Plants don’t always attract pests directly, but they do give them a place to shelter. Dense plantings provide shade and humidity, which mosquitoes and other pests need to survive.
Nobody plants a shrub hoping it will bring mosquitoes. But certain landscaping choices can cause mosquitoes, and other pests, to swarm and make trouble. Understanding this will help you to make better choices without giving up the yard you want.
No pest is a better example here than mosquitoes. They rest in vegetation during the day. For shelter, they prefer dense, shaded foliage that holds humidity. A thick hedge of boxwood or privet along your property line would do the trick, as would a mass planting of hostas in a shaded bed or a cluster of ornamental grasses near the patio.
Ground cover plants play a similar role. Pachysandra and ivy, and other similar spreading plants, can create low, humid canopies at the soil level where moisture lingers and mosquitoes can rest close to the ground. After rain, this layer of ground cover can remain damp for days on end.
When it comes to flowering plants, certain blooms draw wasps and hornets. This is especially the case in late summer when colonies are at peak size and workers are foraging aggressively. All the while, overgrown vegetation of any type can give ticks, ants, and rodents a place to stay.
None of this means you need to strip your landscaping down to bare lawn. But keeping vegetation trimmed, reducing ground-level density, and improving airflow through plant beds can all make your yard less welcoming to pests.
If you're tired of dealing with mosquitoes and pests on your property, Mosquito Squad of Middlesex-New London can help. Mosquito Squad treats the vegetation and breeding areas where pests harbor, reducing mosquito populations by up to 90% for 21 days at a time.
