How to Keep Bugs Away from BBQ During Your Summer Cookouts
With school and college football starting this month, many families in Alabama have a calendar full of gatherings they’re hosting at their homes. The weather in the South is still very warm, similar to the middle of summer. So, we can continue to enjoy outdoor activities, like barbecues on the patio, for our back-to-school gatherings.
Unfortunately, people aren’t the only guests who want to show up for burgers and hot dogs on your deck; insects and rodents are also drawn to the savory and sweet aromas wafting from your grill. Luckily for outdoor BBQ party hosts in Birmingham, our experts in pest control are here to offer their best advice on how to keep bugs away from BBQ and enjoy your gatherings!
Getting Pests to Stay Off the BBQ: Top 5 Methods
#1 Keep Your Dining Area Cool
You want your barbeque dishes to stay warm, but bugs tend to avoid low temperatures.
To get the best of both worlds, place a fan in the dining area, but keep dishes that you want to serve hot in a covered slow cooker, on a warming tray, or in an insulated carrier.
#2 Cover All Foods on the Table When You’re Not Serving from Them
As we recommended in the last section, keeping foods warm in a covered slow cooker actually kills two birds with one stone—the lid also keeps bugs out!
Although many pests can fit through small spaces, you can keep them out of your food by keeping it covered with a fly cover or in containers with an airtight seal while you’re not actively serving them to guests. This is a surefire way to prevent insects from flying or crawling into them.
#3 Utilize Citronella Products
Citronella oil serves as an effective insect repellent. Products containing citronella oil like candles and poolside tiki torches can irritate bugs, but they’re non-toxic and smell nice to many people!
#4 Put A Lid on Your Trash Can
Apart from the fresh food on your table, the scraps and residue of food in your garbage can are extra appealing to pests, especially on a hot day. To keep bugs out of your garbage can, simply cover it with a lid whenever possible.
#5 Decorate Your Dining Space w/ Plants Bugs Hate
Many herbs and flowers make beautiful centerpieces and repel bugs. Here are just a few to put in the vase on your table:
- Geraniums
- Parsley (works wonders if you have a beetle problem)
- Lemongrass
- Lavender (spiders hate it!)
- Citronella
How to Keep Bugs Away From BBQ, Guaranteed
Although prevention strategies and DIY methods can help keep bugs away from your delicious barbeque dishes, the only way to guarantee that bugs will leave you alone is to seek the help of a true professional.
For 40+ years, our team of integrative pest solutions professionals from Vulcan Termite & Pest Control has proudly aided hundreds of families in Birmingham and nearby communities by eradicating invasive insect problems on their property.
Call us today at 205-663-4200 or contact us online to request our services. We’ll gladly perform a FREE evaluation and create and implement an effective strategy using our tried-and-true methods, so you and your family can return to your daily activities safely and comfortably in a pest-free home.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of us, check out our Google Reviews here for the non-incentivized, genuine opinions our real customers share about our exceptional pest control services. We’re also accredited by the Better Business Bureau!
Thanks for reading! Are you curious to keep learning about common critters found in Alabama or how to safely and humanely deal with them when they show up on your property uninvited? Check out more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks, and educational content!