How Landscaping and Mulch Beds Impact Pests

Good landscaping makes a house feel like a home. It can also, without anyone meaning to, roll out a welcome mat for pests.

Poquoson is already a low-lying waterfront community. That’s a great place for pests to begin with. Add to the generally favorable environment nice plantings right by a house, and you can see a real effect in how many pests end up at your door.

Here’s what you need to know about landscaping and how it affects pest problems.

Mulch: Great for Plants, Great for Pests

Mulch beds tend to court pests. The whole point of mulch is to hold moisture and keep what’s underneath cool and dark. This is good for certain plants, but it has the unfortunate side effect of giving ants, roaches, spiders, termites, and mosquitoes cover.

The problem gets worse when you have thick mulch right up against the foundation. It gives pests a sheltered runway right to your walls and the gaps around them. This is why it helps to pull mulch back several inches from the foundation and keep the layer a couple of inches thick rather than deep.

Overgrown Plantings & Standing Water

If you have shrubs and branches that touch the house, they may as well be bridges for ants and spiders. Even rodents can use them to cross from the yard into your home without touching the ground.

Dense, overgrown beds also have their own problems. They stay humid and shaded. Mosquitoes and ticks love that. They need humid microclimates to be able to survive in the hot and dry parts of the day. Even a little trimming of vegetation can go a long way to help here. You want to make sure nothing is touching the siding.

Landscaping is also often a common source of standing water. That’s exactly what mosquitoes need to breed, and they don’t need much to do it. Look out for low spots that pool after rain and clogged bed drainage. Saucers under potted plants also have a tendency to give mosquitoes places to breed. Decorative features that hold water can start a new generation of mosquitoes in about a week.

Small Changes You Can Make for Fewer Pests

A few common features deserve extra attention. Thick ground cover like ivy or pachysandra has a tendency to stay damp if you’re not careful. Ornamental grasses and dense hedges create the same shaded, humid harborage that mosquitoes and ticks favor. Firewood stacked near the foundation is a favorite shelter for spiders, ants, and rodents alike. And gutters or downspouts that dump water straight into a bed keep the soil saturated, which pests love and plants often do not.

But don’t close this article with the idea that you have to tear out your beds to make a difference. This is certainly not the case. Keeping mulch off the foundation, trimming plants back from the house, improving drainage, and clearing standing water all make your yard a less comfortable place for pests to gather. And when that doesn’t do the trick, there’s always professional pest control in Poquoson.

Need Pest Control in Poquoson?

For help turning your landscaping back into an asset instead of a pest magnet, Mosquito Squad Plus of Williamsburg can step in. Call (757) 280-3624 or contact us online for a free pest control assessment and quote, backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. Ask about our mosquito and tick control options.