hitter you can’t forget – and that’s lavender. For many of us, it’s the epoch of delectable fragrance, but a well positioned potted lavender is a source of misery for Mr Spider. Again, it comes down to the intensity and peculiarity (to an arachnid) of the heady perfume.

The best lavender varieties for scent intensity indoors tend to be the English types, where the heads are more tightly bundled. So if you are able to pot up some lavender as a houseplant, try a dwarf or compact English variety such as ‘Nana Alba’, ‘Little Lottie’ or old faithful ‘Munstead’ Lavender by Greenwood Nursery, available from Amazon. Give your indoor lavenders plenty of sunshine (ideally eight hours of direct light) or a grow light where natural light sources are limited. Make sure the potting soil is very well draining and mix in some coarse sand. Keep temperatures regulated around 60-70°F (15-21°C) and free from drafts or humidity.

To bolster the impact of fresh indoor lavenders, I also grow plenty of outdoor lavender and at this time of year, I’m lucky enough to have harvested and dried plenty of floral bundles that get placed in sneaky corners of the house as the autumn nights (and spiders) draw in. You can either tie these bundles and hang from pins and hooks au naturel, or secure in organza pouches like breathable Muslin Pouches With Drawstrings from Amazon, which allow the lavender fragrance to permeate. Not forgetting a few drops of essential oil like Majestic Pure Lavender Essential Oil With Glass Dropper from Amazon in your diffuser of choice.

Finally, Don't Forget…

Hopefully keeping these plants indoors, as live plants or as fresh (or dried) stem cuttings, can reinforce specific areas of your home that might be causing concern – and help to keep spiders from taking up residence. Knowing what plants repel spiders can genuinely make life more comfortable as you spend more time indoors. To be on the safe side, though, try to see these plants as part of a wider set of deterrents.

Don’t rely exclusively on just indoor plants that repel spiders – but use them together with other controls. If you are up to the challenge, it is worth sealing up any obvious gaps or cracks that might be worrying you. And don’t skip on cleaning – dust bunnies, clutter and other undisturbed residue can all signal safe havens for spiders. Be sure to dust and vacuum regularly, to help fight the good fight through spider season.

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Fig wasps in figs might sound like some oddball nature yarn, but they’re real. These little guys aren’t just hanging around for fun. They’ve got this wild, ancient deal with fig trees that ensures you get sweet, plump fruits. So, do figs really have wasps in them? And should you be worried you’re munching on bugs with every bite?

Here’s the scoop on how figs and wasps work together. Fig wasps are important pollinators that ensure wild fig trees produce bountiful harvests. This is something that they’ve been doing for millions of years. Growing figs doesn’t have to mean you are eating bugs, however. Some figs need these critters to make fruit, others don’t.

Let’s break down the fig-wasp hookup, the fig wasp life cycle, and whether you’re really scarfing down dead wasps in figs. Plus, it’ll bust that fig wasp myth that’s got people freaking out. You’ll see that this whole deal is more fascinating than creepy.

The Fig-Wasp Relationship Explained

Figs and fig wasps are like partners in a dance that’s been going strong for 80 million years. Every fig type, and there are over 750 out there, has its own special wasp pal which is perfectly suited to pollinate the plant. Fig trees have a kind of inverted flower. This little pod is called a syconium and only fig wasps are small enough to wiggle in and handle the pollination gig.

A female wasp squirms through a tiny hole in the syconium to drop her eggs and dust pollen from the fig from which she hatched. She sheds her wings to squeeze in, so this is a one way trip. Once the female wasp has pollinated the fig, fig seeds develop, and the wasp gets a snug spot for her young. It’s a sweet deal, called mutualism, where both sides lean on each other to keep the show running.

Fig Wasp Life Cycle

The fig wasp life cycle is wild and tied to the fig’s growth. Once she pollinates the figs and lays her eggs, she dies, and her job is done. The eggs hatch into larvae. Male wasps, wingless and blind, pop out first, mate with females, and chew tunnels to the outside so the females can leave the fig. Males, however, do not crawl out and die inside the fig.

