You don’t want to be swatting flies constantly, but you also don’t want your patio to look like a bug research facility. The standard arsenal, i.e., zappers, sticky traps, and chemical sprays, is just not attractive, and that means gardeners are often forced to choose between enjoying their outdoor space and protecting it.

Luckily, you don’t have to make that choice, as there are 3 patio features that pull double duty so you barely notice the pest control side of things. For more on the most common flying pests you're likely to be dealing with this summer, check out our guide to the most common garden pests before you shop.

1. Pest-Repellent Container Plants

The easiest and prettiest solution to annoying bugs on a patio is also the most overlooked: the right plants, positioned in the right place, can act as a natural deterrent without a single spray or chemical in sight. Mosquitoes, flies, and wasps fly through their environment mostly by scent, and there are some plants with a smell that actively disrupts their ability to locate you.

Lavender, lemongrass, citronella geranium, rosemary, and basil are the heavy hitters. Planted in pots and placed close to seating areas, they release enough fragrance on a warm evening to make your patio way less appealing to anything that might want to sting or bite you. The effect is even stronger if you pinch a few leaves or even brush past them; this will cause the plants to release oils into the air around you.

The most important thing is placement. A single pot in the corner of the garden isn’t going to do much. You’ll need to cluster three or four aromatic plants close to where you sit and eat, and ideally create a small border around the area. You can even mix different species for more pest coverage: lemongrass targets mosquitoes, while lavender works on moths and flies, and rosemary deters cabbage moths and carrot flies in addition to general flying pests.

2. Sheer Mosquito Net Curtains

This is a patio feature that looks like it came straight from a resort in Bali. Plus, it happens to be one of the most effective physical barriers against flying insects available. Sheer mesh curtain panels hung from a pergola, gazebo, or porch roof create a sort of outdoor room that keeps mosquitoes, midges, and flies out while letting light, air, and the view completely through.

The visuals are actually super beautiful. The soft, billowing fabric creates a lovely light in the evening, a sense of enclosure that makes the space feel more intimate and designed, and as a bonus, provides privacy from neighbors. In reality, though, it's simply a curtain rod and some lightweight polyester mesh.

The real trick is the density of the mesh. Unfortunately, standard garden netting has holes large enough for small insects to pass through, but proper mosquito curtain fabric uses a tighter weave (around 970 holes per square inch) that blocks even the smallest flying pests while remaining breathable and see-through. Look for panels that are waterproof-coated so they survive a summer of outdoor use, machine washable, and are large enough to drape properly.

3. The Thermacell Patio Shield

This one doesn't look like much, but it packs a punch! It’s just a small, palm-sized device you place in the center of your table, but it's the closest thing to invisible pest control available. It works so well that it’s the go-to recommendation from outdoor entertaining professionals. The Thermacell Patio Shield uses a heat-activated repellent mat powered by a compact butane cartridge to diffuse a scent-free, DEET-free zone of mosquito protection fifteen feet in every direction. No smoke, no smell, no sprays, no visible effort. Simply set it in the middle of the table, wait fifteen minutes, and you’re good.

The reason it earns its place in a "beautiful patio features" list is precisely that it doesn't look like pest control. The brushed metal edition in particular looks like a small table accessory. It's the kind of thing your guests notice and ask about, not something you hide behind a citronella candle. The repellent mats change color when it's time to replace them, which is super handy, and each fuel cartridge runs for twelve hours.

Note: Position it upwind of where you're sitting for maximum effect; keep it away from strong breezes that reduce the protection zone. You can pair it with a border of lavender and lemongrass for a real pest management strategy.

There really is a special kind of misery that comes from eating ice cream on a warm summer day, only to have a wasp start attacking your hand. Or, you’re setting up the perfect little outdoor table full of cold drinks and your garden is actually looking stunning, only to spend the whole afternoon flinching every time something black and yellow buzzes past your ear.

Wasps have a real talent for ruining a lovely afternoon. Fortunately, trapping them has become significantly easier than most people think. There is no shortage of products that actually work without all the chemicals or bravery needed when you don’t want to get stung. If you prefer to go the DIY route first, we've got a great guide to homemade wasp traps. But if you'd rather just buy something that works right now, here are the best options available.

A note before you buy: Placement matters as much as the trap itself. All of these should be hung at least 20 feet away from where you're sitting, as the goal is to draw wasps toward the trap and away from you, not hang it over the potato salad. Hang them at eye level or slightly above, in areas that seem to draw a lot of wasps, and replace or refresh the bait about every two weeks.

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

I've always had a bit of an understanding with the squirrels that visit my garden. They don't cause too much trouble, and in return, I don't let my overzealous lurcher out if I spot one happily wandering across the lawn.

It might sound silly, but I quite enjoy watching them scamper along the fence or bury the odd acorn before disappearing again. And, to be fair to my local squirrels, they know which side their bread is buttered (or should that be, which side their nut is buttered?), as they prefer to keep their visits fleeting so as not to run into my aforementioned mutt.

Not everyone has a squirrel-deterring dog at their disposal, though. My mother-in-law and several of my neighbors, for example, have spent years trying to stop squirrels from digging up flower beds, nibbling vegetables, and unearthing newly planted bulbs. Rather than turning to traps or chemical repellents, they've had surprising success with a much prettier (and much more natural) solution: marigolds.

Do Marigolds Really Deter Squirrels?

Marigolds, you say? Deter squirrels, you gasp? Yes, while these cheerful flowers have long been a staple in cottage gardens and vegetable patches, they're more than just a colorful annual. Many gardeners believe marigolds can help deter squirrels and other unwanted visitors, all thanks to their distinctive scent.

Now, a caveat before we delve any deeper; the scientific evidence specifically linking marigolds to squirrel deterrence is scanty. Still, the idea has been passed down among gardeners for generations, and all hinges on the fact that these pretty flowers produce a strong aroma – one that some people believe squirrels find so unpleasant that it encourages them to forage elsewhere.

Whether it's the scent itself or simply the fact that marigolds are often planted as part of a diverse and healthy garden (they make excellent companion plants!), plenty of gardeners say they've noticed fewer curious diggers after adding them to their beds.

That makes marigolds an easy, low-risk option to try if you want to deter squirrels in a kinder, more natural way. They're inexpensive, easy to grow from seed (we love the Burpee range of marigold seeds) or young plants, and bloom for months with very little fuss.

Better still, they're loved by bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators (including your birth month bug), which means they can support the wider health of your garden while potentially helping to keep squirrels at bay.

If squirrels are constantly digging up bulbs or helping themselves to your vegetable patch, try planting marigolds around the edges of raised beds and vegetable gardens.

It is also a good shout to plant them bear tulips, crocuses, and other bulbs squirrels love to dig up, along pathways and garden borders, or in containers in spots where squirrels often wander. French marigolds (like these HOME GROWN Petite French Marigold Seeds) are often recommended because they have a particularly strong fragrance, although any marigold variety can make a striking addition to sunny borders.

All that being said, marigolds aren't a magic fix; hungry squirrels are remarkably persistent, especially in late summer and fall when they're busy storing food for winter. Still, as part of a wildlife-friendly approach that also includes clearing up fallen birdseed, protecting newly planted bulbs with wire mesh, and reducing easy food sources, they may help make your garden a less inviting place for these bushy-tailed vagrants to linger.

Shop Three More Plants That Help Deter Squirrels:

One of the nicest things about planting marigolds is that, even if they don't solve your squirrel problem overnight, you've still added months of vibrant color to your yard (there are so many reasons why it is such a popular annual to grow!).

If you want to deter squirrels, there are rarely any guarantees; these clever little animals quickly adapt to new surroundings, and what works in one neighborhood may not work in another. Still, if you're looking for a simple, affordable, and wildlife-friendly alternative to traps, marigolds are certainly worth a place in your garden, especially as they might encourage those furry visitors to move on to someone else's flower bed instead.

And if all else fails? I can really recommend the ever-barking lurcher option (although, fair warning, your lawn will not thank you for it!).

Summer is a gorgeous season, but unfortunately pests adore it too and come out in abundance. It can be tough to keep pests at bay and ensure that your plants are protected - I know I've definitely woken up to my berries all eaten and my plant beds thoroughly trampled on before!

There are so many pest prevention solutions out there, from fences to chemicals and traps. But if you're looking for something easy to use that won't harm your plants you might need to look no further than in your kitchen cupboards.

Cayenne pepper is an excellent summer pest deterrent, detested by so many different animals and insects. And the best part is that it's cheap and chemical free! (You can even find cayenne pepper in bulk on Amazon). I talked to an assortment of gardening pros to learn exactly why it's so effective at deterring pests and the best ways to use it in a yard. Your plants will definitely be thanking you.

Why Do Pests Hate Cayenne Pepper?

Cayenne pepper is hated by common garden pests because it's a form of irritant. Its strong scent and spicy flavor profile is a lot for a pest's nose, eyes or paws to bear, encouraging them to steer clear.

As Jessica Mercer a horticulturalist at Plant Addicts, explains: "Cayenne pepper works as a pest deterrent because it contains capsaicin, the compound responsible for the pepper's spicy heat. It is an irritant to mammals, including rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, voles, raccoons, and deer, as well as soft-bodied insects. Cayenne irritates the mouth, nose, and mucous membranes, so the pests may avoid treated plants or soil after they smell or taste it."

There are many different ways to harness the humane, organic pest-banishing power of cayenne pepper, so there's bound to be something that works for you and your garden.

What are the Best Ways to Use Cayenne Pepper in the Garden?

There are three primary ways to use cayenne pepper as a pest deterrent in your yard: in its powder form, diluted with water, or diluted with a mixture of water and super mild soap.

If you're using cayenne in its powder form Lindsey Chastain of Waddle and Cluck recommends targeting the base of your plants or the borders of beds. This way, there's a barrier created between your pests and your greenery using the cayenne pepper.

She explains: "Just sprinkle it around the edges of garden beds or around the base of plants. Crawling pests like slugs and ants won't want to crawl over it and it will also keep rabbits, squirrels, and deer away. Anything that feels the irritation will back off."

Combining the cayenne pepper with a bit of water can elevate the hack, providing you with a spray you can use on the leaves of your plants to stop pests from munching on them.

Adding a small amount of mild soap can help the cayenne and water solution to better adhere to leaves, especially if you live in a rainy area and don't want the cayenne to rapidly wash away. Though be sure to use something extremely gentle like a baby soap in small doses.

Are There Any Downsides to This Hack?

The main downside to this hack is that the cayenne pepper will dilute and/or wash away when it rains, so it will need reapplying. If you live in an area with less rainfall this hack may be better suited for your needs.

Lindsey also noted to me that cayenne will irritate people's pets as well so if you have pets, it's important to consider whether they will be able to access the areas where you plan to use the pepper.

Jessica added that birds don't react to capsaicin in the same way that other pests do, so if you specifically have a bird problem the cayenne pepper may not work to discourage them or they will just get used to it.

If this is the case, the hack will work more effectively alongside other pest prevention methods for birds such as using netting like the Sukh Garden Mesh from Amazon or physical barriers like these Amazon Plant Protectors to shield your plants.

There are several things that can be unreliable in summer: tents, whether it will rain at your picnic, and allergies. One thing that is always a given? Mosquitos. It’s like they sense when you’ve laid the table, lit the candles, and invited over your friends for a perfect evening. Right on cue, those pesky mosquitoes show up uninvited and proceed to feast on everyone’s ankles.

Fortunately, there are some products that actually work well, and none of them are citronella candles. Knowing which tool to reach for in moments of annoyance when the mosquitoes start biting, plus knowing where and how to use them, makes all the difference. For a broader overview before you buy, check out our guide to 9 natural ways to get rid of mosquitoes.

Here are 7 products worth adding to your arsenal this summer.

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.

Summer is a busy time of year with the garden in full swing and outdoor gatherings just about every weekend. Unfortunately, pests can ruin your gardens and your parties.

Common garden pests can destroy large sections of plants quickly and leave your frustrated. I have been battling groundhogs for years and mosquitoes for my whole life! I have rounded up the best Amazon Prime Day deals for pest control so you can spend less time scouring the internet for pest control solutions and more time enjoying your summer.

Read on to see my pest control picks that are on sale during the Amazon Prime Day event this week.

Mosquito Control Deals

I am a mosquito magnet so I am always looking for the best products to help me cope with my skeeter neighbors. Here are the best deals on mosquito control products on Amazon.

Outdoor Insect Control Deals

Insects like aphids, mites, and Japanese beetles can quickly take over your garden and destroy all your hard work. Here are some great options for controlling outdoor insects.

Indoor Insect Control Deals

Fruit flies and fungus gnats are some of the peskiest indoor pests. Keep them at bay with these great deals from Amazon.

Animal Pest Control Deals

I love wildlife, but these cuties take a real toll on my garden every year. Here are some of the best Amazon Prime Day deals to keep animal pests away.

Keep an eye on the Gardening Know How site for more of our Amazon Prime Day picks like our favorite lawn care deals and plant deals!

Summer is the time of year many of us look forward to – gorgeous skies, long days, and endless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. But there's one thing nobody looks forward to: being swarmed by insects.

Unfortunately, this year is shaping up to be a particularly bad one for bugs, especially flying pests like mosquitoes, flies, and wasps. The good news? With a quality insect zapper like the GOOTOP Bug Zapper from Amazon, you can spend less time worrying about pests and more time making the most of the warm weather.

There's plenty to love about the GOOTOP Bug Zapper, making it one of the most standout Amazon Prime Day garden buys. And when Amazon's best-selling bug zapper is available at half price, it's hard to ignore. Here are just a few reasons why it's in my cart.

What is the GOOTOP Bug Zapper?

The GOOTOP Bug Zapper is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. It plugs into a standard three-prong outlet and uses a blue-violet light to attract flying insects. When insects come into contact with the electrified grid, they're killed instantly before falling into a removable collection tray for easy disposal.

You can place the zapper in a range of locations, including an entryway to catch insects before they make their way into your home. It's also well suited to patios, decks, and near front or back doors where bugs tend to gather.

Each zapper is designed to cover up to half an acre outdoors, helping protect a large area from flying insects.

Why Do I love It?

I really like the design of the GOOTOP Bug Zapper. Many models on the market can look quite unsightly, but this one has a discreet design that looks more like an outdoor lantern than a bug zapper, making it easy to blend in by a front door or on a patio.

I also like that it includes a removable tray, making it easy to dispose of dead insects. This is especially useful if you've mounted the zapper on a wall, as you won't have to take the whole unit down every time it needs emptying.

As someone who openly admits to being afraid of bugs, I find the half-acre coverage incredibly reassuring. And if you have a larger outdoor space, there's nothing to stop you from buying a second one to extend the coverage.

Customer Reviews

With a 4.5-star rating from more than 26,000 Amazon customer reviews, the GOOTOP Bug Zapper has earned plenty of praise from shoppers.

Reviewers describe it as "surprisingly effective", especially given its sub-$30 sale price. Many also appreciate that it starts working as soon as it's plugged in, eliminating the need to spray chemical insecticides or pesticides around the home.

Customers note that you'll likely hear a small zap when an insect is caught. Rather than finding it annoying, many say the sound reassures them that the zapper is doing its job, with some even saying it's convinced them to buy additional units.

The blue-violet light has also proved popular, with several reviewers saying it creates a pleasant ambience for evenings spent outdoors.

Shop More Insect Prevention Supplies

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.

