It’s always fun to spend time outside with your family and pets. Unfortunately, bugs love to invite themselves to your festivities. You don’t want to let pests take over your yard, but keeping your pets safe is a priority. Thankfully, you don’t have to choose between the two. We’ve gathered information to help you get rid of bugs in a pet-friendly way.
Tips to Prevent Pests in Your Yard
Keeping bugs away involves pest-proofing your yard and protecting your pets. With a few preventative measures, you can keep pests out of your yard and away from your furry family members.
Pest-Proof Your Yard
It’s always best to stop bugs before they invade your space. Your first step is removing anything that could attract pests. Check out a few tips for bug-proofing your yard.
- Trim Vegetation: Plants, grass, and trees are great hiding spots for bugs. You’ll want to keep your grass cut short and trim vegetation. If bugs can’t find a place to hide, they’ll be less likely to stick around.
- Minimize Moisture: Bugs are attracted to damp areas, so you’ll want to keep your backyard dry. Fix any leaky hoses or spigots. Make sure your gutters are clean and working properly. Replace water in pet bowls and water features. Remove items, like toys and buckets, where water can collect.
- Remove Trash & Yard Debris: Some pests, like ants, feed on crumbs and spills. Flies are attracted to trash. Removing these from your yard can help to prevent pests. You’ll also want to remove leaf litter, weeds, twigs, and other yard debris.
Protect Your Pets
Pests may love to bug you, but they also can annoy your pets. Fleas and ticks are known for using your pets as a host. You’ll want to make sure you are taking steps to keep bugs away from your pets. Here are a few tips to protect your pets from pests.
- Check for Pests: When your pet spends time outside, be sure to examine them for pests. Ticks and fleas love to hide in your pet’s fur. If you spot any ticks, carefully remove them with tweezers. If you notice your pet excessively scratching, make sure fleas aren’t bugging them.
- Give Them Baths: Regularly giving your pet a bath can help to prevent bug problems. Scrubbing them can help to dislodge pests and make it easier for you to spot any creepy crawlies.
- Work with Your Veterinarian: Talk to your veterinarian about preventative medicine that can help prevent pests. If your furry family member is bitten by a tick or dealing with fleas, your veterinarian can help you choose the best treatment method.
Pet-Friendly Pest Control
Choosing a pest control product that’s effective but family-friendly is critical. Plant-based insecticide sprays are one solution. Our Yard Bug Spray and Mosquito & Tick Killer hose-end products contain natural plant oils as the active ingredients. They kill pests on contact and provide residual repellency. While they will help take care of any pests running around, they won’t cause problems for your pets when used as directed. There are a few things you’ll want to do to ensure your application is effective but pet-friendly.
- Always read and follow label directions.
- Remove water and food bowls before spraying your yard.
- Pick up any pet toys. Store them in a sealed container while treating your yard.
- Spray in a sweeping motion, overlapping the spray to ensure you get total coverage.
- You can reapply spray every 4 weeks or sooner if needed.
- Give the area time to dry before letting pets outside.
Bugs may love your backyard, but you don’t have to let them stay. By incorporating preventative measures and using family-friendly pest control products, you can help ensure pests don’t bug you and your pets are happy. If you’re dealing with a pest problem, we have your back! Check out our Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective™ Pest Control products.