Warm weather brings friends and neighbors flocking to your door, ready for a relaxing evening of chatting on the back porch. Unfortunately, it also brings bugs flocking, drawn by the warm, welcoming light of the porch. How can you keep bugs away this summer? C & M Residential has a few tips.

3 Ways to Keep Bugs Away This Summer

1. Get the right lighting. Sure, your landscape lighting attracts friends to your door like a beacon of Southern hospitality. But are bugs getting the same message? The best way to deter pests from outdoor entertaining areas is to change the lights. Don’t worry, you don’t have to say “au revoir” to your stylish outdoor lighting fixtures. Just switch the bulbs to yellow bug lights. The light they emit has higher wavelengths than blue-hued lighting, and many bugs can’t see it. Warm white LED lights are also a good bug-free lighting option, since they put off less heat and insect-attracting UV light than other light bulbs.
2. Install an outdoor fan. Not only will you enjoy a sweet, cool breeze while you chat on the back porch, an outdoor fan keeps the bugs away. Pests like mosquitoes are weak flyers that can’t make it through the gale created by a fan. Fans also disperse the aromas and chemicals that attract mosquitoes to our skin, so bugs are less likely to hone in on you (or your guests) while you enjoy a refreshing summer drink.
3. Edge the patio with plants. Keep pests away the natural way: gardening! Plants like chrysanthemums, clover, lavender, and marigolds add beauty to the garden, while their sweet smells drives away insects.

Begone, bugs! Call C & M Residential to transform your backyard into a pest-free paradise.