I have a long-standing issue with slugs. Specifically, their complete lack of respect for my garden and their unwavering commitment to treating my precious lupins like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Every year it becomes a familiar cycle: I plant something I love, it looks promising for a while, and then one night the slugs arrive en masse and reduce it to tatters. I’ve tried ignoring it, I’ve tried relocating them (an exercise in futility), and I’ve even considered my neighbour’s approach of standing outside at night with a torch like some kind of vegetable vigilante. And my husband’s very boring advice (why don’t you just plant the sort of things that slugs won’t eat?) doesn’t even bear thinking about.

I won’t use chemicals, because I know they’re terrible for the entire ecosystem, so I am entirely restricted to environmentally friendly options to remove slugs and snails. When I came across a ceramic slug trap disguised as a pretty garden ornament, then, you had best believe I was intrigued.

A Slug Trap in Disguise

The Esschert Design snail-shaped slug trap is exactly what it sounds like: a small ceramic ornament designed to sit in your borders and quietly deal with slugs without shouting about it. From a distance, it just looks like a slightly whimsical garden decoration. Up close, it’s doing something far more practical.

So how does it actually work?

The idea is simple. You fill the base with a liquid attractant (most commonly beer, although some gardeners use yeast mixtures) and place it at soil level in your beds or pots. Slugs are drawn to the smell, climb inside, and are trapped. The ceramic lid helps protect the bait from rain and keeps everything discreet, which is part of the appeal if you’d rather not scatter beer traps across your flowerbeds.

It’s a passive system, which means no chemicals, no electricity, no late-night slug patrol required. Just set it, place it, and check it every so often. And gardeners are singing its praises as a result.

Yes, reviews consistently mention that it blends into planting schemes far better than makeshift solutions like old yoghurt pots or metal tins. One gardener said they caught 11 slugs overnight using beer as bait, and described the trap as durable and easy to clean and reuse.

Another simply called it “darling,” which is not usually a word you associate with pest control, but here we are.

Others compared this slug trap directly to traditional beer traps in tins, saying it performs just as well but looks significantly better doing it. And hey, I think we can all agree that there’s something deeply satisfying about pest control that doesn’t make your garden look like a science experiment.

Does it completely solve a slug problem? Probably not. Most gardeners will tell you that slug control is about reduction, not eradication. But as part of a wider approach, alongside planting choices and a bit of persistence, it seems to make a noticeable difference.

Shop Slug Control Essentials:

At the very least, it replaces the slightly grim ritual of beer traps in random containers with something that actually looks like it belongs in the garden.

And if you’re anything like me, that alone is worth it.

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.

It's skeeter season, and every gardener knows that the mosquito bucket of doom is the best way to deal with these biting bugs. Or is it?

The mosquito bucket of doom isn't a complicated concept. Fill a dark container roughly halfway with water, add something organic – straw, grass clippings, leaf litter – and what you've built is a convincing imitation of the warm, stagnant pools gravid female mosquitoes are already hunting for when it's time to lay.

The idea is simple: they go to the bucket rather than the birdbath or pond, which is the whole point. The larvae that hatch can then be eliminated, helping to rid the area of the local population before any adult emerges.

Improving the Mosquito Bucket of Doom

Beginners should create a mosquito bucket of doom first; everything here assumes the basic setup is already in place.

The key thing to understand is that this is a trap method, not a repellent; it draws mosquitoes in and cuts off the lifecycle rather than deterring adults. Refinements work by strengthening the attraction and reliability of the trap, and making it look less like a garden eyesore.

And so, with that in mind...

1. Boost Your Coverage

One mosquito bucket of doom near a patio isn't going to catch every egg-laying female in a quarter-acre garden: mosquitoes work across small ranges when hunting for laying sites, and a single location covers a fraction of that.

Several smaller containers at different points around the property do more work than one large vessel in a single spot.

A 3-gallon (11.4L) bucket does the same job as a 10-gallon (38L) one; three of them distributed around the garden tend to cover considerably more ground.

This is also more practical to maintain; emptying or treating smaller containers is considerably less of a task.

2. Consider Shade

Shade placement matters for a couple of reasons. Sun-exposed buckets dry out fast – more topping up, shorter effective window before the organic material stops doing its job.

Shade matters for a separate reason: many Aedes species, the ones primarily responsible for backyard biting, tend to prefer sheltered spots when searching for laying sites.

Positioning under a hedge or along a shaded boundary lines up with where those mosquitoes already spend their time, and it's a quieter presence in the garden than a bucket sitting out in the open.

3. Make the Setup Less Obvious

The standard advice calls for a black bucket, and a black bucket looks exactly like what it is. Any dark, watertight container that passes for intentional in a border solves this without losing function.

Dark outdoor storage containers from Amazon come in shapes and sizes that sit in a border without announcing themselves. The only requirement is that the container holds water; anything with drainage holes needs those plugged first.

Tuck a few trailing plants around the base and it reads as planting, not pest control.

4. Plant Accordingly

Lavender and basil, along with citronella grass or honeysuckle, are regularly cited as plants to grow near a bucket trap for added deterrence.

While they do contain compounds with insect-repellent properties, a living plant in the ground doesn’t volatilize enough to meaningfully affect the surrounding air; that effect requires concentrated oil applied directly to skin.

Still, growing them nearby is reasonable and may add some marginal deterrent effect; just remember it isn’t the mechanism doing the heavy lifting.

5. Consider Mosquito Dunks

The difference between a bucket of doom that works reliably and one that works sometimes usually comes down to BTI. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces proteins toxic to mosquito larvae but harmless to everything else in the garden.

Most DIY versions rely on larvae dying from conditions in the bucket alone, which is inconsistent. BTI doesn’t leave it to chance. Used this way, the bucket of doom stops being a gimmick and becomes part of a garden that quietly manages its own problems. Mosquito dunks from Amazon are the standard delivery method; a slow-release disk floats in the water and stays active for up to 30 days.

BTI is also useful beyond the bucket. Anything that holds standing water and isn’t regularly emptied is a potential breeding site, and BTI granules from Amazon handle these without needing to drain or cover them.

The granule format works well for smaller containers where a full dunk would be oversized. Both are widely considered safe for pollinators and fish at labeled rates, which makes the BTI approach more defensible than fermentation methods of uncertain concentration.

FAQs

However you choose to level yours up, remember the bucket trap works better as part of a system than as a standalone intervention. It also performs better when competing breeding sites are eliminated; water in forgotten containers and clogged gutters can breed mosquitoes just as effectively as any intentional trap.

The goal is to make the bucket the most attractive laying option in the garden, which means nothing else should be running a parallel breeding program in the background.

Honestly, a quick early-summer walk to clear obvious water accumulations is worth doing before setting anything up. Good luck!

Many people think of pest control as something that only happens outside. But summer pests can also be a nightmare indoors. If you’re tired of waking up to the telltale buzz of a stray mosquito, finding tiny gnats around your nightstand, or smacking at bugs that bite at night, there is a natural alternative to a chemical spray that can keep pests at bay. What works on a sun-baked patio through volatile plant oils can work indoors too, provided the plant matches your bedroom's microclimate.

Bringing green companions into your sleeping space does more than just throw up a natural defensive shield against night-flying intruders. Tending to living plants indoors provides a psychological boost, infusing your morning and evening routines with a sense of calm and well being. Give these double-duty pest controls and mood boosters the right light and air, appropriate watering, and good drainage, and they will serve you well all summer long. So if you’re bothered by insects that bite at night, make the most of these 7 plants’ impressive credentials to protect your peace of mind and keep your bedtimes bug-free.

Plants that Deter Pests in Bedrooms

Scent-based pest deterrents rely on volatile organic compounds (like linalool, camphor, and menthol) stored within the foliage of certain plants. Indoors, without the natural agitation of wind, these oils sit passively in the plant tissue. To build an effective pest control, position these plants near open windows where cross-breezes can carry the aroma across the room, or place on nightstands so you can brush against the leaves to release a fresh burst of protective fragrance before turning in for the night.

Cultivating Mediterranean herbs and tropical carnivores indoors comes with unique challenges. Most bug-repelling plants crave intense, unfiltered sunlight, so prioritize south or west-facing windowsills, and supplement with focused grow lights if your room falls into shade. Furthermore, modern air conditioning strips essential moisture from indoor air, while creating stagnant pockets where weak plants falter. Grouping containers together or setting up a dedicated humidity tray can ensure plants retain their vigor and don't succumb to crispy, dry edges. A small bedroom humidifier like the Levoit Humidifier from Amazon benefits can also keep foliage healthy.

Standard garden soil is far too heavy for indoor pots. It compacts rapidly, inviting the very root rot and fungus gnats you’re trying to avoid. Instead, use a lightweight indoor potting mix enriched with perlite or pumice for the best drainage. And don’t forget a sensible watering routine, using a long-spouted watering can like the elegant LTSumi Copper Watering Can from Amazon for precise root watering, as well some Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix from Home Depot for a sound moisture balance.

Finally, a note about bedroom life for these plants. While a few of these plants are content to be permanent bedroom residents, sun-worshipping Mediterranean plants should only be viewed as summer guests and are happiest outdoors in the long run. They are great on a blazing summer windowsill when light levels are at their peak, but they will need an autumn transition outside once the summer pest season winds down. Without further ado, let’s meet those gorgeous mood-boosting pest controls.

1. Peppermint

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is loaded with a high concentration of crisp menthol. This sharp, refreshing aroma actively disrupts the sensory receptors of mosquitoes and is believed to discourage spiders from spinning webs around headboards. Because peppermint is a vigorous grower, it adapts to indoor life far better than other herbs, quickly filling out a container with lush foliage that instantly lifts the mood.

To keep your peppermint potent, it needs bright indirect light with full morning sun. Never let the soil dry out. Maintain a consistently damp but well-drained medium. Also, for the highest concentration of pest-repelling oils, routinely pinch off the growing tips of the stems. Rotate the pot 180 degrees every week to ensure all sides receive equal sunlight and grow evenly. You can buy Bonnie Plants’ Peppermint from Walmart.

2. Scented Pelargonium

Unlike traditional flowering geraniums, citrus scented pelargonium varieties (Pelargonium graveolens) are prized for their deeply lobed, velvety foliage that acts like a living aerosol. The moment you lightly brush past the leaves on your way to bed, the plant releases a strong, clean burst of citronellal and geraniol into the air, creating a natural block to annoying night-flying gnats. Scented geraniums are exceptionally low-maintenance. You can buy TriStar Citronella Pelargonium Plants from Amazon.

These plants just require a bright south or west-facing window to keep oil production at peak capacity. Water deeply only when the top two inches (5cm) of soil feel dry to the touch, as their semi-succulent stems store water efficiently. Outstanding varieties include Citrosa (aka the mosquito plant) or Citronella. You can boost humidity levels with a mister, such as the vintage-style copper and green Ebristar Plant Mister from Amazon, but don’t worry if you forget, as these plants can tolerate some dry air.

3. Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) brings an exquisite, dual-purpose luxury to a bright bedroom windowsill. The foliage and flowers are packed with linalool, a soothing compound scientifically proven to naturally lower heart rates and promote deep, restful sleep. While humans find this fragrance calming, though, mosquitoes, moths, and fleas find it repulsive, making it an excellent passive shield for open summer windows. You can buy Munstead English Lavender Plants from Amazon.

Let’s be candid: lavender can be a diva indoors if it doesn't get enough light. You must place it on your sunniest windowsill, where it can absorb at least 6 hours of direct afternoon sun. Lean toward compact, moisture-tolerant lavender varieties such as 'Wee One' or the classic 'Munstead', which stay tidy in small spaces. Water sparingly, allowing the potting medium to dry out between sessions. Add a one-inch layer of fine chicken grit or gravel to the surface. You can buy Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix from Walmart to ensure optimal drainage.

4. Sweet Basil

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a fantastic, fast-growing option for an open bedroom window. The leaves emit a continuous, spicy cloud of estragole and linalool that forms a powerful deterrent against houseflies and midges as well as skeeters. Its vibrant green leaves provide a cheerful visual pop, and the rich, culinary aroma makes the entire room feel fresh and alive. To keep your basil in a flourishing state all summer long, just give it a warm spot that receives plenty of bright, direct sunlight.

Basil loves consistent moisture, but despises soggy roots, so grow yours in a loose, well-draining potting mix. However, the ultimate secret to longevity is to pinch back the central stems just above a leaf node, and immediately snip away any flowering buds the moment they appear. If basil is allowed to bolt (flower), its oil production plummets, and the leaves lose their potency. Look for compact varieties like Minette or Spicy Globe for window boxes. Buy Bonnie Plants Sweet Basil from Amazon.

5. Catnip

While associated with feline entertainment, catnip (Nepeta cataria) is highly effective in fighting summer bugs. The plant produces a compound called nepetalactone, which is a powerful mosquito repellent in enclosed spaces. It grows with a charming, relaxed habit, featuring soft, scalloped green leaves that release an earthy, mint-tinged aroma when the plant is disturbed. Catnip is easy to cultivate indoors and highly adaptable, thriving in bright indirect light to full sun on a windowsill.

Water whenever the top inch of soil feels dry, and give the plant a hard trim every few weeks to promote fresh, bushy growth. Giving the foliage a gentle shake or squeeze before going to bed also activates a fresh wave of nepetalactone. Just don't let the soil dry out to the point of severe wilting, which strips the plant of its vitality. Oh, and if you happen to have cats, keep this plant safely out of reach on a high hanging shelf. You can buy Bonnie Plants Catnip Plants from Walmart.

6. Dwarf Rosemary

Camphor is rosemary's active oil, and mosquitoes and gnats don't like it. Dwarf rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus 'Prostratus') fits neatly on a windowsill and brings a crisp, resinous punch to a bedroom. Camphor confuses the delicate heat-seeking radar of biting gnats, midges, and mosquitoes. Rosemary is exceptionally tough and handles dry, low-humidity air without fuss. It just demands a position in full, uninterrupted sun and a gritty, fast-draining soil mix.

Allow the soil to dry out between waterings, as rosemary roots are susceptible to drowning. Run a small fan in your bedroom to ensure excellent air circulation around your rosemary. Prune regularly to maintain a neat shape – the fragrant clippings can be dried and placed in fabric sachets inside your wardrobe to protect your clothes from moths as well! You can buy Rosemary ‘Prostratus’ from Amazon.

7. Tropical Pitcher Plant

While the other candidates on this list deter pests with scents, the tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes) takes a uniquely proactive approach to pest control. It features elegant, dangling tendrils that swell into spectacular hollow vessels. The interior of each is lined with slick, wax-like ridges and filled with digestive enzymes. Stray fungus gnats, fruit flies, and midges are lured in by sweet nectar secretions, lose their footing on the slippery walls, and are quietly digested.

This is a jungle native that thrives in bright, indirect light. It is the perfect choice for a humid bedroom or a hanging basket near an eastern window. The main thing is to never use tap water, well water, or standard bottled water for this plant. Instead, use distilled water or fresh rainwater, and maintain high humidity around the plant. Don't ever put houseplant fertilizer into the soil, either; these plants get all their nutrients from bugs. You can buy Savage Gardeners’ Pitcher Plants from Amazon.

Great Plants for Pest Controls

Investing in these organic essentials doesn't just clear the air of pests, but infuses your resting hours with balance, calm, and soothing fragrance and visual harmony. These curated plants are designed to maximize summer vitality and keep your sleeping quarters completely bite-free, and the bonus is that they boost well being with elegance, versatile color notes, and gentle textures. Go on, treat yourself.

