Backyard Bug Control Tips: How To Keep Pests Away From Your Yard

April 28, 2026

Nothing beats backyard barbecues or nights around the bonfire to enjoy the warm weather and long days of summer. The only problem? Bugs enjoy a nice summer day, too, often seeking solace in backyard landscaping and flocking to food sources like exposed trash, pet food and fresh fruits. Avoid bugs in the backyard with trusted backyard bug control tips to ensure your yard doesn’t become a beacon for these pests, and learn when to call in professional flying bug and ant pest control reinforcements to restore peace to your yard.

Common Bugs You Might Find In The Backyard

Bugs in the backyard can be more than just a nuisance. Depending on the pest, infestations in your yard can pose potential health risks for your family, damage to your property and an increased likelihood of bugs finding their way into your home. The most common backyard bugs to be aware of include:

• Flies
• Gnats
• Mosquitoes
• Ants
• Wasps

From getting rid of flies and gnats in your backyard to finding mosquito and wasp pest control professionals in Des Moines, here’s everything you need to know about protecting your property from common outdoor insects.

Avoid Flies & Gnats In Your Backyard

Flying bugs like flies and gnats in your backyard may seem like minor annoyances, but they can quickly turn a relaxing backyard into an uncomfortable or even unsanitary environment. Flies are especially problematic around food, as they carry bacteria on their legs and bodies and can transfer pathogens for more than 60 diseases, such as salmonella and dysentery, within seconds of landing. Their feeding habits, which include regurgitating and excreting on surfaces, make them a real concern for outdoor meals and gatherings.

While harder to see, gnats in the backyard can be just as disruptive. These tiny insects are notorious for their itchy, irritating bites, which often aren’t even noticeable until after the fact. Like mosquitoes, biting gnats rely on blood to reproduce, making exposed skin an easy target. Flies and gnats may seem like an unavoidable part of summer, but with the right backyard bug control tips, these pests will be a problem of the past.

How To Get Rid Of Flying Bugs Outside

The key to getting rid of gnats and flies in your backyard is to make the area less hospitable for these flying pests. Tidy landscaping and routine lawn maintenance allow you to reduce common hiding places, limit food sources and prevent standing water. Professional preventive pest control is the best way to keep these bugs at bay, but you can follow these proven backyard bug control tips to help protect your yard from infestations:

• Clean your gutters, ensuring no excess leaves, debris or standing water around your home 
• Trim bushes and trees to reduce shaded resting areas
• Keep the grass trimmed on a regular basis to make your property less attractive to insects
• Remove standing water from bird baths and around the property to get rid of flying bugs
• Pick up food on the ground as soon as possible, including fallen fruit from fruit trees or debris from picnics and gatherings
• Place bug zappers and other DIY devices away from your home rather than on your porch or by the door, as these devices first attract insects before zapping them

Mosquito Control Tactics

Something you probably don’t know about mosquitoes is that they’re attracted to people because our bodies release carbon dioxide and our skin releases an odor they can easily track. This means the more people you have together outside, the easier it is to attract mosquitoes. Painful mosquito bites can put a damper on a fun outdoor activity or even bring it to an end early if swatting them isn’t enough to keep them away. Mosquito control is essential in Iowa to prevent itchy red welts and the possibility of transmitting diseases like West Nile virus, Zika virus or other infections. Techniques to try at home include:

• Mosquito fogging before your backyard event: If you’re hosting a backyard barbeque or family picnic, mosquito fogging is one of the fastest mosquito control techniques. Preferred Pest Control’s product of choice in Des Moines is the Cutter Propane Fogger, an insecticide treatment that will provide up to six hours of relief. We recommend spraying about an hour before the event starts, concentrating on shaded areas with bushes and other vegetation. 
• Tiki torches: Tiki torches use a Citronella-based liquid that’s highly effective at repelling pests, especially mosquitoes. These will burn throughout the night and give you and your guests hours of protection from pesky flying insects. For the best results, space them out every 25 feet on the perimeter of the yard.

Ant Pest Control For Your Yard

Ant colonies can contain up to 500,000 workers, so if you find one ant, know there are likely many more nearby. These pests are constantly searching for food, and once a source is found, they leave behind a scent trail that quickly leads hundreds of other ants right to it. In no time, what started as a small nuisance can turn into a full infestation. While the most aggressive species, like fire ants, are not common in Iowa, there are still ants that bite in the region and create problems around your yard and home.

Because ant infestations may reach hundreds of thousands of ants, surface-level solutions often only address a small portion of the problem. Effective ant pest control requires targeting the source of the infestation with professional treatment to reliably eliminate ants and prevent them from returning.

Wasp Pest Control & Nest Removal

Wasps aren’t always as aggressive as they’re made out to be, but they will defend their nests if threatened, and unlike bees, they can sting multiple times. This makes them a serious concern for anyone with a sensitivity or allergy to stings, quickly bringing a halt to summer fun. They’re also known to build nests in hidden or hard-to-reach places like decks, trees or rooflines, allowing the colony to grow and increasing the risk of stinging incidents. 

How To Get Rid Of Wasps In Your Backyard

Wasp pest control in Des Moines is best left to professional exterminators who have the equipment and expertise to safely eliminate infestations without putting your family at risk. Professionals can neutralize the threat before treating your home and removing the nest to prevent wasps from returning in the future. Targeted treatment is key to wipe out whole colonies and ensure no wasps are left behind to continue haunting your backyard. 

For your part, you can reduce the risk of wasp infestations by following other common backyard bug control tips: don’t leave food out, cover trash and clean up sugary spills. Again, bugs are less likely to live in your backyard if the environment isn’t hospitable for them. 

Our Experts At Preferred Pest Have The Solutions For Pesky Bugs In The Backyard

At Preferred Pest Control, we have a team of exterminators specializing in mosquito, gnat, ant and wasp pest control in Des Moines, Iowa, to free your backyard of these common pests. If bugs are ruining your best-laid summer plans, contact us to discuss backyard bug control tips or to schedule seasonal treatments. For peace of mind year-round, sign up for our quarterly pest service plan providing preventive treatment for 30+ common pests including backyard creepy crawlies. Call 515-717-7644 to talk to our team or schedule an appointment online today.