The female wasps crawl out, grabbing pollen as they go. These females fly to another fig and start the cycle again. The whole process only takes a couple days and the life cycles of the fig wasps and the occurrence of unripe figs matches up perfectly. The process sounds intense, but it’s nature’s way of keeping both species alive.

Types of Figs and Wasps

However, not every fig needs a wasp to produce fruit. Wild figs, like strangler figs or banyans, count on specific fig wasps to get pollinated. For example, Ficus carica, your go-to edible fig, teams up with the Blastophaga psenes wasp in places like the Mediterranean.

But types like ‘Brown Turkey’ fig trees, which can be found on Fast Growing Trees, or ‘Celeste,’ popular across the U.S., are parthenocarpic. This means they produce fruit without wasps or pollination. Growers in spots like California often pick these self-pollinating varieties or use hormones to bypass the bug business. Around 850-900 wasp species work in tandem with wild figs, each one fitting like a key to its tree, but cultivated figs skip this for easier harvests.

Do We Eat Wasps in Figs?

So, are you eating wasps when you bite into a juicy fig? Well, it is partially true. In wild figs, like Smyrna or Calimyrna, a female wasp dies inside the fig after dropping her eggs. But the fig pumps out an enzyme, ficain, that melts the wasp’s body into plant food. So, dead wasps in figs? Sure, in some wild ones, but you’re not munching bug chunks. That crunch is just seeds, not critters.

Additionally, store-bought figs are almost always wasp-free. Most come from self-pollinating types or are grown without any bugs. Even in figs that need wasps, the insect is long gone by ripeness, broken down by the fig’s enzyme. No need to stress about chowing on bugs. Vegan or not, you can dig into figs without a worry.

Figs are a classic Mediterranean fruit, but don't fret if you are in a cooler part of the world. There are many types of fig trees that have been specially cultivated to grow in cooler climates like the ‘Chicago Hardy’ fig tree that is hardy to USDA zone 5 and can be found at Fast Growing Trees. You can also pair a dwarf fig tree like ‘Little Miss Figgy’ from Fast Growing Trees with an attractive plant dolly, like this one from Amazon, to easily move your container-grown fig tree from your patio into your home as the weather cools.

Fig wasps and figs have a wild, ancient partnership that’s more cool than creepy. The fig wasp life cycle keeps wild figs growing, but not every fig needs a wasp to make fruit. Busting the fig wasp myth, you’re not eating dead wasps in figs, thanks to the fig’s digestive enzyme. So go ahead and plant that fig tree!

Learning what smells wasps hate is the first step in learning how to naturally keep your yard sting-free. Nobody wants those angry buzzers crashing all of your outdoor fun or dive-bombing your flowers. Certain scents send wasps packing without you needing to swing a swatter.

Wasps are an important part of our ecosystem, but they can be a pain. You can outsmart them with smells they can’t stand, like certain essential oils and extracts. Knowing how to get rid of wasps means pairing these scents with other tricks. Sprays, traps, or even certain plants can make your yard a place wasps avoid. It’s about being smarter than the stingers.

I'll break down what smells repel wasps, how to use them, and what scents to avoid. Plus, you’ll get some extra prevention ideas.

What Smells Do Wasps Hate?

Wasps can’t stand certain smells. These scents mess with their senses and make your yard a place they’d rather skip. Here’s what works for me:

• Peppermint Oil: That sharp, minty kick of peppermint oil drives wasps away. It is recommended to mix 10 drops with a quart of water in a spray bottle. Spritz it around patios or plants. Find Plant Therapy peppermint oil at Amazon.
• Vinegar: The sour stench of white vinegar makes wasps bolt. Soak cotton balls and place them near entry points. Swap them out weekly.
• Eucalyptus: This strong, woodsy scent confuses wasps. Hang eucalyptus branches or use oil in a diffuser outside. Find Plant Therapy eucalyptus oil on Amazon.
• Clove: Spicy and intense, clove oil repels wasps fast. Dilute a few drops in water and spray around doorways. Find Plant Therapy clove oil on Amazon.