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I've always been a little skeptical about predator decoys. The theory is simple enough: hang a realistic-looking bird of prey above your vegetable garden and smaller birds will steer clear, leaving your carefully tended crops alone. But do they actually work, or do birds quickly realise they're being fooled?

As someone who prefers to keep a wildlife-friendly garden, I was intrigued. After all, netting can be effective, but it can also be unsightly and potentially hazardous to critters if not installed correctly. Predator decoys promise a gentler (and, admittedly, more hilarious-looking) solution, using nature's food chain rather than physical barriers to keep hungry visitors at bay.

That made my veggie patch the perfect testing ground. My strawberries are growing in a small raised bed that's just beginning to produce ripe fruit, making them an irresistible target for birds. Or at least they should be; so far, the biggest threat to my harvest has actually been my two children, aged four and one, who seem to view ripe strawberries as a first-come, first-served buffet. (Spoiler: the decoy doesn't appear to work on small humans).

Still, I was curious to see whether it would deter the local bird population. After all, there's a big difference between a product sounding sensible in theory and proving useful in a real garden. So, with that in mind, I treated myself to a decoy of my own...

Setting Up the Predator Decoy

One thing I quickly discovered is that some predator decoys can be surprisingly awkward to position. The one I fished out of my daughter's toybox (yes, a grandparent gifted her one by mistake; what of it?) needed to appear as though it was hovering or flying above the crops rather than sitting motionless on the ground, and this presented a bit of a challenge in my garden.

Now, I wasn't prepared to install a permanent pole or bracket just for the sake of an experiment, so I improvised by attaching the decoy to a pyramid trellis above my vegetable bed. As you can see above, the result looked, frankly, a little bonkers.

That said, gardeners with mature trees, fences, pergolas, or existing brackets will likely find installation much easier. In the right setting, a hanging decoy could look considerably more convincing than my makeshift setup.

Did It Actually Work?

Surprisingly, I think it might have. While it's impossible to know exactly what the birds are thinking (I can't even figure out what my own birth month bird has in mind), my strawberries have remained largely untouched throughout the trial. More tellingly, I've noticed sparrows and other small birds happily landing in nearby planters and flower beds while giving the area around the strawberry patch a noticeably wider berth.

Yes, fine; that's hardly scientific proof, but it does suggest the decoy is having some effect. If birds were completely ignoring it, I'd expect them to treat every part of the garden equally. Instead, they seem perfectly comfortable visiting other areas while avoiding the space directly beneath the faux predator.

Still, no deterrent is guaranteed to work forever. Many experts suggest birds can eventually become accustomed to static decoys, particularly if they're left in the same position for weeks on end. Moving them regularly is often recommended to maintain the illusion of danger.

Shop for Predator Decoys:

If you're struggling with birds gobbling up your fruit and want a wildlife-friendly deterrent, I'd say a predator decoy is worth considering. It's easy to install, doesn't harm wildlife, and appears to have offered at least some protection for my strawberry crop.

That said, you'll need somewhere suitable to position it, and you may have to get creative if your garden lacks convenient structures. My trellis-mounted setup wasn't exactly a triumph of garden design, but hey, if it helps preserve a few extra strawberries, I can live with that.

Just don't expect it to keep determined toddlers away from your harvest. For that, I'm still waiting for someone to invent a more effective solution.

I love a quiet evening on the outdoor sofa, glass in hand and chatting with friends or simply watching the garden birds. But that easy peace is quickly shattered by the whine of a hungry mosquito’s wings flapping 500 times a second. Did you know that humans can only detect this noise less than a foot away, so if you hear that high-pitched hum, the pesky skeeter making it is close enough to strike? Yup, and what’s more, insects can hear the screech up to 30 feet away and it’s used as a mating call – and that means a whole lot more mozzies might be about to join your patio party.

The solution, however, is simple: a mosquito trap that uses natural ingredients you’ve probably already got in your kitchen cupboards. Now, I’m all for encouraging a balance of garden wildlife to control pests, and the resident bats do a great job of keeping the mozzie population down. But even so, when it’s a lovely evening to sit outside and I hear that piercing whirr, I reach for a baking soda mozzie trap.

Ready for the science bit? When you mix bicarbonate of soda, which is alkaline, with white vinegar, which is acidic, a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide. Mosquitoes find their human prey by detecting the carbon dioxide we exhale, which they can sense an astonishing 100 feet away. That’s why some folk are more attractive to mozzies: all sorts of factors, from stress to consuming carbohydrates, can increase levels of CO₂ exhaled.

So, mosquitoes fly towards the strong source of the carbon dioxide – happy the trap, not you – and drown. But here’s the clever thing, especially if you care about your garden wildlife: the trap is at its most effective for the first few hours that it's activated, so you only get rid of mosquitoes when you need to. As part of your backyard mosquito control, it's an easy win.

You Will Need:

• a used clear plastic bottle, at least 1.5 liters in size
• scissors
• tape suitable for exterior use, such as this from Amazon
• ¼ cup baking soda, such as this from Amazon
• 1 cup white vinegar, such as this from Amazon
• measuring spoons

How to Make Your Mozzie Trap:

1. To make your natural mozzie trap, first remove the lid from the bottle and, using the scissors, carefully cut the plastic bottle in half. Turn the upper half upside down and insert it into the lower half. Trim any excess length.

2. Tape the cut edges together securely, folding down the tape edge inside the trap.

3. Tip ¼ cup of baking soda into the trap.

4. When you’re ready to use your natural mosquito trap, set it in place and pour 1 cup of vinegar into the trap, on top of the baking soda. Do this slowly as it will foam enthusiastically!

Easy, huh? It's handy, too, as you can prep the trap with the baking soda beforehand, then tip the vinegar in and start the chemical reaction when you’re ready to use it. Mosquitoes are very weak fliers and avoid windy areas, so it's important you position your DIY mosquito trap in a sheltered spot. A breeze will also disperse the carbon dioxide quickly, making the source much harder to find. Mozzies also prefer to stay out of the sun, too, so choose a shady position if it hasn't already sunk beneath the horizon.

The trap can be rinsed out and re-used many times over, too. It's tricky to get all the liquid out because of the funnel shape you've created, so it's easiest to remove the tape and reapply after rinsing. That fizzy reaction neutralizes the baking soda and vinegar, turning it into water and sodium acetate (salt), so it's safe to pour the liquid down the drain. Don't forget to count how many pesky mozzies you caught first though!

To further help keep your yard free of mosquitoes, avoid pools of still water – adding a cheap floating solar fountain to a water feature is a fast and fun solution if you have a pond, birdbath or dipping tank. There are numerous scented plants such as lavender and lemongrass that help to deter these pests, too. Making a mozzie bucket of doom is another effective aid to backyard skeeter control, but doesn't smell half as good!

If you've got any bicarbonate of soda left over, then it's very effective when used with vegetable oil, dish soap and water to make a baking-soda spray to prevent fungal diseases on tomato plants.

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.

We defend our kids and our pets. Why not protect the vegetables growing in the garden? A healthy garden is a delight, but when the vegetables are attacked by pests, it turns into a nightmare. It’s rare you are going to see one type of pest - much more likely to see a dozen.

There are many ways to approach the problem of pests in the garden, ranging from closing your eyes and pretending it’s not happening to bringing out the big guns in the shape of chemical pesticides.

We’ve got the perfect solution for you: create a 3-ring “firewall” for pests around the vegetable garden, using physical barriers, biological treatments and chemical treatments. One of our favorites is the push-pull pest control method. It uses plants to protect your plants.

Creating a 3-Ring "Firewall" for Pests

Like so many ideas that are trending on Instagram and Tik-Tok, creating a 3-ring firewall for pests is as old as the hills. It refers to a comprehensive pest control strategy designed to control and prevent pest infestations.

Our grandparents and their parents before them may not have called it a 3-ring firewall, but they did use a layered approach to pest control, with physical barriers, chemical treatments, and biological treatments to manage pest infestations.

Each of these pest control strategies works better for some pests than others. A pest that is not impacted by one of these factors is likely to be stopped by one of the other strategies. By using multiple strategies, this 3-ring firewall increases the chances of successfully managing pests.

1. Physical Interventions

Physical barriers in a 3-ring firewall act like walls to keep pests out. If you are using this approach to keep pests (like termites) out of the house, physical barriers might be sealing up cracks and blocking entry points.

Gardens usually don’t have pest “entry points,” but you can use other types of physical barriers, like mesh screens which can be found on Amazon. One of our favorite tricks is to install other plants to create push-pull pest control.

Let’s use the example of maize as a garden crop you want to protect. To use this push-pull strategy, install plants that repel ("push") pests of maize. This could be a plant like Desmodium that drives away stemborers from a maize crop. Plant these all the way around the perimeter of the garden. This keeps pests out of the maize.

At the same time, you install another group of plants some distance from the main maize crop to “pull” the pests over there. These should be plants that the pests prefer to the maize. In this example, you might plant napier grass that lures stemborers away from maize.

Another name for this strategy is “trap crop.” Essentially, you plant a sacrificial crop that you are giving to the insect pests in order to keep them out of your best crop. For example, nasturtiums attract a wide variety of pests, like leafhoppers, cabbage worms and aphids. So you plant a bed of nasturtiums and these pests leave your garden crops to head over to the nasturtiums.

2. Chemical Interventions

The second “ring” of the 3-ring firewall is chemical treatments. The most popular of these are pesticides - and for good reason. They are some of the most effective pest control methods available since they act quickly to kill the pests.

The best thing about pesticides is that you can find products that target specific pests. Other chemical options include repellents and bait. However, all toxic chemicals are known to injure people, pets, and the environment so use sparingly and with caution.

Gentler options like homemade insecticidal soap, neem oil, or diatomaceous earth are a good place to start, but they don't distinguish between pests and pollinators so use them carefully. You can find neem oil and food-grade diatomaceous earth from Amazon or your local garden center.

3. Biological Interventions

Biological pest control is slower than chemicals when it comes to reducing the number of pests in your garden. But it is safer and does not carry the same risks to humans, animals and the environment. It is an eco-friendly approach that is safe for humans and doesn’t harm beneficial insects like pollinators. That makes it a sustainable long-term solution.

This approach includes introducing natural enemies of the pests in your garden. Beneficial insects hunt and eat bad bugs you don't want eating your vegetables. For example, you might release ladybugs in the garden to take out aphids. Parasitic wasps can also be used to target specific pests effectively. It can also use parasites or natural pathogens to take out specific pest populations. An example would be using nematodes to target soil-dwelling pests.

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.

Time spent soaking in the peace of a backyard is precious. Whether your little slice of heaven is a chair on a deck or a lounger on a lawn, you’ll have spent a long time longing for those first stolen hours of summer warmth, nursing a morning coffee or evening glass of wine… only for a grim buzzing noise to disrupt the peace and vibrate repeatedly against your ear. You know the one I mean. Just like that, your backyard bliss is shattered, you’re smacking the air in frustration, and you face the prospect of swallowing a cloud of chemical bug spray or retreating inside, as gnats, horseflies or skeeters hijack spaces you’ve worked hard to enjoy.

Fortunately, there is a lovelier alternative to bug spray if you want to reclaim your yard, and no, I’m not talking about citronella candles. Creating a no-fly zone is as simple as creating a few well-placed containers filled with flowers that repel flies. Specific container garden classics and joyful new kids on the block don’t just look lovely, they also pack a serious punch – heavenly to us, unbearable to buggy interlopers. Packed with potent essential oils and natural compounds, these fragrant fly repellent flowers are nature’s way of nudging unwanted winged visitors towards the exit. So if you haven’t yet planted a few plants that repel flies, now’s your chance.

By growing these 6 potent container-based bloomers, you don’t just add color and fragrance to your yard, you gain the ultimate buggy superpower: mobility. You can station these flowers that deter flies where you need them most, whether that’s flanking the path next to your patio lounger or standing guard on a sunny windowsill. Now's the time to get these gorgeous natural security systems to work. Grab these aromatic container superheroes, and you can add color and clout while kicking those winged beasties out. Here are the 6 flowers that will keep summer's most annoying party-crashers at bay, and all while looking super fine.

Best Flowers to Repel Flies

Harnessing the power of flowers that keep flies away is a brilliant strategy for container gardeners. These Big 6 varieties represent the best of the best for flying pest control, offering a mix of hardy flowering perennials and fast-growing annuals. Some devote their entire aromatic punch into one glorious season of pest control, soaking the air with scent. Others are in it for the long haul, and can keep your yards protected in the loveliest way for many summers to come. Together, they create a layered defense that targets a range of common backyard nuisances, from houseflies and fruit flies to mosquitoes and midges.

Because these plants rely on the evaporation of natural oils to deter pests, planting them in May ensures they have ample time to establish robust root systems and lush foliage before summer heat pushes those potent fragrances to their peak. Whatever your USDA zone may be, the beauty of container gardening is that you can bypass poor backyard earth and give these plants the exact conditions they crave, whether that's a lean, sharp-draining, gritty mix for Mediterranean types or a moisture-retentive loam for hungrier flowering security.

To set your pest-busting flowers up to start repelling flies from day one, container preparation is key. Before planting, ensure your chosen pots have excellent drainage holes to prevent waterlogging (which can reduce a plant's health and oil potency). Use a soil meter to test your potting mixes before planting, ensuring it is primed for your perfumed fly-busters. You can buy the Dr Meter 3-in-1 Soil Moisture, Light, and pH Tester from Amazon for a battery-free check of moisture levels and pH needs.

Boosting starter plants with an organic root-growing stimulant during planting will also encourage rapid growth so your flowers can hit their stride in short order. You can buy Bonide Garden Rich Root & Grow Stimulator Concentrate from Walmart to help stimulate early root formation in these flowers dedicated to your no-fly zone.

1. Lavender

When it comes to fragrant pest control, lavender (Lavendula) is the classic purple powerhouse. Those iconic, slender flower spikes, in shades of deep violet, powdery blue, and soft pink, are loaded with linalool, an aromatic compound that acts as a cloaking device against houseflies, mosquitoes, gnats, and moths. To maximize its bug-busting potential, potted lavender needs a position that receives 6-8 hours of baking sunlight daily. These oils are most potent in mid-to-late afternoon heat. Station containers right next to outdoor seating, on steps, or on a sunny windowsill where a passing breeze can waft that protective scent hither and yon.

Avoid the temptation to pamper your container lavender. She thrives on neglect and detests wet feet, which can halt oil production. Opt for unglazed terracotta or clay pots that allow moisture to evaporate through walls. Fill with a lean potting mix, such as Soil Sunrise Custom Lavender Potting Soil Mix from Lowe’s, amended with plenty of coarse sand or perlite. Look for robust cultivars like ‘Phenomenal’ or ‘Munstead’. You can buy Hirt’s Garden’s Lavender 'Munstead' Plants from Walmart for dynamic purple spikes, compact growth, and natural oil potency for an explosion of aromatic blooms.

2. Scented Geraniums

Bright red zonal geraniums are a porch staple as summer rolls near, but if you’re after fly deterrents, it’s their scented-leaf geranium cousins (Pelargonium graveolens) you need to stockpile. Most of these flowering plants need blossoms to reach their full potential, but the potent oils of scented pelargoniums are stored in the cells of their foliage. The moment a winged guest brushes past, the cells rupture and release a cloud of fragrance that masks the environmental cues houseflies, mosquitoes, and midges use to hunt. Look for lemon-scented 'Citronella' (or 'Mosquitaway'), deeply sweet 'Attar of Roses', or citrus-packed 'Orange Fizz'. You can buy Citronella Geraniums from Burpee to get a headstart on skeeter season.

