Gardening is a classic summer tradition. It brings together families, along with providing some fruits and vegetables for our summer cookouts. But, unfortunately, the best parts of gardening also attract lots of critters, pests and bugs! While maintaining a pest-free garden takes time and effort, there are effective strategies to keep these critters out of the garden. For those looking to understand how to keep bugs away from your garden, then the following helps identify the cause of a bug infestation and methods to get them out.
What attracts bugs to gardens?
Bugs, like other pests, including insects, are attracted to gardens for the same reasons. Survival! With a virtually limitless availability of food, shelter and water, gardens contain the life essentials that attract bugs.
- Food: Gardens grow plants, fruits and flowers, which provide an array of food options for bugs. From fallen fruits and vegetables to decomposing plant materials, bugs have a buffet of choices.
- Shelter: Likewise, the array of plants and flowers provide ample hiding spots. With dense foliage (for bugs) like leaves, dirt and mulch, gardens offer protection from predators and summer weather conditions.
- Water: In addition to food and shelter, water is the other foundational element that attracts pests, such as bugs and mosquitoes. With consistent watering and summer rain, gardens can contain standing water from poor drainage and puddles (following storms), which offers a water source, along with breeding grounds.
How to Keep Bugs Out of Gardens
To help keep bugs out of gardens, then starting with natural repellents and routine maintenance creates a solid foundation for success. Similar to keeping ants out of gardens, there are common scents and essential oils that help displace bugs.
- Natural scents, such as cinnamon, citrus, and vinegar help keep bugs out and away from gardens. Simply, sprinkle cinnamon around the garden bed, scatter citrus peels around the garden or spray a mixture of vinegar and water where you see bugs gather or signs of nesting. These smells disrupt their scent trails, navigation ability, and deter them from entering your garden.
- Similar to natural scents, essential oils like peppermint, citrus or tea tree oil, help deter bugs. Simply create a solution by diluting peppermint, citrus, or tea tree oil in water and spraying it around plants or affected areas. It may take a few days, so refresh the spray daily for continued effectiveness (and re-apply consistently following any storms).
- Like oils and scents, planting herbs and flowers that repel bugs can create a natural barrier. For example, flowers such as lavender or tansy not only help keep bugs out, but also add beauty and fragrance to your garden.
Utilizing natural repellents work by creating a barrier around the garden. The unpleasant scents deter common garden pests, such as bugs, ants, and insects. However, these methods require consistency because the underlying attractions still exist. Alternatively, there are two natural options that may offer more effectiveness.
- Nematodes are microscopic organisms that target and parasitize larvae and pupae, helping to disrupt the life cycle. Consider applying them to the soil around plants to reduce the populations of ants and bugs in your garden.
- Diatomaceous Earth is a natural powder is made from fossilized aquatic organisms. Simply sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of your garden beds and it provides a physical barrier, damaging the exoskeletons of ants and bugs, which offers a stronger deterrent.
Unique Tips to Keep Bugs Away from Gardens
While the common scents and repellents often work, there are other unique ways to keep bugs away from gardens as well.
- Apply Coffee Grounds: Sprinkle used coffee grounds around the base of your plants. The strong smell of coffee deters many garden pests and doubles as a way to enrich the soil.
- Plant Decoy Plants: Grow sacrificial plants, such as nasturtiums or marigolds, around your garden, which attract pests, such as bugs, away from your main crops and act as a natural bug barrier.
- Garlic Spray: While cinnamon is more common, garlic also repels bugs. Make a homemade repellent by blending garlic cloves with water, then straining and spraying it on your plants to help keep bugs away.
- Reflective Mulch or Aluminum Foil: Lay down strips of aluminum foil or use reflective mulch around plants. The reflective surfaces confuse and deter bugs and insects like aphids and whiteflies by disorienting them with the reflected sunlight.
- Hang Dryer Sheets: Place dryer sheets around your garden, either by hanging them or laying them in strategic spots. Bugs, such as mosquitoes and gnats, are repelled by the fragrance, so this is a surprisingly simple way to keep bugs at bay.
- Create a Beer Trap: Set up shallow containers filled with beer around your garden to attract and trap bugs like slugs and snails. The yeast in beer draws these pests in, and once they fall into the container, they are unable to escape.
- Apply Turmeric: Like cinnamon or garlic, applying turmeric powder around the garden bed acts to deter bugs, ants and other crawling insects. These spices irritate bugs’ senses and create a barrier they are reluctant to cross.
Again, the food, shelter and water sources within the garden will continue to attract pests, but mixing deterrents do work to repel common summer bugs.
How to Get Bugs Out of a Garden with Pest Control
Working with a professional pest control provider helps provide peace of mind knowing that your home and family remain safe. For gardeners with a loss of patience or a large infestation, then a change to pest control offers treatment, along with proactive steps, such as:
- Fully cleaning your kitchen to remove all residue, including sweeping behind appliances and throwing away any garbage
- Tossing out old food
- Make sure all food – including pet food – is stored in fully sealed containers
- Removing any debris and residue from the garbage bin
- Getting leaky faucets and appliances under control
Eliminate ’Em Pest Control Services provides you with fast, professional, courteous service and licensed technicians to handle all of your pest control, wildlife and inspection needs. Plus, we offer same-day services and free estimates to help control insects around the house and other nuisance animals, such as ants, mice, ticks, and more. Professional technicians are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get rid of any insects, rodents or wildlife that are causing damage or creating a nuisance in and around your home.
With these strategies, you can protect your garden and enjoy the fruits of your labor without the nuisance of pests, such as bugs and insects ruining your garden.
Contact us today!