How to Use Scents to Repel Wasps

Using what smells repel wasps is easy if you’ve got a plan. Sprays are the go-to. Mix peppermint or clove oil with water in a 16-ounce spray bottle. Hit areas where wasps hang out, like eaves or picnic tables. Reapply every few days.

Cotton balls work too. Soak them in vinegar or diluted essential oils. Tuck them in corners of porches or near windows. Replace them when the smell fades. Got a garden? Plant wasp-repelling plants like peppermint or eucalyptus near your patio. I like to stick mint around my deck, and wasps usually clear out pretty fast.

Diffusers are another trick. Run a diffuser with eucalyptus oil during outdoor meals. Keep it simple, and don’t overdo the oils. Too much can harm plants or pets. This elegant oil diffuser can be found on Amazon, and is sure to add a touch of visual interest to your patio as it wafts wasp-repelling scents.

What Attracts Wasps?

Sweet stuff pulls them in like magnets. Things like sugary drinks, ripe fruit, or even your soda can have them swarming. Keep picnic food covered and clean up spills quick.

Floral perfumes and scented lotions are wasp bait too. Skip heavy fragrances when you’re outside. Garbage cans with food scraps or smelly compost piles also draw them. Seal trash tight and move compost far from seating areas. Avoid planting super-sweet flowers like jasmine near your hangout spots.

Other Wasp Repelling Tips

Beyond scents, you can make your yard less wasp-friendly. Make a DIY wasp trap or hang this wasp trap from Amazon near problem areas, but not right by your patio. Empty it often to keep it working. Cover food and drinks during outdoor meals with collapsible mesh food covers, like these from Amazon.

Check for nests early in spring. Look under eaves or in trees. Knock them off with a long pole before they get bigger, but do it at night. Wasps are asleep, and they are inactive at night. I recommend wearing gloves and long sleeves, though. We all know how bad their sting can hurt. Keep trash cans clean and sealed to cut down on temptation.

Using smells wasps hate is a cheap, easy way to keep your yard peaceful. Peppermint, vinegar, or citrus can send wasps packing. Avoid sweet scents and seal up food. A few smart moves, and you’re sting-free.

I’ve been noticing that Asian needle ants have started to pop up around here a lot more than they used to, and they’re nothing like the tiny black ants most of us grew up ignoring. These ones pack a sting that burns far worse than you’d expect from something so small. For some unlucky people, it isn’t just pain either. The sting can set off serious allergic reactions, and that part is honestly pretty unsettling.

What worries me just as much is the way they muscle out the native ants that actually play an important role in our yards, like helping scatter wildflower seeds. The problem is you won’t always notice them right away. Unlike fire ants that leave those big mounds you can spot across the lawn, Asian needle ants like to keep a low profile.

They sneak into damp, shaded corners. They like to be under piles of leaves and stacks of old wood. Really they like anything that is left undisturbed. Most of the time, people usually don’t even realize they’re around until you move something. Then you feel that sting hit before you ever even see the ant itself. It’s the kind of surprise that makes you think twice about where you’re reaching the next time you’re working outside, and leaves you wondering about ways to keep ants away.

My First Run-In with Asian Needle Ants

I’ll never forget the day I was helping a friend of mine to sort out weeds in her overgrown bed of roses, enjoying the sunshine, when a fiery sting shot through my finger. That was my unwelcome introduction to the Asian needle ant. This is a tiny pest now creeping into gardens across the country. If you spend much time with your hands in the dirt, you’ll want to know about these little invaders. They’re not your friendly backyard ants, and trust me, their sting can turn a relaxing afternoon into a very bad day.

Why Gardeners Usually Love Ants

Okay, time to be real. Most ants are like the unsung heroes of our gardens. They’re out there, churning up soil, so that our plants can breathe. They spend their time gobbling up pesky bugs like aphids, and playing delivery service for wildflower seeds that keep our yards bursting with color. Many folks barely notice these good ants because they’re just out there doing what they do, no fuss.

But then you’ve got Asian needle ants crashing the scene, and trust me, they’re like those loud cousins who roll in late to the barbecue, elbowing everyone else out. They bully our native ants right out of the picture, messing with the whole ecosystem of the garden. It’s not just annoying. It actually throws everything off, from the daisies in your flowerbed to the maple seedlings down the street, and that’s a problem we can’t ignore.