Though they produce pretty clusters of lavender or pink flowers from June to frost, their bug-busting potency remains active all summer, even before the buds emerge. Because they rely on physical friction, these tactile beauties are suited to patio tables or accent plants along paths or walkways. They thrive in containers, either lightweight plastic or glazed ceramic. Just use a well-draining soil mix like Espoma Organic 4-Quart Potting Soil Mix from Walmart for optimal drainage, mixed with a handful of composted manure. They crave a minimum of 6 hours of bright sun but will happily appreciate a little dappled afternoon shade in hot zones.

3. Floss Flowers

For a sprinkle of whimsical charm in your backyard, the floss flower or ageratum (A. houstonianum) is a delightful way to deter flying pests. Get ready for clusters of unique pompoms in powdery blue, lavender, or soft pink. You might only detect a faint floral scent, but this plant is packed with coumarin, a compound so effective at disrupting an insect’s sensory receptors that it is widely used in synthetic bug sprays. It blooms from late spring to first frost, so its pest-fighting window is impressive. It’s potent in bright, humid summer days, and works well on front porches, balconies, or near low patio walls, where houseflies and mosquitoes like to linger.

To keep these pretty annuals at their peak, they need a moist, well-drained root zone. Grow in plastic, resin, or glazed ceramic that holds onto moisture, filled with a rich potting mix. While floss flowers adore morning sun, their pest-busting power can stall in intense afternoon heat, so factor in a little dappled afternoon shade. Choose compact cultivars like ‘Blue Horizon’ or dwarf ‘Aloha Blue’, and deadhead faded blooms to trigger continuous fresh blooms. Buy fluffy 'Dondo Blue' Floss Flower Seeds from Eden Brothers to fill patio containers with robust, fly-repelling texture.

4. Nasturtiums

For a burst of cheerful, sun-drenched color that tumbles romantically over the edges of planters, the fast-growing nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) is a feast for the senses. One of my absolute favorites for color and edible accents, its peppery magic extends to flying pest controls. That peppery foliage scent is vital, but it’s the combination of that and the sweet aroma emitted from the flowers that creates a confusing sensory barrier for houseflies, whiteflies, and aphids. These vibrant annuals are especially effective in hanging baskets near patios or trailing from window boxes, where they can intercept flies trying to catch a ride inside.

Caring for nasturtiums is almost too easy, as they stop working if you treat them too well. Fertile soil or nitrogen-rich fertilizer prompts a mass of leaves, while hiding the pest-deterring flowers. For maximum potency, use a lightweight potting mix and hold off on the plant food. Try 'Jewel Mix' for its bushy habit or 'Alaska' for electric variegations. There are plenty of Nasturtium Seed Options at Burpee, including tangerine ‘Vesuvius’ and coppery ‘Orchid Flame’, for a lush tumbling curtain of fly-repelling color. Pair with upright chives and basil for a multi-tiered defense.

5. Chrysanthemums

Often affectionately known as mums, these densely packed mounds of tight petals explode into generous palettes of color – but don’t let their decorative appearance fool you. Chrysanthemums are capable of kicking some serious fly butt. Mums are loaded with pyrethrum, a powerful insect neurotoxin that insects hate. Their musky, herbal fragrance may smell like a crisp morning to us, but it causes flying pests to beat a hasty retreat. While traditional mums hit peak potency from late summer through fall, you can plant summer-blooming mum varieties in spring. Place them in porch pots or on your entryway steps to stop flies from slipping inside the house.

Mums require a bright, sunny location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight, and a sturdy container that offers plenty of room for their expansive root systems and support for their top-heavy blooms. Use a fertile, moisture-retentive potting soil with plenty of rich organic compost, as mums are heavy feeders. Look for early-season cultivars like the 'Cheryl' or 'Prophet' series, or ‘Mammoth Daisy Coral’ Mums from Burpee. Pinch back growing tips until July to encourage more fly-fighting blooms.

6. Catmint (Nepeta)

Last but not least is nepeta or catmint, bringing a soft cottage-garden calm to patio pots, while deploying sneaky bug-blasting abilities. This airy perennial produces a cloud of fuzzy green-gray foliage, topped with loose spikes of lavender-blue flowers. Yet despite its gentle looks, it is packed with nepetalactone, which is believed to be up to 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes and common houseflies than DEET (used in commercial insect repellents). Given its lovely billowing habit, its minty pine freshness is perfect for large pots on the outer edges of decks, patios, or low retaining walls, for a beautiful protective perimeter.

When growing catmint in containers, the key to keeping its defenses potent is giving it plenty of bright, unfiltered sunlight and avoiding water-retaining soils. Catmint prefers a lean potting mix in a pot that allows roots to breathe. Shear back after its first major flush to trigger a fresh wave of blooms to guard your yard through to fall. Container-friendly cultivars include ‘Walker’s Low’ and ‘Cat’s Pajamas’, which start blooming weeks earlier than other varieties. Buy Proven Winners’ ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ from Fast Growing Trees for a dense long blooming cloud of bug-repelling beauty.

Shop Flowers to Keep Flies at Bay

Curating a pest-free patio doesn’t mean you have to compromise on visual dynamics. These high-potency floral varieties aren’t just effective for discouraging flying bugs, they also work beautifully in pots and look gorgeous from every angle. Treat your patio to these exceptional bloomers and get ready to make more of your joyful fly-free zone.

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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.

Shop More Wasp Control Solutions

Does your bird feeder feel like it’s bringing all the rats to the yard? And they’re like, “Oh, free buffet?” Well, if that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Yes, if you’ve spotted more rats in your yard lately, you’re not imagining it. Warmer weather means increased activity, and once a reliable food source appears, they’ll keep on coming back. And unfortunately, bird feeders can be part of the problem.

Spilled seed, easy access, and nearby cover make them an ideal feeding station – not just for birds, but for rodents too. The good news? You don’t have to give up feeding your backyard birds to solve it.

Move Your Bird Feeder, Prevent Rats

According to the UK's gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh, where you position your feeder is everything.

“Most gardeners, myself included, love encouraging garden birds, so bird feeders are everywhere in this garden. But they can also be a magnet for rats,” he explains in a new video.

“The key to success with them is to position [them] in the open, in the middle of your lawn. Rats hate running through exposed areas. If you put your bird feeder alongside a hedge or wall, that’s great for rats, as they have shelter – they rush out, grab what they want, and rush back.”

It’s a simple shift, but it works with rodent behaviour rather than against it.

Rats are cautious by nature. They rely on edges – fences, hedges, walls – to move around unseen. When a feeder is placed close to these areas, it effectively creates a safe feeding route.

Move it into the centre of your yard, however, and that sense of safety disappears entirely. Suddenly, they’re exposed from all angles, making them far less likely to risk the dash for dropped seed lest they become a tasty snack for a nearby cat.

Birds, on the other hand, are completely unfazed by open space, so they’ll keep visiting as normal. Intrigued? All you have to do is look for sturdy designs that are easy to move – you may find yourself adjusting placement seasonally as your garden changes.

Rat-Proof Bird Feeders:

There’s a second benefit to this approach: it actually makes your feeder safer and more enjoyable for birds.

With a clear line of sight, you’ll get a much better view of visitors as they come and go. And because the feeder is away from cover, it reduces the risk of ambush from pesky neighborhood cats or other predators.

In other words, it’s a small change that improves the experience for everyone... except the rats. Which is good enough for us, quite frankly.

We guess what we're saying is this: rats might be bolder this time of year, but they’re also predictable. By simply moving your bird feeder out into the open, you remove the cover they rely on – and that’s often enough to send them elsewhere.

Your birds won’t mind one bit. Promise.

Slug damage has a way of catching us off guard. The hostas might look decent enough one week, but by the next, they're suddenly riddled with Swiss cheese-style holes. It’s a heartbreaking sight, and while chemical pellets might be able to control slugs in isolation, they can often come at a cost to birds, hedgehogs, and the very soil life we work so hard to cultivate. And the thing is, there is a better option that works for free while you sleep, and it’s far more effective than any store-bought trap.

For anyone serious about organic controls, a settled toad is one of the best ways of getting rid of slugs. These quiet backyard buddies are capable of eating dozens of slugs a night and upward of 10,000 pests across a single season. Yes, you read that right. We’re talking slugs, snails, beetles, grubs, and whatever crosses their path after dark. They are also amazing soil boosters. Their presence helps aerate the earth and provides a natural fertilizer that keeps plants thriving. So not only are toads great for organic slug control and flower power, they are also great for soil health.

A toad doesn't cost a dime, never needs recharging, and quietly patrols your beds for years if treated well, eating thousands of slugs every season. He is one of the most dependable slug control methods going. All he asks for is a decent place to sleep. Early spring is when these resourceful and efficient slug controls are looking for somewhere to land – so you might as well make it your yard they choose for their annual feast. Here’s how to make sure they settle in your patch, what they need, and how to keep them happy – so you can keep your summer garden vibrant and strong.

Why Toads are a Great Slug Control

Toads run on their own schedule, and it lines up almost perfectly with slug activity. Both are nocturnal. While the garden is dark and quiet, a toad that's taken up residence can work its way through the beds without any prompting. Nothing to apply, nothing that washes away, nothing that harms pollinators in your garden. Wiping out thousands of insects in one summer is no mean feat – and all from a single toad. This isn't just a slug fix, either. Vine weevils, cutworms, earwigs, and a range of soil-dwelling larvae are all on the list. If it crawls after dark, it’s on the menu.

The numbers are pretty striking. An American toad or common toad can clear 50-100 insects on any given night, and an April-to-October season adds that up quickly. The beauty of toads as slug control methods cannot be overstated. Not only are they effective and organic, they require zero ongoing maintenance. Unlike beer traps that need cleaning, or copper tape that eventually tarnishes, a toad is a self-sustaining system. They also possess an incredible homing instinct. If a toad finds a suitable abode in April, they can return to that same spot for up to 10 years.

They don't stick around most yards, though, because most yards don't give them what they're after, which is somewhere shaded, a little damp, quiet enough to wait out daylight hours undisturbed. Considering how simple their needs are, it’s high time you make room for these little guys in your yard. You can take advantage of all the benefits of toads quite easily, and reap the rewards for years with minimal effort.

Common Garden Toads that can Visit

In North America, the American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) is the one most likely to wander into your backyard. They are stocky, warty, and surprisingly unbothered by people, and they are widespread across the eastern half of the continent. In the central and western states, Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii) takes the lead. Across the pond in the UK and Europe, the common toad (Bufo bufo) is the garden standard. They are longer-lived than most people realize, with certain toads known to work the same patch of ground to control slugs for decades.

Despite their rugged appearance, toads are sensitive indicators of a healthy garden environment. If you have toads, it follows that you have good soil and a clean ecosystem. What they all have in common is a need for moisture-retentive skin. Unlike frogs, toads don't live in water, but they drink through their skin by sitting in damp soil or shallow pools. They need cool cover during the day, water nearby for breeding, and a corner that won't get dug up or trampled. This is why a toad abode is so critical if you are keen to entice these slug hunters to stick around in your yard. This abode will prevent them from desiccating during hot afternoons. If you want them to stay (and feed), their needs are few – and easy to arrange.

What Exactly is a Toad Abode?

A toad abode is a refuge, a cool, dim and slightly damp pocket that a toad can slip into during the day and come back to night after night. Wild toads find this under flat rocks, in root hollows, or beneath dense ground cover. The toad abode we are talking about just puts this somewhere useful on purpose. It’s our way of helping them enjoy something in our yards that they seek out in the wild. By creating a specific abode, you are essentially providing a luxury suite that mimics these natural conditions, keeping them safer from lawnmowers and domestic pets.

Nothing elaborate is required. An upturned terracotta pot with a notch chipped into the rim works fine, as does a loose stack of flat stones with a gap underneath. The essentials are shade from the afternoon sun, a little retained moisture, and a position where the toad can reach the beds it will be working through after dark. USDA zones don't limit where toads can live, but the design of your abode can help them adapt.

In hotter southern regions, a toad abode should be buried slightly deeper into the soil to keep it cool. In northern zones, providing a stack of stones nearby helps the toad find a place to overwinter once October frosts arrive. The goal is to create a dim, damp, and predator-proof pocket that stays about 10-15 degrees cooler than the ambient air temperature. And honestly, it’s very easy to make this happen.

Creating a Simple Toad Abode

The pot method is the simplest place to start. Grab a terracotta pot, 6-12 inches (15-30cm) in diameter, and chip a curved entry notch into the rim. A brick corner or old chisel will work fine. You want the opening to be about 2-3 inches (5-8cm) wide, wide enough for the toad to get through. Flip it upside down onto bare, damp soil, somewhere sheltered. Clay pots stay naturally cool, hold a bit of moisture and produce the sort of dark snug interior a toad will appreciate. Terracotta is lovely, because it is porous, meaning it breathes, and stays cool through evaporation.

There’s also a stone version, which uses a bit more material, but disappears into the garden naturally. Find a sheltered corner, drop a flat stone down as a floor, prop a couple more on either side as walls, and bridge them with a larger flat stone for a roof. Pack some moss or damp leaves around the outside, and within a week it will look like it grew there. Toads also prefer a back door. If you can leave a tiny gap at the rear of your stone abode, the toad feels safer knowing it has an escape route.

Whichever option you choose, set your toad abode on bare or lightly mulched soil, as toads want direct ground contact to regulate their moisture levels. If you're not the DIY type, by the way, there is another option. You can buy cute toad houses online that are ready to go. For something on a budget, try the Mushroom Toad House from Amazon, which is designed for amphibians in tanks but works just as well outdoors. Or, for something a little fancier, try the gorgeously glazed, naturalistic and very snug Ceramic Toad House from Uncommon Goods, with colors perfectly suited to the needs of your shy and weary toad.

Where to Set the Welcome Mat

In some ways, placement can matter more than build. Afternoon sun is the main thing to avoid. A toad abode in full sun through the hottest part of the day will turn into an oven, and no toad will stay there. Aim for north or east-facing spots, and anywhere sheltered by a wall, or tucked behind a dense shrub like a boxwood, a hedgerow, or a compost heap. The cooler and damper, the better. The best locations are damp hollows, those low spots in the garden where moisture naturally lingers after a rain.

Proximity to your suspected slug buffet is also key, so factor in where you might have spotted plenty of slug damage. Place your toad abode near a vegetable bed, or a perennial border with known pressure, to put the toad right at the source of the slug problem, somewhere its nightly patrol can do the most good. Creating a little water source is also appreciated by Mr (or Mrs) Toad, so try to place your abode near a water supply. Fill a shallow dish, like the Small Rock Water Bowls from Walmart, with a little rain water. Toads don't need to swim, but they do need to soak and rehydrate.

Toad-Friendly Plants to Grow

The right plants act as umbrellas for toads, providing the shade and humidity they crave. Toads are attracted to plants with broad, low-hanging leaves that create a micro-climate at the soil level. Ferns, hostas, and columbines are perfect for this, as their foliage arches over the ground to trap moisture. Large-leaved sage (Salvia macrophylla) is another winner. Its large, textured leaves provide excellent cover, while its flowers attract the insects toads love to snack on. You can find some lovely hostas at Nature Hills, including ‘Elegans’, ‘Big Daddy’ and ‘Earth Angel’ varieties – perfect for shape (and it doesn’t hurt that they are alluring to slugs).

