To reduce the insect population around your home, try these tactics.
Eliminate breeding grounds. Police your property for standing water in buckets, flowerpots, and clogged gutters—favorite haunts of mosquitoes. Keep grass mowed to help prevent chiggers and ticks from moving in.
Get rid of nests.
Try treating anthills by pouring boiling water into mounds or spraying nests with Terro Ant Killer Spray. Carpenter ants burrow into wood, so try a bait (such as Advance Carpenter Ant Bait) to lure them out of their lairs. If the infestation is severe, you’ll need a professional exterminator.
Use sprays sparingly. Sprays and foggers keep pests at bay for short periods, but they kill all the insects in your yard — including beneficial ones, like spiders.
Use traps in outdoor areas. Traps that attract mosquitoes with carbon dioxide (for example, the Mosquito Magnet) claim to rid your entire backyard of mosquitoes. But these traps may attract mosquitoes from neighboring yards, making a bug problem worse. Note: These traps should be used only outdoors, 30 to 40 feet away from people. The traps are powered by propane, which can be flammable if not handled properly.