What Is an Asian Needle Ant?

For the science-minded, their name is Brachyponera chinensis. For the rest, think small. They’re about a fifth of an inch. They’ve got shiny black bodies and orangey tips on their legs and antennae. The first time I brushed against one, I thought it was just an ordinary ant. Big mistake. That sting had me shaking my hand in pain.

Where do they hide? Anywhere damp and tucked away. They like it under rocks, in mulch piles, in leaf litter, even under an old flowerpot. If your garden has a shady corner, it’s prime real estate for them.

Where Asian Needle Ants are Spreading

Asian needle ants snuck into the US more than a century ago, likely in plant shipments. By the 1930s, they had already settled in the Southeast, and now they’re confirmed in at least 19 states. They are now found from Georgia and the Carolinas all the way up to New York. They have even been found in places such as Texas, as well! They are becoming more widespread.

Why Asian Needle Ants are a Problem

Okay, let me tell you, these Asian needle ant stings are brutal. They hit like someone poked you with a hot needle, and the pain just won’t quit for hours. Around here, I’ve noticed a real uptick in problems with these pests, and for most folks, it’s a major pain in the neck. But there is an even more terrifying part.

About one in fifty people can have an extremely serious and deadly allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. That brings on swelling in the lips, face, or throat, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, nausea, or gasping for air. In the more severe cases, it can even cause a sudden drop in blood pressure or loss of consciousness. If that hits, you’re racing to the ER. Kids and pets are especially at risk, always poking around in those shady garden nooks under the roses where these ants hide. One sting can totally wreck a sunny afternoon.

Asian needle ants aren’t just bad for us. They’re devastating to native ants like Aphaenogaster, which are nature’s seed spreaders for trilliums, violets, and other understory plants. Without them, those wildflowers we love could dwindle. In some invaded areas, scientists have found native ants reduced by up to 90%. That’s not just a garden problem. That’s an entire ecosystem problem.

Protecting Yourself in the Garden

Since my run-in, I’ve changed my habits. Now I wear long gardening gloves like these from Amazon and long sleeves. I use a stick to poke under rocks before lifting them, and if I find a nest, I mark it and call in a pro if it’s bad. Keeping the yard tidy, removing logs, and clearing leaf piles makes a difference too. I’ve had some good results with ant traps, like what I get from Amazon.

If you’ve ever had allergic reactions to stings, carry an EpiPen just in case. And everyone should know the signs of anaphylaxis. Better safe than sorry.

What Experts Say

The USDA and U.S. Forest Service are alerting the public about the spread of Asian needle ants. They describe the sting as a “sharp, burning jab that throbs for hours,” which matches exactly what I’ve experienced, and heard from fellow gardeners, as well. But the bigger concern is still the allergic reaction. With anaphylaxis, some people swell up, grow dizzy, or suddenly struggle for air. That’s when seconds matter.

Officials are asking gardeners to report any sightings at all so they can track the spread. And ecologists are getting alarmed about the major hit to native ants. That means less seed dispersal for wildflowers and long-term damage to forest understories. Researchers are testing natural controls like predatory insects, but for now, it seems to be on us, mostly, to keep watch.

Asian needle ants might be tiny, but they’re a real pain and a danger. I would definitely recommend that you slip on some gloves, and stay sharp. Make sure to do a bit of yard cleanup, and you’ll keep yourself, your kids, and your garden out of trouble. Plus, you’re giving our hardworking native ants, and the wildflowers they help bloom, a shot to thrive. So get out there, plant your roses with a grin, and don’t let a sneaky sting ruin your day.

I’ve had it with those tiny black flies buzzing around my houseplants. If you’re here, that probably means that you are also desperate to learn how to kill fungus gnats. Recently, fungus gnats were swarming my peace lilies and making me feel like a failure as a plant parent. Then I found mosquito dunks and bits. They’re cheap, safe products that destroy gnat larvae and let your plants breathe easy again.