Texture matters more than fragrance. Toads prefer soft, non-spiny plants at the ground level. Wild bergamot and sedges provide the dense, grass-like cover that helps toads move through the garden unseen by predators like hawks. You can buy EverColor ‘Everillo’ Sedge Plants from Walmart. Avoid planting toad abodes near heavy-fragrance deterrent plants like rue or lavender, though, as the strong oils can sometimes be off-putting to their sensitive skin.

How to Make a Toad Friendly Yard

The abode gets a toad through the door. The rest of the garden is what keeps it there. Pesticides and slug pellets are the biggest threat: metaldehyde in particular is toxic to toads. Even if they don’t eat the pellet, eating a poisoned slug can be fatal. Some iron phosphate products can also harm toads, and a territory full of poisoned prey isn't one worth defending. If you are tempted to double your efforts with pellets, switch to something safer, like Garden Safe Slug & Snail Bait from Walmart.

Another toad-friendly addition are wild zones. A pile of logs in a corner, or a patch of leaf litter, can provide secondary hunting grounds and breeding spots for the insects that toads eat. Dense ground cover and rough edges are assets from a toad’s point of view. Water is the single biggest draw. Toads breed in standing water in spring, and a garden with a small pond is far more likely to keep a toad around than one without. A half-barrel, a sunken washing-up bowl or a wide shallow dish can help transform your yard into a toad haven. Just ensure there is a sloped edge or a ramp (like a few stacked stones) so your toads can get in and out safely.

More Slug Control Methods to Try

A settled toad handles serious slug pressure on its own, but a multi-layered approach to pest control can make life easier. Copper tape around raised beds puts up a barrier slugs don't much like crossing. You can buy Lovimag Copper Tape from Amazon. Sharp grit or crushed eggshells around vulnerable plants won't stop every slug, but they can help as an extra preventative measure, especially if the pieces are large, uneven and pointy. Nematodes (microscopic organisms that go after slugs underground) are dependable organic slug control tools to use in tandem with your toads. These can be watered into the soil to target slugs before they even surface.

Beer traps earn their keep in high-pressure spots. A container sunk flush with the soil and filled with cheap beer pulls slugs in and they don't come back out. Torch patrols on warm damp evenings with a bucket of salty water are unglamorous, but they can also work. None of this should replace a good toad, but layered together, it amounts to a chemical-free approach that actually holds and keeps your garden going strong. As a small note, diatomaceous earth should be used sparingly: it can be abrasive to a toad’s skin if they have to crawl through it. Otherwise, a few good options can bring reassurance, fewer slugs, and healthier plants.

How Toads Help Boost Your Soil

While the slug-munching is a serious advantage all on its own, a single toad’s contribution to soil health is a lovely bonus which is well worth factoring in. While toads aren't deep-diggers like earthworms, their habit of burrowing into loose soil and mulch to stay cool during the day helps turn over the top layer of earth. This shuffling allows oxygen and water to reach plant roots more effectively, preventing soil compaction in high-traffic beds. This natural soil aeration is a significant boost to plant health over a continued growing season.

And let’s not dismiss the impact of all that toad tea that will be getting deposited into the earth. As toads consume thousands of nitrogen-rich insects, they deposit waste that acts as a concentrated, organic micro-fertilizer. This toad tea is delivered directly onto the soil at the base of plants. It’s a slow-release nutrient boost that happens entirely behind the scenes. Having a resident toad is like having a tiny, mobile composting unit that deposits fertilizer exactly where it's needed.

Furthermore, toads are amongst the few predators that tackle ants. If you’ve struggled with ants protecting (also known as farming) aphid colonies on your perennials, a resident toad is your best line of defense, intercepting the ants before they can climb your stems. All this for the price of a pot or a few stones? Sounds like a win to me. Happy slug busting!

Shop Toad Friendly Essentials

Turn your backyard into the place to be for passing toads. By combining a cozy shelter with excellent coverage and hydration options, you're creating a balanced ecosystem that sets the scene for exciting slug-busting adventures. These top-rated essentials will help you roll out the red carpet for your new favorite garden guests.

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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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Bringing beneficial wildlife into your backyard will help control mosquitoes, ants, slugs and snails as well as pollinate veggies and fruit trees for abundant crops. And, while a food supply will attract these helpful critters, providing habitat will keep them in your garden and support their lifecycles, ensuring sustainable, natural pest control for years to come.

Birds like swallows, martins and bluebirds are aerial insectivores, meaning they’re highly skilled at catching food on the wing – and mozzies are on their menu. Bats, too, eat an enormous amount of mosquitoes. And even a tiny house wren will eat up to a thousand bugs and spiders per day.

Toads have a huge appetite for garden pests, too, and estimates suggest a single toad eats over a hundred slugs, snails and insects every night. And while toads needs to visit a pond to breed, this amphibian can live up to three miles from a water source so provide a damp, shady abode and one might move in and keep on top of your garden slug and snail population.

Ladybugs are incredibly efficient at controlling aphids, another common garden pest. An adult ladybug eats around 50 aphids in a day, and their larvae devour twice that amount. Add bees and butterflies, both to pollinate vegetable plants and form part of the food chain to feed birds, and you create a backyard ecosystem that will naturally take care of your garden pest control. This is a boon, especially if you garden organically so don't want to use chemical solutions.

So, no matter how big or small your backyard, making room for a wildlife house is a wise move. Spring is a great time to add habitat to your garden as lots of creatures are actively looking for shelter. Here’s my pick of habitats that are as stylish as they are snug, so they work as outdoor decor as well as supporting the critters that’ll keep on top of garden pests.

Stylish Toad Abodes

Site your toad house in a quiet, shady and damp spot in your garden, ideally facing north away from direct sun.

Bonny Birdhouses

Location is key to birds occupying a nestbox. Site the box 5–12 feet high, preferably on a north- or east-facing wall to avoid direct sun and wet winds. It’s vital that birds have a clear flight path to and from the box.

Snug Ladybug Nooks

Ladybugs will shelter, breed and hibernate in any safe, dry nook or cranny in your garden. It’s easy to make your own ladybug habitat by stuffing any natural material that creates a multitude of small spaces, such as pinecones, dry leaves and hollow stems, inside a waterproof container such as a plant pot, laid on its side in a sheltered spot. Or plant some natural shelter that brings garden good looks as well as favored cover for these natural pest predators.

Border Pollinator Palaces

Push a staked mixed bug hotel into a border full of nectar-rich blooms for pollinators to add accommodation to the buffet already on offer. All these bug hotels will support ladybugs and lacewings as well as solitary bees and butterflies.

Brilliant Butterfly Shelters

Butterflies don’t eat any garden pests but they do produce caterpillars which will attract birds who do. A surprising number of butterflies hibernate, and providing habitat will also offer them shelter from bad weather and predators.

Handsome Bat Boxes

A bat can eat the equivalent of half its bodyweight in insects in a night, so it makes good sense to give them a place to roost if your garden is plagued with mozzies.

Solitary Bee Barns

While bees don’t control pests, they contribute greatly to a garden food chain, for an effective pest-prevention ecosystem. Solitary bees are docile and don’t swarm – males don’t even have a sting, and females only sting if handled roughly – so are considered safe in gardens. Different species like to use holes of different sizes to lay their eggs, so always look for a bee hotel with variously sized tubes. Site your bee hotel in a sunny, sheltered, south- or south-east facing spot, 3–6 feet above the ground, for plenty of guests.

On a hot summer’s day, the last thing I want on my patio is a trail of ants – and, thanks to this one plant, it’s the very last thing I’ll get. This plant has a fabulously fresh fragrance that I adore but ants absolutely hate, so while the patio bathes in its glorious scent all summer, those pesky garden pests stay away. The tiny lilac flowers are pretty, too.

I spotted the ‘Keep Ants Away’ sign next to a small pot of European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) at a flower show last summer. My patio was then overrun with ants – my perpetually crumb-dropping kids were entirely to blame for the invasion – so of course I had to give it a try. Because I like to garden organically, I appreciate that this natural pest control method wouldn't involve using chemicals that might harm the wildlife in my backyard. And hey presto, it actually worked to get rid of ants on the paving!

I’m pretty sure my pennyroyal plant is also working as a more general insect repellent, too, because I’ve noticed far fewer mosquitoes around the patio. My hunch may well be right because its name hints of historical use as a pest repellent as pulex translates to ‘flea’.

Why I Recommend Pennyroyal to Everyone

I can honestly say that European pennyroyal was an effective solution at getting rid of ants on my patio, and keeping these pests away. Apparently, its strong scent disorients ants' navigating systems. The aroma sits somewhere between menthol and eucalyptus, and reminds me of childhood days off from school, cozy on the sofa with a tissue of Vicks VapoRub under my nose. It’s the sort of smell that makes you inhale deeply and relax. It’s fresh, cooling, and a welcome addition to a hot patio on a summer's day.

Since I added this plant to my patio, I haven't seen any new mounds of sand caused by ants burrowing beneath the paving, either.

European Pennyroyal is a Better Ant Repellent Than American Pennyroyal

The European pennyroyal is Mentha pulegium, not to be confused with the American native pennyroyal, Hedeoma pulegoides. Both contain the compound pulegone, which is effective at repelling insects, but concentrations are far higher in the European mint so it has a stronger scent.

Seeds of European pennyroyal are a little harder to get hold of but are available at the Seed Needs Store via Amazon.

The other benefit to Mentha pulegium is that it’s a perennial so you only need to plant it once for years of protection, while Hedeoma pulegoides is an annual so must be resown every spring.

Why You Should Grow Pennyroyal in a Pot

European pennyroyal is a member of the mint family so, just like any other mint, it's best to grow it in a pot because it can rapidly spread when planted in the ground. It’s a low-growing plant, only reaching up to a foot high, and needs a container at least 12 inches in diameter – though Mentha pulegium can spread up to two feet in a larger pot, if you’d like. Because it’s a creeping plant, it will look fabulous spilling over the edges of a bowl planter such as this contemporary resin container from Amazon or an urn such as this faux-brushed copper planter, also from Amazon.

Bear in mind that this plant loves moisture and damp conditions so will will need regular watering – and the bigger the container, the less often you’ll need to irrigate. It’s happy in full sun or partial shade and is hardy in zones 5–9 although, by putting it in a pot, you can easily grow it in colder zones by overwintering the container in a warmer spot.

It’s also good to know that there’s a bigger cultivar of European pennyroyal called Mentha pulegium ‘Upright’ that can reach three feet high so, if you want to grow that, you’ll need a larger pot.

More Plants With Ant-Repelling Properties

How to Grow Pennyroyal From Seed

Sow European Pennyroyal seeds on the surface of moist potting soil, barely covering them with a very fine sprinkle of soil (use a kitchen sieve) as they need light to germinate. Keep the soil consistently moist and warm (at least 68°F) and they’ll pop up in 1–3 weeks.

Must-Know Pennyroyal Facts

This mint variety is not edible and, though it’s been cultivated for years as a herbal remedy, should not be eaten as it’s potentially toxic. Historical texts record its use as a contraceptive and abortive remedy, so pregnant women should avoid it, and it’s best to wear gloves when handling the plant.

A natural, humane way to get rid of slugs and snails that only costs a dollar? I know it sounds too good to be true, but this pest control method works better than anything else I’ve ever tried. And, as a gardening editor, I’ve tried more than my fair share of tricks to keep my plants safe from these backyard pests. Copper tape, beer traps, eggshells, nematodes: you name it, I’ve put it to the test.

I had high hopes for the copper tape I carefully wrapped around each and every one of my pots. It might work for some people, but the slugs in my garden just slid right across it. I only tried beer traps once because of the guilt (not to mention the smell) of drowned slugs the day after. Crushed eggshells worked – until it rained. And keeping nematodes in the fridge just made my skin crawl. I like to garden for wildlife, so slug pellets or any other chemical solutions weren’t an option for me.

So you can imagine how happy I was when I tried this simple, cheap slug control method and it actually worked. The revolutionary solution to a garden safe from slugs? A few slices of humble cucumber. Because, turns out, slugs find cucumber slices tastier than seedlings, more delicious even than dahlia shoots.

Reducing your backyard slug population to a manageable level using cucumber slices isn’t without its challenges. You need to scatter ¼ inch-thick slices where you suspect plants are being nibbled, then return once it’s dark to gather your prey. So yes, this does involve patrolling the garden in pyjamas, torch in hand, just before you go to bed. But you'll find so many slugs busy gorging themselves on the juicy cucumber centres. And, as long as you cut them thick enough, the slices function as the perfect tray to lift that slimy collection of slugs and snails and pop them into a container, cucumber and all, ready to be rehomed.

I use a big Tupperware container with an air vent so I can safely leave the slugs and their cucumber food supply overnight, and take them to their new home – a nearby verge – the next morning.

My plants are safe, the slugs are still alive, my conscience is clear: win win.

The biggest benefit of this method is that it doesn't eradicate the entire slug population from my garden. Because I garden using organic methods, I very much want some slugs in my garden because they’re a valuable part of the food chain. Using cucumber slices means I can reduce slug and snail numbers where and when I need to. And, when plants are only susceptible to slug damage at certain times – like all the dahlia shoots just starting to emerge from the soil right now – I can use cucumber slices as a short-term protective measure until the plants are big enough to cope with a nibble or two.

Getting rid of garden pests without resorting to chemicals can be tricky. But this natural slug control works so well in my garden because the cucumber slices catch tiny baby slugs little bigger than specks of soil that you can't see, as well as the big daddies that are fatter than your finger, and the result is cumulative. Did you know one slug is capable of having 90,000 grandkids? Yup, it's a lot.

I started using this slug control method last year and, this spring, there are far fewer to contend with, so I only need do a cucumber-slice-slug patrol when I spot a plant is getting munched a little too much. And this year, I'm growing my own cucumbers and cutting out the middle man, so it'll cost me even less!

Spring is full of lovely things, with tulips and bleeding hearts bursting into life, birds darting around feeders, and sleepy bumblebees supping from bee cups. But with all the loveliness comes a guest we don’t want to see, and that’s the tick. Even writing that word makes me feel unsettled.

Did you know a single female tick can lay between 3,000-5,000 eggs in leaf litter? Or that nearly 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year? It’s a sobering reality that has the potential to cast a shadow over these first few weeks of spring – especially because it’s so hard to spot those poppyseed pests. For sure, the arrival of the weeding season brings with it the need to check your ankles.

But this isn’t designed to alarm you – quite the opposite. You are not powerless against these unwanted hitchhikers. There’s a special group of plants you can start in April that can form a potent organic tick repellent. I’m talking about everyday kitchen garden staples (with a couple of unexpected hero herbs thrown in for good measure). So if you’re keen to keep ticks away, the answer is right under your nose.

Plant these superhero herbs, and you’ll be creating an aromatic security system of powerful scents – lovely for you, but not so lovely for those opportunistic ticks. This natural tick repellent system works around the clock to confuse, confound, and repel. Here are the 7 herbs that can help you turn your yard into a tick-free zone.

Growing Herbs to Tackle Ticks

So, how exactly can a superhero herb fight a tick? It comes down to a little thing called the Haller’s organ. These are tiny sensory detectors on their front legs that detect heat, carbon dioxide, and odors from up to 30 feet (9m) away. A yard filled with pungent herbs basically creates a scent screen that can mask your presence and make an environment so overwhelming that ticks choose to move elsewhere.

