The sunshine has finally started to make an appearance, heralding the start of the barbecue and paddling pool season. However, with the sunshine also comes the arrival of insects, which can become a nuisance if your doors and windows are frequently kept open.
Why are there so many insects during the summer?
Insects aren’t so different from us, it seems, as they are attracted by higher temperatures. In fact, they become more active in hotter weather because their body temperature increases as they are cold-blooded creatures.
It is also the breeding season for insects, which means over the summer, they can produce hundreds of baby bugs that quickly turn into adults.
Female house flies, for example, start laying eggs just 48 hours after becoming adults themselves. During the lifetime of a female fly of between one to three months, she can produce up to 750 eggs, which take just two days to hatch into maggots.
So, it’s not hard to see why there seem to be so many flies by the end of the summer when they breed so quickly!
It isn’t just flies that become pests during the hotter season, as wasps, ants, mosquitoes and even cockroaches can ruin garden parties.
You might have a wasp nest in your house; or there could be swarms of ants that find their way into cupboards or fruit bowls; while there are 30 types of mosquitoes in the UK, though many people think they are only found in hotter, equatorial countries.
Cockroaches are also native to Britain and are one of the insects people are wary of the most, as they carry lots of diseases. You might only see smear marks or shredded skin in your conservatory, as they tend to come out at night, but these are signs that you’re sharing your home with these sizable insects.
How to keep insects out of your orangery for a bug-free summer
While we might have to share the environment with these insects over the warmer months, this doesn’t mean we have to tolerate them in our homes, even our conservatories, which are like an extension to the garden.
Here are some useful tips on how to keep insects out of the way so you can enjoy a summer without having to keep swatting away bugs.
Conservatory screens
One of the best ways of dealing with insect problems in the summer is to fit conservatory screens.
These are made out of a thin mesh that allows fresh air to enter the room without bugs coming in too.
Traditional conservatories are very welcoming places for bugs, as they tend to be warmer than the house, less windy than the garden, and windows and doors are often left ajar so it is easy for them to enter.
Use pesticides in the garden
To reduce the number of flies, beetles, wasps and ants you have in your garden, and subsequently, your home, it is a good idea to use pesticides on your lawn and flower beds.
Alternatively, you could keep a fly spray in your conservatory so you have it to hand if one gets on your nerves. These will help keep the insect numbers down, though you might want to make your orangery a less attractive place for them to come to in the first place.
Regular cleaning
One way to do this is by making sure the conservatory is regularly cleaned. You need to get rid of uneaten leftovers, sweep up any food debris from the floor, move fruit bowls out of the way, and avoid having piles of unwashed clothes, as these tend to be moist and too tempting for flies.
It is also important to have tightly sealed bins, so they aren’t attracted to the rubbish inside, and to regularly empty food compost tubs.
Remove food sources
A big reason why insects find their way into the house is to look for food, so make sure you don’t make this easy for them by keeping consumable products out of reach.
Store food in sealed jars instead of leaving open packets around; don’t leave food on tables or shelves; wipe up any spills or sweep away crumbs immediately; empty the bins more often than you would during the winter months; and clear away pet food once your dog or cat has had their meal.
You might even want to vacuum or mop your floors more often in the summer, as this will remove food debris you may not even realise is there.
If you need to leave food out, as you are hosting a barbecue, for instance, you could place a fan next to the dishes, as flies cannot land in the crosswind.
Reduce moisture levels in the conservatory
Bugs love conservatories as they are warm and moist, so if yours can feel like a greenhouse on a particularly hot summer’s day, you might want to consider reducing the humidity in the room.
A dehumidifier can work wonders at controlling moisture levels, so it is no more tempting to breed in your conservatory as it is anywhere else.
Natural deterrents
You could try using natural deterrents to keep pests out, with Country Living suggesting putting cloves in a ripe apple or piece of citrus fruit and placing this on a plate in the room.
Alternatively, you could put a citrus fruit and their skins in a muslin cloth bag and hang this outside.
You might also want to try growing basil or nasturtiums, as both are known to deter insects.
Lavender also helps to get rid of flies, as they don’t like the strong smell. However, it does attract butterflies and bees.
Lots of people swear by citronella candles, or you could have the Cymbopogon genus grass plant, from which the oil is derived, in your conservatory.
Reduce water sources
Water collected in water butts, wheelbarrows, tarpaulins, buckets, tyres, gutters, drains and paddling pools provide the perfect habitat for many insects, including mosquitoes. So getting rid of these sources, such as by emptying or moving them, can help control numbers.
You could also fit a permanent pond in your garden, as this will provide the perfect habitat for predators, which can help you to manage the pest problem.