These critters aren’t just a slight bother. They can hurt your plants pretty badly by chowing down on roots. The good news? You don’t need fancy sprays or a big budget to fight back. Mosquito dunks and bits use a natural bacteria to take out the larvae, stopping the cycle before it spirals. Let’s cover some tips on how to get rid of fungus gnats to keep your indoor jungle pest-free.

Using mosquito bits and dunks can be considered a cornerstone of solid fungus gnat control. This is actually so simple you’ll wish you’d tried it sooner. With a few bucks and some know-how, you can send those gnats packing and get back to enjoying your plants.

What Are Fungus Gnats?

Fungus gnats are these tiny little dark flies that are about 1/8-inch long you see in your houseplant soil. They look like a little mini mosquito, since they have skinny legs and wings, but they are harmless to you and don’t bite at all. If you don't water your houseplants properly the soil can stay moist for too long which draws the gnats in. They can lay up to 200 eggs at a time in your damp soil. The larvae, which are little white worms with black heads, hatch in a few days and start munching on fungi and, yep, your plant roots, too. If you’ve got a bad infestation, you’ll probably see yellowing leaves or maybe even stunted growth, like I did with my poor monstera plant.

They thrive in overwatered potted plants or soil that doesn’t drain well, which is why my overzealous watering routine was basically rolling out the red carpet for them. These pests can explode in number if you don’t catch them early and use effective fungus gnat control. Knowing what you’re up against is half the battle.

The worst part, though? They’re not just annoying. They can weaken your plants if you let them run wild. That’s why hitting the larvae is key, and mosquito dunks and bits are going to be your secret weapon.

What Are Mosquito Dunks and Bits?

Mosquito dunks and bits are like the unsung heroes of pest control. They were originally made to kill mosquito larvae in ponds or birdbaths. They’re packed with a very special bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). This stuff is very deadly to mosquito and fungus gnat larvae, but it’s safe for humans, pets, and plants. I was even skeptical at first. How could something for mosquitoes help my indoor houseplants? But it turns out, fungus gnats are close cousins to mosquitoes, and Bti wipes them out by messing with their digestive system so they can’t eat and grow into adult insects.

Mosquito dunks are donut-shaped pucks that dissolve slowly in water, releasing Bti over time. Personally, I like these Summit Mosquito Dunk Tablets from Amazon. Mosquito bits are smaller, like cornmeal, and work faster when you sprinkle or soak them. These Summit Mosquito Bits from Amazon are my go-to.

Both are dirt-cheap. Bti is so selective it won’t harm your dog if they sniff around or your plants if you use it right. It’s like nature’s own pest control, and I’m all about it. They’re a game-changer for anyone who’s watched gnats take over their indoor jungle.

How to Use Mosquito Bits for Fungus Gnats

Using mosquito bits for fungus gnats is straightforward, but you’ve got to do it right to see results. Here’s how I tackled my infestation:

• Mix the “tea”: Grab a gallon of warm water and stir in 4 tablespoons of mosquito bits. Let it soak for 30 minutes. Warm water helps the Bti release faster. I use an old milk jug to make it easy.
• Strain the bits: Scoop out the granules (they float to the top) with a spoon or use a mesh bag to keep things tidy. You don’t want chunks clogging your watering can.
• Water your plants: Pour the Bti-infused water over the soil as you normally would, making sure it soaks in deep where the larvae live. I hit every pot in my house, even ones without gnats, just to be safe.
• Repeat weekly: Do this every week for 3-4 weeks to catch new larvae as they hatch. It takes me about a month to see the gnats vanish completely.
• Pro tip: Don’t let the tea sit longer than 48 hours, since it can start to smell funky, like old corn water. Fresh is best.

How to Use Mosquito Dunks for Fungus Gnats

Mosquito dunks for fungus gnats work a bit differently since they’re bigger and slower to dissolve. Here’s the step-by-step:

• Break it up: Take a dunk and crumble a quarter of it into a gallon of water. You don’t need the whole thing unless you’ve got a ton of plants. Wash your hands after handling.
• Soak overnight: Let it sit for at least 12 hours to release an effective dose of Bti. I leave mine in a bucket overnight to make sure it’s ready.
• Remove the dunk: Pull out the leftover pieces (you can reuse them for another batch). Stir the water to mix it well.
• Water thoroughly: Use the Bti water to drench your plant soil, hitting all the pots with gnats. Make sure it gets down to the roots where those larvae are hiding.
• Repeat every 7-10 days: Keep this up for 3-4 weeks to break the gnat life cycle. I noticed a big drop in gnats after the second round.