Preventing ticks is all about those essential oils that we find so delightful, which certain herbs pack in abundance. High concentrations of these natural oils can significantly deter both adult ticks and those tiny, poppy-seed-sized nymphs that are so hard to spot. Essential oils like linalool, menthol, and nepetalactone have been proven in lab settings to interfere with tick nervous systems.

Whether you have a sprawling suburban yard or a compact balcony, these easy herbs deliver a huge punch. April is the perfect time to plant or sow some of the following plants that repel ticks. Getting them established now gives them time to develop the lush, oil-rich foliage they need before the tick nymph season peaks in May and June.

The trick is to put these scent protectors where you need them most. Focus on transition zones, like where a patio meets the garden. Just check your USDA hardiness zone and ensure soil is well-draining. If you're growing herbs in containers, elevate pots with pot toes or feet to prevent pooling, which is oddly attractive to ticks. You can buy cheap-and-cheerful Bosmere Pot Risers (12 Pack) from Amazon.

Generally for herbs, surface area equals scent volume, but the concentration of oils changes as the plant matures. If you start from seed, give them at least 6-8 weeks of growth before you rely on them to hold the front line. OK, let’s dive into the herbs that can stop ticks in their tracks.

1. Lavender

Lavender is a lush, majestic feast for the senses, and for many of us it represents the epitome of serenity and calm. But to a tick, this floral-woody herb is a potent repellent, whether you grow lavender in large containers or in the ground. Its superpower is the high concentration of linalool and eucalyptol. Both are highly offensive to their sensory organs.

For the most potent punch, try English lavender types (L. angustifolia) varieties like ‘Munstead’ or ‘Hidcote.’ They have a higher oil concentration than larger Spanish and French varieties. You can buy 'Hidcote' Purple Lavender Plants from Fast Growing Trees.

Ticks are most active in humid, tall grass, so plant lavender at the threshold where your lawn meets your patio, where you can brush against it for extra protection. They need 6-8 hours of direct light to produce those tick-repelling oils. Also, the woody stems and flower calyxes store the highest concentrations of linalool. So you can speed up your protection if you purchase live plants for a significant scent throw.

2. Lemongrass

If you want an architectural herb that doubles as a good repellent for ticks, try lemongrass. As well as adding movement, it is loaded with a huge scent profile that knocks a tick sideways. Lemongrass contains citronella oil and works by masking our scents. It’s particularly effective because it grows tall and dense, creating a physical and chemical barrier.

In warmer zones (8-10), you can put these straight in the ground in April. In cooler areas, start lemongrass in large pots that can be moved to a sunny patio. Look for Cymbopogon citratus, the culinary variety. You can buy Lemongrass Mix and Match Plants from Burpee. Just remember, unlike the Mediterranean herbs on this list, you need to keep your lemongrass well hydrated to develop those oil-rich blades.

Mass is key with lemongrass. You need a clump at least 6-10 inches (15-25cm) wide. It's most effective once it reaches 2 feet (60cm) in height. Also, ticks might try to hide under the long blades. To help with repelling ticks naturally, keep the area around the base of the plant clear of leaf litter.

3. Rosemary

Rosemary is a real tough guy in this roundup. Its woody stems and needle-like leaves are packed with camphor and limonene, compounds that are highly effective at repelling both ticks and mosquitoes. Rosemary’s oils are stable and don't evaporate quickly, providing long-lasting protection.

April is the ideal time to transplant rosemary. For small spaces, I recommend creeping rosemary, which can spill over the edges of rocks, raised garden beds and containers, creating a scent carpet. Once they establish, erect rosemary also presents a formidable barrier for ticks. Buy Green Promise Farms Rosemary ‘Arp’ from Amazon for a cold-hardy addition to your tick-free zone.

Rosemary becomes more pungent as it gets woody. That 4-inch (10cm) starter pot is fine for a windowsill, but you need to grow rosemary as a semi-mature plant for the best tick defense. Older, tougher needles have a thicker cuticle that holds those camphor oils longer in the sun. Rosemary produces more concentrated oils when it’s slightly stressed by the sun, so don’t be tempted to overwater.

4. Catnip

Don’t let the name fool you: catnip isn't just for feline friends. Research from Iowa State University has found that nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip, is more effective than DEET, the synthetic active ingredient in certain bug sprays. It triggers a specific chemical irritant response: ticks find it physically uncomfortable to be near. It’s effective against both adult ticks and nymphs.

It is easy to start catnip plants from seed in April, and it will grow rapidly. Buy Homegrown Heirloom Catnip Seeds from Amazon. If you have a wild edge to your yard where ticks congregate, letting catnip go a little wild can be a great defense. However, catnip can get invasive, so you might find it better to grow it in a large pot.

Youthful vigor is an advantage when growing catnip. This herb is potent even when small. However, you need volume. Aim for a mound 12 inches (30cm) across to ensure there’s enough leaf surface to repel ticks. To release the oils, give the leaves a little brush as you walk by.

5. Sage

I adore sage for its textural beauty as well as its earthy aroma. Its soft, silver-green leaves provide a wonderful visual break from brighter tones elsewhere. Ticks, however, find the deep, musky scent of thujone (in sage) repulsive. It’s particularly effective against nymphs. So I like to call sage the velvety protector!

April is the perfect time for planting common sage (Salvia officinalis). It can handle the fluctuating spring temperatures of the Midwest or Northeast, and is also perfect for container gardens. However, avoid over-feeding. If the soil is too rich, it produces less of the oils that repel ticks. Lean and mean is best. Growing sage as an easy perennial in most zones, it will guard your yard for years if you give it plenty of sun.

Surface area is key to repelling ticks, as sage is a slow burner. The more velvety leaves you have, the more the scent lingers. It should hit its stride around 8-10 weeks after planting – the bushier, the better! Try 'Berggarten' for its extra-large, rounded leaves which provide more surface area for oil production. You can buy ‘Bergartten’ Sage Plants from Walmart.

6. Wormwood

It often gets overlooked, but artemisia is a potent natural tick repellent. This silver beauty, the defining ingredient in absinthe, is one of the most bitter plants around. Ticks are tasters as well as smellers. If they crawl onto wormwood, the sheer bitterness of absinthium can cause them to drop off.

You can plant this ornamental herb in April as soon as the threat of a hard freeze has passed. It grows in a neat, mounded shape, making it ideal for the center of a large container arrangement, or grown as a low hedge around a patio. Buy ‘GardenGhost’ Artemisia from Nature Hills.

Wormwood is a bit of a late bloomer. While even small starts are bitter, its true potency kicks in once it forms its signature silvery mound, 2 feet (60cm) wide. The sheer density of the foliage is what keeps ticks at bay. Plant this herb as edging or in a cluster for a meaningful scent barrier.

7. Chrysanthemum

What’s that, you say? Oh, but it is technically a herb, although not one that people tend to grow for culinary reasons. Indeed, the mum is a secret weapon if you want to know how to get rid of ticks in your yard. This pest control doesn't just repel, it contains pyrethrum, a natural neurotoxin that can kill ticks upon contact.

Planting mums in spring gives them time to establish a strong root system and lush foliage, so they can protect the yard all summer long. Plant near a woodpile, around the dog’s favorite sunning spot, or lining the edge of your yard. Pyrethrum daisy mum varieties (C. cinerariifolium) are especially potent, though common mums offer great deterrent properties. Buy ‘Painted Daisy’ Mum Seeds from Amazon.

While flowers have the highest concentration of pyrethrum, the entire plant is toxic to ticks. You don't need to wait for the fall flowers, but you do need significant leaf density. Keep them pinched back in early spring to encourage a bushy, dense shape. The denser your mums, the more contact points there are to nuke braver ticks.

Shop Bonus Tick Repellents

While these superhero herbs really will do a lot of the heavy lifting in your yard this summer, sometimes you may need that extra layer of organic protection for your clothes or pets. Here are some top-rated organic extras to keep the ticks at bay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Spring is a time for renewal, not for worrying! By embracing the power of these potent protectors, you’re taking a vital, proactive step toward a safer backyard. Whatever you do, please don't wait for the heat of June. Reserve a spot in your garden beds and some of your empty pots for this fragrant fortress in April. It’s a delightfully simple, organic, and charmingly “scentsible” way to make your yard a tick-free zone.

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If you’ve ever stepped out onto your lawn, only to find what looks like dollops of foamy soap or spit clinging to your grass blades, chances are you’ve seen the spittlebug at work. While it might be a bit of a shock to see your pristine turf looking like it’s been through a car wash, this occurrence is a natural phenomenon. These backyard bubbles are amongst the first of nature's signs that spring has arrived. Spittlebug foam usually pops up around March or April, as the soil starts warming up.

Of course, if you want to stay on top of your lawn care, your first instinct may well be to worry. While it may look like your grass is literally throwing up, don’t worry: it doesn’t mean your lawn is sick! Rest assured, while spittlebugs aren’t exactly beneficial insects in the way ladybugs are, they are far from being garden villains. They are a fascinating marvel in our backyard biodiversity, and they represent a unique survival strategy, so it’s smart to get a handle on spittle season.

Understanding the secrets of the spittlebugs (or froghoppers, as they are also known) is a great way to connect with your outdoor space, especially if you want to protect your turf for a healthier backyard. So if your lawn is in a lather, don’t panic. Whether you wish to take steps to gently prevent or manage spittlebugs, or simply enjoy this natural oddity that shows up each spring, here’s what you need to know.

What is the Spittlebug?

Spittlebugs belong to a diverse group of insects with more than 30 species in North America alone. The insects making the foam are technically the nymphs of the froghopper, in the Cercopidae family. They are close cousins to aphids and cicadas, but they get the froghopper name from the adult's jumping ability. While there are many varieties, the meadow spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius) is the most frequent guest in the backyard, though you might also spot the diamondback or dogwood varieties, depending on your local flora.

They begin as eggs that overwinter tucked into plant stems or leaf litter, waiting for the right temperature to hatch in spring. Once they emerge as nymphs, they are soft-bodied and vulnerable, so they soon set to work building their foamy fortresses. You should take it as a compliment if you see this lawn spittle, as these bugs love areas with high humidity and lush, succulent growth. So if you’ve been diligent about watering and fertilizing your lawns, they are more likely to set up their bubble pads. They dislike dry, windy exposed areas, where their delicate bodies might desiccate.

As they grow, they molt several times over a few months. By summer, they undergo their final transformation, emerging as winged adults. Adult spittlebugs are mottled brown or gray, allowing them to blend into the thatch of your lawn or the bark of your trees, disappearing until the next spring cycle begins. Spittlebug nymphs (usually light green or yellow) are very small and don’t tend to congregate in large numbers, so you’re unlikely to see them without the spittle. If you have a magnifying glass or loupe handy, like the Jarlink Foldable Loupe Magnifier from Amazon, you may be able to get a better look at the nymph nestling in the bubbles.

What’s With The Lawn Spittle?

So where exactly does this white foam on plants come from? To understand the spit behind the spittlebug, it helps to consider a plant's plumbing. Plants have two main vascular tissues: the phloem, which carries sugars from the leaves, and the xylem, which pulls water and minerals up from the roots. Most sap-sucking insects go for the sugary phloem. However, spittlebugs prefer the xylem.

Because xylem sap is mostly water and low in nutrients, the nymph drinks a lot of it. And all that excess fluid has to go somewhere! The nymph excretes the surplus liquid, but doesn't just let it run off. It whips it with air to create a foam, and uses its tail to pull the bubbles over itself until it is submerged. This is a clever survival trick. It keeps the nymph moist in the sun, insulates it against temperature swings, and hides it from predators like birds and spiders that find the bitter bubbles unappetizing.

You’ll notice the foam is most prevalent in the morning or on humid days, when the spit is less likely to evaporate. But while it looks like it’s coming from the grass, it is entirely the work of the bug using the plant's own juice as its raw material.

Are Spittlebugs Harmful to Plants?

Spittlebugs are more of a cosmetic nuisance than a threat. Because they don't usually congregate in massive swarms, the amount of sap they steal from a plant is negligible. You might notice a slight yellowing or a minor curl in a leaf where a nymph has been feeding, but once the bug moves on, a healthy plant will usually bounce back without any intervention.

One exception to this rule is the two lined spittlebug (Prosapia bicincta). This species has a particular fondness for warm-season grasses common in the southern US, such as St. Augustine, Bermuda, and Zoysia. Unlike the meadow variety, a heavy presence of two-lined spittlebugs can cause stippling (small white spots) or even discolored patches of turf.

You might also see a little damage in your strawberry patch if you have an unusually large number of spittlebugs in your garden. Strawberries are a favorite because of their low-to-the-ground, moisture-trapping foliage. If a plant is hosting several nymphs, you might see stunted growth, slightly wilted leaves or lower fruit yield. However, again, the risks of severe damage are minimal with common spittlebugs.

How Do I Manage Spittlebugs?

In most yards, there is no real need to manage spittlebugs as such. In a balanced garden ecosystem, natural predators will eventually find them, or they will simply grow up and fly away. You can simply enjoy the frothy spittle as a welcome sign of spring and let these native insects do their thing. However, if the sight of foam on your lawn is cramping your curb appeal, spittlebug control is quite simple.

A strong blast of water from a hose is usually enough to dislodge the nymphs and break up the foam. Once exposed, these soft-bodied insects are unlikely to make it back onto the plant before they dry out or are snatched up by a passing ant or spider. It’s a chemical-free, instant fix. If you have a recurring problem every year, take a look at your lawn's thatch layer. Spittlebugs love a thick, spongy thatch because it holds moisture and provides a perfect hiding spot for eggs. Dethatching your lawn in the fall can significantly reduce the following spring’s foam party.

Insecticides are not recommended, because the foam acts as a waterproof shield, causing the spray to slide right off. If you are worried about a two lined spittlebug infestation, first spray the foam away with water and then apply an organic option like neem oil. You can buy Bonide Captain Jack’s Neem Oil Spray from Amazon. But a few bubbles here and there is not a problem in most yards. You can probably leave these fascinating little creatures to live out their lives in your beds and lawn.

Give Your Lawn Some Spring TLC

Allowing for spittlebugs, there are a few things you can do now your lawn is waking up to ensure it’s strong enough to handle bubbly visitors. Spring is the time for a proactive spot check. Start by aerating, which involves poking small holes in the garden soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots. If your soil is compacted from winter snow or foot traffic, your grass will struggle to compete with weeds and pests, so use a lawn spray or a rotary aerator to free things up.

Once you've aerated, it’s the perfect window for overseeding and topdressing. Fill in those thinning patches with fresh seed, and a light dusting of high-quality compost or topsoil to help create a dense, lush carpet. Finally, add a balanced fertilizer. Use a slow-release formula like The Andersons Professional PGF Complete from Walmart. This will help set your lawn up nicely for even more garden visitors.

Spring Lawn Care Essentials

Effective lawn care starts here, so take steps now to get your sward in order. These lawn-care essentials are the ideal way to tidy up your yard space and optimize one of your biggest attractions for the year ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

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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.

I’ll try almost anything once when it comes to stopping slugs. Even if it's something as daft as digging out an old sweater and dressing my plant babies up like their my actual human children.

Yes, like most gardeners, I’ve done pretty much everything (short of using chemicals) to stop slugs.; crushing up eggshells, sprinkling coffee grounds, even slipping out at night with a torch and muttering hexes under my breath as I relocate the worst offenders.

Annoyingly, nothing has worked, so I finally succumbed to my husband's advice: stop growing things that slugs want to eat. Last fall, though, I forgot and filled a pot with hyacinth bulbs... and remembered a few weeks back that all of that tender new growth was doomed to be mercilessly shredded overnight unless I acted fast.

