How to Keep Bugs Away From Your Summer Cookout

Short answer: The move is to get ahead of the bugs a few days before guests show up, not the morning of. Knock down standing water, deal with any wasp nests early, keep food and trash covered, and set up a couple of fans. That combination handles the big four: mosquitoes, wasps, ants, and flies.

Nothing clears a backyard faster than a swarm of mosquitoes at dusk or a wasp working the dessert table. In Alabama, summer is prime cookout weather and prime bug weather at the same time, so a little planning is what keeps the party outside where you want it.

Here is how to think about it, working backward from the day guests arrive.

A few days out: cut off the breeding grounds

Mosquitoes are the number one cookout killer, and they breed in standing water you probably walk past every day. Two or three days before, do a lap of the yard and dump anything holding water: plant saucers, kid toys, the bottom of the grill cover, a wheelbarrow, clogged gutters. It takes a mosquito only a small amount of still water to raise a batch, so this one habit does a lot of the work. For more on what pulls them into your yard, see what attracts mosquitoes to your yard.

The wasp problem, handled early

Wasps and hornets love to build under eaves, porch rails, and in door wreaths, and a nest you ignore in June is a real problem by July. Walk the perimeter and look up. If you spot a nest near where people will gather, deal with it several days ahead rather than the day of, so you are not stirring them up with a yard full of guests. If it is big or up high, that is a good one to leave to us.

"When we had an unusual situation (wasps in a wreath on the back door!) Wes was here immediately to handle the problem and came back a few days later to be sure they were gone. One call and he's here right away!!" Marietta L. ★★★★★

Day of: the quick wins

These take ten minutes and make the biggest difference once people are outside:

• Set up a box fan or two near the seating. Mosquitoes are weak fliers and a little breeze keeps them off people.
• Keep food covered until it is time to eat, and cover it again after. Flies and ants find an open spread fast.
• Take the trash and recycling away from the gathering area and keep lids on. Open cans are an ant and fly magnet.
• Wipe up spills, especially anything sweet. Sugar and soda on the patio bring in ants within the hour.
• Skip heavy florals in perfume and go easy on sweet drinks left sitting out, both of which draw wasps.

The thing that actually keeps the yard clear

All of the above helps for one afternoon. If you want the backyard usable all season without the day-of scramble, a treated barrier is what does it. Our mosquito control targets the shady, damp spots where mosquitoes rest during the day, so the population never builds to the point where it takes over your evenings. Homeowners who start treatment in spring get the smoothest summer, but it is never too late in the season to knock the numbers down.

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How far ahead should I treat the yard before a cookout?

Give it a few days. Clearing standing water and handling any wasp nests two to three days out works better than a last-minute scramble, and a professional mosquito treatment is most effective when it has a little time to settle before your event.

Do fans really keep mosquitoes away?

Yes, surprisingly well. Mosquitoes are weak fliers, so a box fan aimed at the seating area makes it hard for them to land on guests. It is one of the cheapest and most reliable quick fixes for an outdoor gathering.

What draws wasps to a cookout?

Sweet drinks, sugary foods left uncovered, and strong floral scents. Keeping drinks covered, cleaning up spills, and dealing with any nearby nests ahead of time keeps them from crashing the party.