Continued Fungus Gnat Control

Once you’ve knocked out the gnats, you don’t want them coming back. Water houseplants lightly and let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings. Gnat eggs and larvae hate dry conditions. Pairing Bti with yellow sticky traps catches adult gnats and cuts the population faster. I use these sticky traps for gnats from Amazon and place traps in every houseplant pot. You can also use these Zevo flying insect traps from Amazon to catch fungus gnats and fruit flies.

Check your plants weekly for signs of gnats, like flies buzzing or larvae in the soil. If you spot them, hit the soil with another round of Bti water. Use pots with good drainage holes, and maybe mix in some perlite to keep things airy. I recommend bottom-watering your plants to keep the top soil dry, which helps a ton. Store your bits or dunks in a cool, dry spot so they stay effective for next time.

Fungus gnats can turn your plant haven into a buzzing nightmare, but mosquito dunks and bits are like a cheap, secret weapon that actually works. I was ready to give up on some of my plants until I tried this, and now they are thriving without a single fly in sight. Keep up the Bti routine, don’t overwater, and maybe throw in some sticky traps for good measure. You’ll be back to having nice plants instead of swatting gnats in no time.

Very few things can beat lounging in your yard on a hot and sunny afternoon, but Japanese beetles can quickly turn that good feeling of joy into a terrible pest party. What do Japanese beetles eat? These gleaming green troublemakers chomp through leaves, flowers, and fruits, leaving a trail of destruction that can wipe out all your hard work. I’ve seen them shred a thriving shrub to pieces in a matter of days. Believe me, it’s an eye-opener and a learning moment!

Curious about what attracts Japanese beetles into your garden? They zero in on certain plants like they’re hitting a buffet, lured by scents and textures that scream 'dinner.' A bit of savvy can keep them at bay.

Instead of just trying to chase them away, you can make your yard less inviting by replacing their favorite snacks with plants they don’t care for. Here, we will go over which plants they love, the kind of damage they cause, and some great alternatives to keep your garden looking its best. With a few easy changes, you can enjoy your outdoor space without all of the unwanted guests showing up to ruin things.

What Are Japanese Beetles and What’s Their Damage?

Let’s get to know these terrible troublemakers. Japanese beetles are those flashy, green invaders that hitched a ride to the U.S. from Japan way back in the 1900s. About half an inch long with copper wings, they roll in during summer to feast on your plants. Their larvae, also called lawn grubs, are underground, munching grass roots and leaving your lawn patchy.

These beetles mean business. They strip leaves to the veins, leaving a lacy look that weakens plants quickly. And the flowers and fruits? They’re fair game too, cutting down your garden’s charm and crops. Young or stressed plants are their prime targets, and I know for a fact that an infestation can explode from a handful to a horde if you don’t catch it early. Timing is everything!

What Attracts Japanese Beetles?

So, what’s making your yard a beetle hotspot? These pests are suckers for strong smells and bright colors, homing in on plants with soft, wide leaves or sweet blooms. Hot, sunny days fire them up, and they’ll swarm open areas like it’s a festival. I’ve noticed my overgrown garden beds take the worst hits. Stressed or crowded plants are very much like a neon sign to them.

It’s not just the plants, though. Japanese beetles catch wind of chemical signals from their favorite plants. Once a couple beetles show up, they release pheromones to call in the gang for a feast.

Live near an infested neighbor? They can fly a mile to invade. I recommend trimming back extra growth and spritzing neem oil on your beetle prone plants. I purchased my favorite neem oil from Amazon.

Plants Japanese Beetles Love & Savvy Swaps

Japanese beetles have a lineup of plants they adore, turning your garden into their personal diner. Here are six plants that attract Japanese beetles to your yard and some alternatives they will leave alone.