Enter stage left, then, the old sweater.

Why Would a Sweater Stop Slugs?

As ever, you can blame Instagram for this one – although I found the tip via a very reputable source in gardening pro Sarah Raven.

"Have you ever tried using Hortiwool as a slug deterrent? Made from 100% British wool, it comes as large pads that can be ripped up and then laid around your plants," read the post.

Wool as a slug deterrent? The logic behind it is simple: slugs and snails dislike crawling over wool fibres, making it a natural barrier to protect your plants. So much so, in fact, that there are even products like Hortiwool (made from 100% British wool) designed specifically for this purpose.

I didn’t have any Hortiwool to hand, but I did have was an old wool sweater I’d shrunk years ago in a laundry mishap and never quite found a use for. And because I am, at heart, a slightly lazy gardener, I wondered: instead of cutting it up into strips or carefully placing fibers around plants… could I just upcycle the sweater itself?

At the time, my potted hyacinths were just starting to break free, their lush green shoots pushing up confidently, ready to become a tasty little slug buffet. So, not really expecting much, I took my old sweater (crucially, 100% wool. This part really matters, as synthetic fibers won’t have the same effect) and pulled it over the pot like a cozy little cover.

I tucked it around the base, leaving the shoots poking through the neckline, and I’ll be honest: it looked ridiculous... yet somehow oddly promising at the same time.

Normally, I’d expect to see signs of slug damage within a day or two, but after several days… nothing. The leaves were intact. The soil surface, usually a hotspot for nighttime visitors, seemed undisturbed.

Obviously, I can’t claim this was a perfectly controlled scientific study. Gardening rarely is. But the difference was noticeable enough that I paid attention, and kept watching, delighted, as the hyacinths made it all the way to blooming stage without nary a nibble to their name (they've just started to turn over, actually, and they're completely intact).

It makes sense, I guess. Slugs rely on a layer of mucus to move, and they prefer smooth, moist surfaces. Wool, on the other hand, is dry, fibrous, and slightly abrasive – a less violent version of crawling over hot coals and broken glass, maybe.

Still, while my “sweater as a pot cover” method was basically free and worked brilliantly for a container, it’s not the most practical long-term solution for everything.

Slug Deterring Essentials:

Inspired by my research, I’m planning to cut up another old wool jumper into strips and weave them around my vegetable seedlings (yes, I've gotten a little cocky and planted some leafy greens; my husband is just burning to launch into a tuneful 'I told you so' ballad, so wish me luck).

I’m also planning to try a proper wool product like the UK's Hortiwool, just to compare results and see how it performs in a more traditional setup.

Will I be dressing all my pots in knitwear from now on? Probably not. But will I ever throw away a 100% wool jumper again? Absolutely not. Hey, if it can keep my hyacinths safe from slugs, it’s officially earned its place in the garden shed.

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

If you’ve ever watched a squirrel clean out a bird feeder, you’ll know where I’m coming from when I say how frustrating and one-sided it can feel. Squirrels are persistent, agile, and motivated by the same high-energy seeds our feathered friends prefer. Baffles might sometimes seem to work, until they don’t. Relocating the bird feeder might buy you a week,but these acrobatic pests eventually seem to figure out an effective jumping trajectory. It’s an exhausting game of backyard chess.

Spicy bird food is different, because it works with biology rather than against determination – and squirrel determination, as most gardeners have discovered, is basically inexhaustible. By introducing a little heat to the menu by putting cayenne pepper in bird food, we are changing the reward system. It turns a free buffet into a five-alarm surprise for the squirrels, while the birds remain blissfully unaware.

The whole point of attracting birds to your yard is that they show up, stick around, and actually eat, and that can’t happen if squirrels get there first. Capsaicin (the compound that makes chili peppers hot) actively turns squirrels away, while keeping birds well-fed and happy. But how do you add it, and are there any special considerations? Here’s why your birdseed needs a pinch of cayenne this spring.

Why Cayenne Pepper?

The reason capsaicin is safe for common songbirds comes down to a difference in how their nervous systems are built. A bit of science for you (just a bit!) – capsaicin produces its heat by binding to a pain receptor called TRPV1. Mammals (including us and our bushy-tailed neighbors) have these receptors in abundance. When a squirrel bites into a pepper-treated sunflower seed, their brain receives a clear danger signal that translates to a burning sensation.

Birds have a differently structured version of this receptor that doesn't respond to capsaicin. So to a northern cardinal or a tufted titmouse, a spicy seed tastes like a regular one. According to the National Audubon Society, birds have far fewer taste buds than mammals (fewer than 50 compared to a human's 9,000). Because birds have evolved to help plants disperse seeds (often by eating the spicy fruits of wild peppers), they have no problems with this bird seed. This allows them to enjoy bird food with cayenne pepper, while squirrels beat a hasty retreat to find a milder snack.

The practical implication is that you can treat seed aggressively enough to send squirrels elsewhere, without affecting birds at all. Nuthatches, finches, chickadees, and cardinals will continue their feeding rituals with your squirrel proof bird food, with no change in feeding behavior or frequency. The squirrels, after a couple of unpleasant experiences, tend to move on to easier targets. It doesn’t harm them long-term, it simply teaches them that your feeder is off-limits.

How to Treat Your Seed

The simplest method for preparing bird food squirrels won’t eat is to mix dry cayenne pepper into the seed. A tablespoon of cayenne per cup of seed is a good ratio. Toss it together in a container, then fill the tube feeder, platform feeder, or birdie charcuterie board. While the coating won't be uniform, squirrels are very sensitive. They’ll figure it out within a single bite. If you find your local squirrels are being particularly brave, you can safely double the ratio to two tablespoons per cup. You can buy ground cayenne like Spicy World Hot Cayenne Pepper from Amazon in bulk for simple bird food with a definite kick.

You can also try an oil-based version for your squirrel proof yard, which does a better job of keeping the pepper where it belongs. Take a tablespoon of cayenne and work it into a small amount of vegetable or coconut oil to create a thin slurry or loose paste. Toss the seed in this mixture before the oil sets, and you get an even coat that sticks to the husk rather than settling at the bottom of the feeder. This is helpful for small seeds like nyjer or millet. Just be sure to spread the treated seed out on a tray for a few minutes to let the oil set, so it doesn’t gum up your feeder.

If you aren't a fan of the DIY approach, you can purchase pre-treated options. Many premium blends use liquid habanero or chili oils that are infused into the heart of the seed. Whether you mix your own or buy a spicy blend, just aim to keep the heat high, and the squirrels will strike your yard off their daily route, while birds will flock to eat uninterrupted and fill their birdie boots.

Shop Spice Essentials for Your Feeder

Creating a spicy “trail mix” that won’t get nabbed by pesky squirrels, make sure you stock up on a few extra-hot bird essentials. This trio of spicy nibbles and condiments will keep squirrels at bay and ensure that your bird food station remains exclusive to feathered guests.

Spice Up Your Bird Life Safely

Handling cayenne in quantity requires a bit of respect. The same compound that sends squirrels running will irritate your eyes and nose if you aren't careful. Mix your seeds outdoors or in a well-ventilated garage. Avoid doing this near an air vent or on a windy day, as cayenne dust is not something you want to inhale.

Wear gloves and try to avoid the urge to rub your eyes during the process. Once it’s in the feeder it’s not a problem, but the mixing step is where people catch themselves off guard. A dedicated container and a long-handled spoon can also help. You can buy Finitex Nitrile Orange Gloves from Amazon for finger-hugging protection.

Bear in mind that rain and heavy dew can dilute the capsaicin. If your anti-squirrel bird feeder is exposed to the elements, the dry-powder method will likely need a refresh. A feeder with a wide roof overhang holds the treatment longer. A squirrel-resistant feeder with a good cover, like Droll Yankees Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders from Amazon, pairs well with the cayenne approach. Between the two, a persistent squirrel runs out of angles fairly quickly.

While you’re adding spice, take a moment to check for clumping at the bottom of the feeder. Moisture can turn cayenne-dusted seed into a sticky mess that blocks the ports. A quick scrub with a 10% bleach solution every two weeks will keep your feeding station safe and hygienic for visitors.

Best Bird Care Before Spring

As well as preparing bird food squirrels don’t like, there are a few key areas to watch as we head towards spring. Our backyard birds are starting to prepare for the grueling work of nesting season. While spicy seed solves the food theft problem, there are a few other ways you can turn your yard into a five-star avian resort.

First, think about nesting materials. Offer natural fibers like wool scraps and dried grass. You can place these in a clean suet cage to give birds easy access to construction supplies. Other great natural options include fur from pets’ brushes, as well as twigs and dried mud. As a treat, add alpaca wool. You can buy AlmaPark Alpaca Nesting Material for Birds from Etsy for chickadees and tufted titmice.

Water is a spring essential. After a long winter, birds need fresh, clean water for both drinking and bathing to keep their feathers in top flight condition. If you’re setting up a birdbath, ensure it’s no more than 2 inches (5cm) full of water, and has a textured bottom so birds don't slip. It’s also a good idea to add a wiggler or a small fountain to keep the water moving. This helps keep things lively and fresh. You can buy a Solar Powered Bird Bath Wiggler from Amazon.

Remember to give birdhouses a spring clean. If you have boxes mounted, clear out last year’s nests to prevent parasite buildup. A diluted solution of Iberia All Natural Distilled White Vinegar from Amazon works wonders. It’s biodegradable, breaks down grease, and dries odorless. By combining spicy food, fresh water, and cozy nesting spots, you’re creating a true bird-friendly sanctuary.

Shop Other Squirrel Deterrents

Adding a little spice to proceedings is just one aspect of bird-friendly yard care. A truly squirrel-proof station will often require a multi-layered defense. From physical barriers to clever engineering, here are some of the best mechanical deterrents to pair with your spicy birdseed.

Reclaiming your feeder from the squirrel frenzy helps keep birdies nourished and ensures your bird tables are frequented by invited guests only. By using a little bit of science and a dash of cayenne, you’re ensuring that your investment in high-quality seed actually reaches the birds you love. It’s a safe, effective, and fascinating way to harmonize with nature. Get out there, get spicy, and enjoy the show!

Need more ideas for getting the most from your plants, indoors and out, and looking for the best seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Have you ever been super excited after planting your beautiful bulbs, only to watch squirrels excavate them the next day? Or watched your carefully nurtured seedlings turn into a squirrel salad bar? Well, then you know the frustration. Some people may find squirrels cute, but once they’re systematically destroying your garden with their relentless digging and burying, they start to feel less like charming wildlife and more like, as Carrie Bradshaw once put it, “a rat with a cuter outfit.”

So, curious to know what actually works for real gardeners, I dove deep into the gardening communities of Reddit to find out what’s effective and what’s just an old wives’ tale. If you’ve ever wondered how to get rid of squirrels or tried everything to stop squirrels digging up bulbs, I wanted to hear real solutions from gardeners who’ve successfully battled them in their own backyards, season after season. Some advice is practical, some is bizarre (but might just work), and some is so genius that I caught myself thinking, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

1. Give Them Water (Seriously)

While it may sound counterintuitive, Reddit user heartlessgamer explains, “One of the main reasons squirrels end up in your garden is actually water content. Make sure you have plenty of water sources available in your yard/garden area; it has been surprisingly effective in my experience in cutting down on the squirrel incidents!"

Before brushing this off, think about it. Squirrels aren’t necessarily after your plants because they’re especially delicious or nutritious; quite often, they’re simply looking for moisture. Freshly watered soil can be a squirrel magnet when they’re thirsty.

To implement this tip, add a bird bath, or simply place a shallow dish of water, in a corner of your yard as far from your garden beds as possible. This gives squirrels an easier, more appealing option than digging around in your newly planted tomato bed. Refresh the water daily so it stays appealing and doesn’t attract mosquitoes.

Product Pick: The Sunnydaze bird bath from Target is a practical option that’s still aesthetically pleasing, making it an easy way to add a water source without compromising your garden’s style.

2. Make a Barrier with Chicken Wire

Reddit user SimpleMetricTon kept it simple, writing, “Chicken wire.”

Chicken wire or hardware cloth laid over your newly planted beds can help stop squirrels digging around without harming your plants. Once seedlings have established, you can remove it, or leave it in place if you’re protecting bulbs.

Tips for using barriers effectively:

• Lay chicken wire, like this from Amazon, flat over the soil after planting, and secure it with garden staples or pegs.
• If you’re protecting a single plant, create a simple wire cage around it.
• For larger areas, stretch bird netting over the bed to discourage digging.

If you have superhuman squirrels that are as determined as someone stranded in the desert without water for three days, hardware cloth works better because its smaller holes make it harder for them to dig through.

The only real downside is that it isn’t particularly attractive. But if squirrels are decimating your beds one plant at a time, aesthetics might quickly become the least of your concerns.

3. Use Predator Decoys

User Baby_Billy_69 suggested, "Rubber snakes! Move them 2x per day when possible…"

It might sound a little silly, but toy predator decoys can be surprisingly effective at keeping squirrels on edge. Rubber snakes are a classic option because they mimic one of the animals squirrels instinctively avoid.

That last part of the tip is highly important for this to work. Squirrels are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, and if a “snake” stays in the exact same position day after day, they’ll quickly realize it isn’t a real threat. However, moving it around your garden regularly helps maintain the illusion of danger, which can make squirrels think twice before digging in your beds.

The same principle applies to other predator decoys, like this Solar Owl Guard with motion detector, from Amazon, which many gardeners use to discourage squirrels and other small pests. The key is to reposition them every few days so animals don’t get used to them.

If you want to try the snake approach, these rubber snakes from Amazon come in a pack of eight and look impressively realistic (as in, they made me a little nervous when I first clicked on the listing).

4. Apply Coffee Grounds

User nature4uandme shares: "...The only natural thing I have found is coffee, they don't like it, neither do rabbits. It doesn't last long, but it seems after a while, they stop. I emphasize seems, who knows why they bury them where they do. They are nuts! I guess they are what they eat!"

Sprinkling used coffee grounds around plants and over the soil can create a scent barrier that squirrels and rabbits apparently find unpleasant. The effectiveness of this trick is a little debatable, but if you’re a coffee drinker, it’s essentially free to try.

As a bonus, when coffee grounds break down, they add small amounts of nitrogen and organic matter to the soil, so you’re feeding your garden while trying to fend off those annoying little munchkins.

5. Try the Surface Cover Trick

This tip from Reddit user neutral_good is based on a bit of squirrel psychology: "Squirrels like to dig in areas that look like they were disturbed by other squirrels. Why? Well they think their friend buried a nut or something there and want to dig it up themselves! I simply put a layer of straw or leaves over the area and it really does a good job convincing the squirrels that there is nothing there to mess with. A big open patch of dirt is their dream to dig in, so you need to trick them with something on the surface! Works for me like a charm."

It’s actually a pretty clever idea. Fresh, bare soil signals to squirrels that digging may have recently taken place, which means there could be all kinds of tasty snacks hidden underneath.

To try this yourself, cover exposed soil with mulch, straw, or fallen leaves so the area looks undisturbed. This makes the space far less inviting for curious squirrels. It may be one of the best effort-to-effectiveness ratios among the Reddit tips: it’s simple, it improves your soil, and it outsmarts squirrels at their own game.

6. Apply Chicken Manure

Reddit user CuteFreakshow reports: "Hen manure! Tried and true. Plus bonus fertilizer."