1. Roses

Growing roses with their soft, velvety petals is a goal for many gardeners. Think about colors like deep reds or sunny yellows, and they have those thick, green leaves that make a yard look like something out of a magazine. Unfortunately, roses are a favorite of Japanese beetles and may be drawing them to your yard

If you plant roses for the beautiful fragrance they bring to your garden, consider swapping roses for lilacs. Lilacs are wonderfully fragrant and Japanese beetles will leave them alone.

If you plant roses for their vibrant color, try growing magnolia instead. The ‘Ann’ magnolia variety is compact in size and cold hardy in USDA Zones 4-9. Find 'Ann' magnolia trees at Fast Growing Trees.

2. Grapevines

Grapevines are great for climbing on your trellises, with big, heart-shaped leaves and juicy grapes to eat or turn into jam. They’re happy in USDA Zones 4-10 with tons of sun, but beetles won’t resist chomping the leaves and fruit, leaving your harvest a disaster.

Growing elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) instead of grapevines provides delicious fruit for you and your backyard wildlife. This is a tough shrub with wide, jagged leaves and dark berries that many like to snack on. This native shrub grows strong in Zones 3-9 yard. It handles sun or a little shade and keeps those pests off while giving you a treat. Find native elderberry shrubs for sale at the Arbor Day Foundation.

3. Hibiscus

Hibiscus plants are those showy shrubs that are usually planted for their huge, trumpet-shaped flowers in reds and pinks that pop, and their soft leaves that make them look lush, but beetles will wreck them fast.

Growing poppies (Papaver spp.) is a good alternative to hibiscus with their large flowers in various colors. There are many different types of poppies that are suited to different locations and landscape needs. They are sure to add a splash of color to any garden bed or container garden. Find brilliant red poppy seeds at Walmart.

4. Hollyhock

Hollyhocks are those tall old favorites with big, colorful blooms like saucers and rough leaves that tend to tower tall over people’s gardens. Unfortunately, beetles love them and shred them to pieces.

Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) will give you tall, beautiful blooms. This is a perky plant with spiky, daisy-like flowers and strong stems, and they do great in Zones 3-9 sunny, dry beds. It shrugs off beetles and brings in the bees. Find purple coneflower seeds at Walmart.

5. Apple Trees

Apple trees are classic additions to an edible food forest garden with shiny leaves and crisp apples everyone looks forward to every fall. That is until beetles munch the tender leaves and ruin a crop quickly.

Swap in serviceberry trees (Amelanchier spp.). This is a slim tree with pretty white flowers and sweet berries that thrives in Zones 2-7 yards. It handles sun or shade and keeps beetles away. Find an 'Autumn Brilliance' serviceberry tree from Fast Growing Trees.

6. Peony

Peonies are great border plants with their huge, ruffled blooms in pinks or reds and glossy leaves. They make any garden pop. Too bad beetles turn them into a mess.

A good replacement is columbine (Aquilegia spp.). Columbine are resistant to Japanese beetles, as well as deer and rabbits, and make for a pretty border plant like peonies. They thrive in zones 3-8. Get frilly pink columbine flowers that resemble peonies with the ‘Winky Double Red-White’ columbine from Nature Hills

Kicking Japanese beetles out of your garden starts with ditching plants that attract them. I’ve also found a quick cleanup and a spritz of neem oil can seal the deal.

These swaps don’t just kick beetles to the curb. They help you build a garden that’s tougher, more colorful, and a welcoming place for pollinators. Happy gardening!

There is almost nothing that strikes fear into the heart of a gardener like seeing a yellowjacket nest in the ground. Stay calm. Let's discuss how to keep wasps away from your yard in the first place.

The most important tip is to stop thinking like a “yard owner” and start thinking like a yellowjacket. They’re drawn to anything sweet or protein-rich. Spilled soda, dropped fruit, meat scraps left out too long, or even a forgotten pet snack can draw them in like a buffet. Limiting what they can find and keeping spaces sanitary seems small, but it really works wonders.

Queens are picky about where they settle. Come spring, they’re on the hunt for quiet, hidden corners. Once they pick a spot, things escalate fast. Yellowjacket control doesn’t have to seem like an impossible task. Here, we will go over some step-by-step advice that actually makes a difference.

What Attracts Yellowjackets?

Yellowjackets are opportunistic, social wasps. They are looking for easy sources of food and an easy shelter.

Food Sources

Yellowjackets are wasps which are beneficial insects, but they can be a pain for summer gatherings. Sweet drinks left on the table? They’ll find them. Meat scraps from the grill? Definitely. Fallen fruit from fruit trees? Like a magnet. Early in the season, yellowjackets are chasing protein to feed the growing colony. As late summer sets in and autumn approaches, sugar is all they care about.

Controlling both early and late food sources has kept them off my property more than anything else. I also recommend to hosing off and plants that have aphids as their sticky, sweet honeydew attracts yellowjackets, too. You can also control aphids with a homemade spray, or try to attract ladybugs to your garden to naturally control aphid populations.

Shelter

Shelter is just as important. Mulch piles, thick shrubs, deck boards, and old pots are spots that they love. They always prefer quiet, hidden spots.

Check under sheds, along fence lines, and in overgrown corners in early spring. It might feel tedious, but it’s worth it This is especially true when you spot a queen before she sets up a colony.

Some spots that seem harmless can be perfect for them. I’ve seen nests under garden furniture cushions, beneath tarps covering seasonal tools, and even inside decorative rock piles.

How to Keep Yellowjackets from Nesting

Cleanup is the first step. Wipe down tables, seal trash cans, pick up rotting fruit, and cover compost piles. Fill small holes and move pet food indoors or out of reach.

You should also trim thick grass, shift piles of firewood, and adjust garden decorations. This tends to make certain spots less tempting.

Sometimes the tiniest actions, like shifting a picnic table a few feet or moving a stack of wood, can suddenly make a corner less inviting. I’ve been surprised at how quickly they relocate when they can’t find food or shelter.

Natural Yellowjacket Deterents

Using plants that repel wasps like mint, thyme, or lemongrass around patios and seating areas seems to confuse them a bit as they try to home in on your picnic. You can also use coffee as a natural wasp repellent.

I like to make a light clove and geranium oil spray for railings and edges. If you want an easier approach, you can purchase a pre-made spray like this one from STEM, available on Amazon.

The spray is subtle, but hovering numbers do seem to drop when you use it to create a scent barrier. Just be sure never to spray flowers that bees are feeding on. That’s just a line I don’t cross.

Other Yellowjacket Control Methods

Sometimes, even after cleaning up and planting herbs, yellowjackets just don’t get the hint. That’s when yellowjacket traps can come in handy. Protein or sugar-based traps won’t wipe out a whole colony, but I’ve found they can keep the worst of the hovering and swarming away from my patio and picnic spots. Just having one or two out seems to distract them enough to make the yard more enjoyable. You can make a DIY yellowjacket trap or purchase a yellowjacket trap from Amazon.

However, sometimes you need to take a little more of an aggressive approach with a wasp spray, but this can be dangerous. Yellowjackets can sting you multiple times and as soon as one becomes agitated, it releases a pheromone to signal the rest of the nest to join in the attack. Personally, I think it is best to safely deal with an aggressive yellowjacket colony by calling a professional pest control service.

Extra Tips When Dealing With Yellowjackets

• Safety first. Wear protective clothing and approach nests with caution. Call a professional if you are not comfortable, especially if you are allergic to yellowjacket stings.
• Keep plants tidy. Leave space between plants and trim undergrowth. This makes yellowjacket queens less interested in those spots.
• Talk with neighbors. Sometimes their compost or fallen fruit draws yellowjackets in. Coordinated efforts keep swarms away from the whole block.

Yellowjackets can be persistent, but making your yard uninviting works wonders. Tidy up food, limit cozy hiding spots, and use a few natural deterrents. Early vigilance and small adjustments go a long way.

Over the years, using these strategies has let me enjoy my yard without swatting, running, or worrying about a hidden nest. Summer afternoons finally feel relaxing again. Just sun, a cold drink, and the occasional butterfly without a buzzing menace.