Chicken manure has a strong smell, and as we saw with coffee grounds, there are certain scents squirrels just don’t like. It’s also a high-nitrogen fertilizer, so it can benefit your plants at the same time.

Don’t use fresh manure, as it can be too “hot” and may burn your plants. Instead, opt for aged or composted chicken manure, which is safer to use in garden beds.

7. Combine Strong Scents and Spicy Deterrents

For the truly desperate, Reddit user Dearzita suggests: "Coyote pee and hot pepper. You can find both on Amazon."

While I’d rather not think too hard about the logistics of collecting coyote urine, predator urine products are actually sold as wildlife deterrents. Gardeners and homeowners use them to mimic the scent of a nearby predator, which can make squirrels and other small mammals think twice about hanging around.

As it turns out, Dearzita was right – you can find coyote urine on Amazon from several brands, including Lakota Naturals.

Hot pepper works on a similar principle of irritation. Capsaicin – the compound that makes peppers spicy – is highly unpleasant to mammals like squirrels and rabbits, but birds can’t taste it, which is why it’s often used in wildlife deterrents. Sprinkle a small amount around plants or garden beds to make the area less appealing for nibbling and digging.

The Multi-Method Approach

The consensus in the Reddit gardening community is that no single method works perfectly forever – squirrels are highly adaptable and persistent. The best strategy is to combine several different approaches and rotate them regularly.

While Reddit’s collective wisdom suggests that completely squirrel-proofing a garden is nearly impossible, reducing their visits is a far more achievable goal. And don’t worry – we’re all in this together, even if it sometimes feels like the squirrels are slowly taking over the world.

Squirrel-Proofing Picks

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.

I’ll fess up from the get-go: I’m a lazy gardener. Don’t get me wrong – I spend plenty of time out in the garden, but I always work to a ratio of minimum effort for maximum reward. I choose low-maintenance plants that don’t need much molly-coddling and metal patio furniture that doesn’t need re-treating every year, and collect time-saving garden hacks like they’re priceless gold coins. The result? By summer, I get to put my feet up on that patio sofa and enjoy my gorgeous garden, rather than be forever tending it.

And this little trick to keep your roses healthy is a game-changer! I do it every year, and it never fails to keep my roses free from pests such as aphids and scale insects, and means I never have to resort to spraying or – yuck! – scraping them off by hand. My pesticide-free garden is more wildlife-friendly and, free from the stress of these sap-sucking insects, my roses grow strong and healthy, laden with beautiful blooms.

The Easy Trick to Pest-Free Roses

This hack is insanely easy yet effective, as long as you take action right now. You’re going to delegate the job of pest control to your garden birds and, to show your feathered friends where their juicy new aphid-feasting joint is – aka your prized roses – all you need do is hang up some suet balls.

Goldfinches, chickadees, titmice, sparrows and wrens are all voracious eaters of aphids, particularly when they're feeding their young in spring. They’ll also pick off thrips, scale insects, spider mites and sawfly larvae, all of which can distort rose growth and cause a rapid decline in plant health.

These omnivorous garden birds rely on seed through the winter but, as spring approaches, they switch to a mostly insect-based diet. When their chicks hatch, there’s a sharp increase in feeding requirements, and all those tiny insects ravaging your roses provide the perfect bite-sized, high-protein tidbits to nourish their young.

Your only job, then, is to show your local avian pest-control team where this fast-food joint is. Do this in February, when the weather is still cold enough that birds are hungry for food to survive, and offer high-fat suet balls that supply warming energy in spades, and it’s easy. Simply hang a few single-ball feeders on stronger rose stems and, in a couple of weeks, the birds will find them. These petite feeders look pretty, too, adorning a still-bare winter garden.

Hooked Single Suet Feeders

Why it Works to Prevent Pests Too

There’s another benefit to hanging the feeders up before spring, too. As soon as the birds start spending more time around this new food source, they’ll discover a heap of tasty insects overwintering on and around your roses.

Several pests overwinter on roses as eggs laid on stems and buds, larvae in the surrounding soil and leaf debris and, in milder climates, as active adults. Aphids, especially the rose aphid (Macrosiphum rosae), commonly overwinter as eggs laid on rose stems. Call in the bird brigade now to reduce the number of eggs left to hatch, and you'll instantly lower the risk of an aphid infestation ruining your rose blooms later on. And every egg counts because rose aphids multiply incredibly quickly: a single female can produce up to 90 offspring in 7–10 days in optimal conditions, and an aphid nymph is often already pregnant when it's born!

Rose scale insects (Aulacaspis rosae) also overwinter as eggs, beneath an encrusted waxy substance on rose stems, while spider mites often shelter in a dormant state among fallen leaves beneath the plant. Sawflies, also known as rose slugs, spend the winter as pupae in the soil and emerge as adult wasps in early spring to lay eggs on leaf edges. These only take a week or two to hatch into the small, pale green caterpillar-like creatures that quickly skeletonize rose leaves, so it makes good sense to have your bird army ready and waiting to pick them off.

Balls to Tempt the Right Birds

I hope you try this clever little hack for yourself, and it works just as well in your garden as it does in mine. Feeding birds is always a delight, but when it helps keep your backyard blooming, it's even better!

We’ve all heard the old maxim “Let sleeping dogs lie” but this doesn’t hold up when it comes to bugs. There is no upside to leaving snoozing pests on your favorite plants. In fact, when insect pests pass the winter sleeping in your fruit trees, it’s considered the perfect opportunity to attack.

Aphids, scale insects, codling moths, caterpillars, and spider mites tend to pass the winter season in fruit trees, often as eggs. There, they patiently await spring, when they emerge to begin a long season of munching on your plants. It’s a common tree mistake to think you can banish these pests with pesticides in spring.

The truth is that it’s easier, safer, cheaper and more effective to use one spray on overwintering pests in January – and that’s dormant oil. Here’s why it works in January, and why it can help you in the garden now.

What Is Dormant Oil?

Dormant oils are horticultural oils – that is, plant-based or petroleum-based products that are meant to be applied during the period of the year when the plant is dormant, usually in winter and early spring. Organic neem oil is one of the best alternatives for fruit pest sprays, but copper and sulfur oils are also important for some fruit trees.

So why should you apply dormant oil? The purpose is to target pests that are found on plants in winter. Spraying with dormant oil in January helps control overwintering insects and insect eggs in your home fruit trees as well as woody ornamentals. One highly rated and reliable brand for gardeners is Bonide All Seasons Dormant Spray Oil from Amazon, which is highly effective on these fruit trees during the dormant season. Monterey and Sunspray are other highly rated brands for dormant oil products you can use on overwintering pests.

Risks of Overwintering Insects

Overwintering insects are born on your fruit trees. That gives them ample time and opportunity to damage them as they hatch out and feed on their bark, leaves, and fruits. This can weaken the tree, reduce its vigor and growth, and result in less (or lower quality) fruit.

Some pests also spread diseases to the trees. Other pests, including sap-eating aphids, compete with the tree for nutrients. Still others, like the codling moth, burrow deep into the fruit, making it inedible. Every single insect pest is ready, willing, and able to propagate their species quickly and effectively in spring.

The risk of overwintering insects is greater in some fruit trees than others. Apple, pear and peach trees are particularly at risk, as pests like aphids and mites can hide in their bark as well as their foliage. Insects like woolly apple aphids and European red mites are known to overwinter in the bark. Peach trees are at risk for plum curculio pests, known to damage the fruit.

1. Dormant Oil Is Easier

Spraying dormant oil on insects and their eggs in January is oh-so-much easier than trying the same trick with pesticides in summer. For one, the leaves have fallen from deciduous trees, giving you a clear shot at the areas of the tree where eggs and bugs might cluster.

The dormant oil suffocates the eggs and larvae. At the same time, it places a barrier of protection on the plant surfaces. This can smother adult pests like aphids, and slow down fungal spores from germinating.

2. Dormant Oil Is Safer

Most everybody is aware, these days, that chemical pesticides can cause as many problems as they solve, if not more. They may do a good job of taking out pests, but they also kill beneficial bugs like pollinators and beneficial insects which prey on pests.

Dormant sprays have virtually no downsides. Organic neem oil is the best choice, but even if you go for a dormant oil that is petroleum based, these oils have a low UR (unsulfonated residue), meaning that most of the toxic compounds have been removed. Because dormant oil is sprayed during the dormant period, fewer pollinators and beneficial insects are at risk.

3. Dormant Oil Is Cheaper

Dormant oil won’t break the bank, even if you go for organic neem oil. The cherry on the top is that you only use it in the dormant season. Spray neem oil in winter, and you are done for the year. Every smotherable insect on the tree is impacted. (Small caveat here: excessive oil can risk smothering the bark's ability to breathe. One thorough drenching application is the standard recommendation for dormancy.)

Pesticides are notoriously pricey, and repeat spraying is recommended. That’s because pests like aphids and spider mites reproduce so quickly in summer that they require constant management. While dormant sprays do involve an initial investment, using them leads to lower long-term costs by reducing the need for additional treatments. Chemical pesticides are more expensive in terms of ongoing expenses, since the applications must be repeated during the entire growing season.

4. Dormant Oil Is More Effective

If you apply dormant oil at the appropriate time and ensure coverage, it can reduce insect pests by up to 92 percent. To get this type of result, you must apply it when temperatures are above 40 degrees F (4°C) and there is no chance of frost. Wait for the wind to die down and the rain clouds to pass. Coverage is critical. To make your dormant oil application effective, ensure a thorough coverage of all surfaces of the plant, including leaves if present, the undersides of leaves, and all branches.

However, while dormant spray provides very effective short-term protection against pests and some diseases during the dormant season, it’s not a cast-iron guarantee for pest-free fruit trees throughout the growing season. Several applications may be necessary to keep your fruit trees healthy as buds open and new growth occurs.

Don’t Forget – Winter Spray Checklist

Obviously, these products are lethal to overwintering pests, but make sure you are using them correctly and safely (and thoroughly). Here are the main guidelines for proper dormant oil spray success in your backyard:

• Safety First: Wear gloves and eye protection when spraying, even with organic products like neem. Use protective gloves like Showa Atlas Winter Safety Gloves from Amazon. Avoid inhaling the mist and ensure pets and children stay clear of the area until the spray has dried.
• Get the Timing Right: Apply your dormant oils in late winter or early spring before any buds open or fresh green growth appears. This timing is very important to ensure you catch pests while they are immobile (and prevent harming new foliage).
• Watch the Thermometer: Only apply on dry, calm days when temperatures are consistently above 40°F (4°C) for at least 24 hours. Avoid spraying if frost is forecast, as the oil can crack the bark if it freezes before drying.
• Prioritize Bee Safety: To keep pollinators safe, only spray while trees are strictly dormant (no open blooms). Spraying very early morning or at dusk ensures that any early-emerging bees aren't active, and oil has time to dry before they land on a tree.
• Check for Sensitivity: Always read the label first. While great for apples and pears, certain trees (like blue spruce, Japanese maples, walnuts) can be sensitive to oils and may suffer foliage burn.
• Hydration is Key: Ensure your trees are well-hydrated before spraying. Never apply oil to a drought-stressed plant, as this can cause the tree to absorb the oil into its tissues, leading to damage.

Winter Bug Zapping Essentials

Are you ready to zap those overwintering nasties before they tuck into your fruit trees? Make sure you're covered and get the job done right first time, and you'll save money and time later. Here’s your ready-made kit for effective dormant oil applications.

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What is the most common indoor pest? We’re talking about those tiny flying insects that materialize in flocks around your indoor plant soil… fungus gnats. If you’ve got one, you’ve likely got hundreds, and despite lots of suggestions and tips from “experts” on the internet, they are hard to get rid of.

But it is possible to get rid of these common pests without tossing out your pothos plants. And the solution is neither expensive nor difficult. Is it really a secret? Well if people knew about it, they wouldn’t be complaining about fungus gnats, would they? Get on the short list of people whose houseplants are free of this constant menace. Here’s how.

Fungus Gnat 101

What is a fungus gnat? The term refers to one of those tiny black insects that seem to hover around your houseplants in clouds. They feel a certain proprietary interest since they live there – they were born in the soil of that very houseplant and have no reason to travel far from home.

Outdoors, adult fungus gnats eat composting organic matter in the soil and lay their eggs there. Indoors, their options are limited. They head toward the moist upper soil of houseplants, feed, and lay eggs. Naturally, the young gnats grow up and hang near the houseplant. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about bites or stings from these insects, but your plants may not be so lucky.

Alternative Fixes

Fungus Gnat Damage

Let’s be fair about this: adult fungal gnats do not harm you or your plants. They are a big fat nuisance, however, and are always unwelcome guests. And the fact that adults don’t bite doesn’t mean that the pests are harmless. It’s the young that do the damage.

While the adult gnats don’t have an expansive lifespan, they propagate rapidly and prolifically. Female gnats can lay some 300 eggs at a time in the moist top layer of the soil. These eggs hatch in about four days and quickly evolve into larvae. It is at this stage that the emerging gnats, still living in the soil, chow down on the roots of your plants. They’ll also eat any decaying organic material, like leaves that fall into the soil.

Once they mature, they stay close to the soil surface, living in it or flying around near it. Pick up your plant and they rise in a cloud.

Keeping Fungus Gnats Out

It’s not easy to block the outdoors/indoors border to keep these gnats out. They are not strong fliers, but they can still fly into your house through open windows and doors. They're attracted to moisture, and especially moist soil. So overwatering your plants or keeping around areas of standing water – whether in the sink or in a plant saucer – can be a siren song.

But it’s also typical for gnats to enter your home as eggs in the soil of new plants. It’s always a good idea to isolate new plants for a week or so when you first get them to be sure they are free and clear. If the eggs are present in the garden store, the bugs will appear in your home.

And don’t forget that gnats like and live in compost. So adding compost to the houseplant soil may also add fungal gnat eggs. Sometimes liquid fertilizer is a better idea.

Finally, bottom watering is often touted as a method of discouraging and disappointing fungal gnats. Since the adults prefer to lay eggs in moist soil at the top of the houseplant container, they will be thwarted. They cannot burrow down to the bottom of the soil, even if that’s the wet section. While this can work for succulents and cactus plants, it’s less effective for thirsty plants that need uniformly moist soil.

The Secret 3-Ingredient Gnat Killer

So let’s get to the gnat killer, with its three magic ingredients. I would venture a guess that you already have everything you need to mix up the magic. This potion requires water, dish soap, and hydrogen peroxide.

When you spray this mixture on adult gnats, the soap makes it stick to their wings and the peroxide kills them.

Obviously, you’ll have to repeat this quickly as new gnats are hatched from the eggs. Female adults can lay eggs from about a week after they are born, so that’s your timeframe. The idea is to kill them before the females lay eggs.

1. Find a glass jar to mix in
2. Add ½ cup of water
3. Add ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide
4. Add 1 tsp of soap
5. Shake it up to mix it
6. Pour it into a sprayer
7. Set out to hunt down the gnats

Variations on a Theme

You can also use a variation of the three-ingredient fungus gnat killer to trap fungus gnats. This recipe substitutes apple cider vinegar for the peroxide. Blend one part vinegar with two parts water, then add a dash of dish soap. Place this mixture in a bowl near an infected house plant.

How does this work? The water is the “bones” of the trap, providing the liquid base. The dish soap breaks the surface tension of the water, preventing gnats from climbing out, while the vinegar is both the lure – it smells like rotting apples – and the poison.