If you live in Las Vegas, then you know how much nuisance pests can be in your yard. These pesky pests can make it difficult for you to entertain guests, enjoy time with your family, or just relax in your yard. Luckily, getting rid of pests in your Vegas landscaping isn’t impossible.
Plants are an excellent way to keep pests at bay. Read on to learn some of the most common types of pests found in landscapes and which plants to incorporate for pest control.
Most Common Pests Found in Vegas Landscaping
While everywhere has pests, Las Vegas has quite a few pests that can make spending time out in the yard uncomfortable. Here are some of the most common types of pests found in the Las Vegas area.
Bees and Wasps
Bees and wasps can be found in a lot of areas, but they are especially prevalent in Las Vegas. Some types of bees and wasps include Honey Bees, Africanized Honey Bees, Paper Wasps, and Yellow Jackets.
Flies and Mosquitoes
Another common pest that you will find in your Vegas landscape is flies and mosquitoes. House Flies, Black Horse Flies, Black Flies, and Southern House Mosquitoes are all common.
Spiders
Many Las Vegas homeowners have noticed spiders, such as the Black Widow and Brown Recluse lurking in their yard.
Ants and Termites
Ants and termites are extremely common in Vegas landscapes. Some common ants and termites include Argentine, Carpenter, and Fire Ants. Subterranean Termites are quite common as well.
5 Plants to Fight Pests in Your Yard
Incorporating plants is a simple, yet effective way to fight pests in your yard. Here are 5 plants that homeowners in Las Vegas can use to effectively keep pests away.
1. Cintronella Grass
One excellent plant to add to your landscaping in Las Vegas is a Citronella Grass plant. This native grass of Sri Lanka is a tall, fast-growing plant that releases a lemon scent when crushed.
Citronella Grass plants aren’t just a nice decorative touch, these plants are highly effective when it comes to keeping pests at bay, like mosquitoes and other insects.
This plant has mosquito-repellent properties, which is why it is so in demand. Some people use a labor-intensive process called steam distillation, which is used to extract the potent oil within this plant.
Luckily, this is not something that you need to do in order to keep the mosquitoes away from your yard. Just simply growing the plant is effective to take advantage of its mosquito repellent properties.
Just keep in mind that you will need to live in a USDA growing zone (9 or 10) if you would like to grow this type of plant in your backyard.
2. Lemongrass
Another plant to consider is the Lemongrass plant. These plants generally grow in abundance in areas that are warm and humid. In fact, these plants enjoy hot weather, a lot of light, and water.
With proper care, these plants can easily grow to 4 feet in just one season. Like the Citronella Grass plant, the Lemongrass plant is a part of the Cymbopogon family, which means it contains citronella oil.
With that said, Lemongrass plants are great plants to repel pests like mosquitoes. In fact, lemongrass is very fragrant. The smell of this plant acts as a natural pest repellent as most pests do not care for the smell of this plant.
3. Chrysanthemums
The next plant on the list is the Chrysanthemums, also known as mums. This plant is a part of the Compositae family and is available in a wide range of vibrant colors to spruce up your yard.
But these plants certainly aren’t just for decoration. These are one of the most common plants used for pest control in Vegas landscapes. This common plant does a good job of keeping a variety of pests away, such as roaches, ants, ticks, lice, mites, and more.
The reason these plants are so effective at keeping these pests away is that the extract from mums can actually kill many of the insects mentioned. The extract is so effective that it’s even used in a variety of residential insecticide products.
4. Marigolds
The next plant on the list is Marigolds. These plants thrive in the sun and can generally withstand really hot summers. The plants have daisy-like flower heads that are produced in clusters and are a nice decorative piece for any yard.
There are actually around 50 species of Marigolds, but the most common include African, American, and Mexican marigolds, French Marigolds, Signet Marigolds, and English Marigolds.
Marigolds are quite useful when it comes to repelling a variety of pests including mosquitoes, plant lice, aphids, and even rabbits. This is because these plants have a strong scent that pests generally try to avoid.
This plant is so effective at repelling pests that even farmers use them to naturally keep pests from eating their crops.
5. Petunias
Petunias are certainly a popular flower that many homeowners love to put in their yard. Petunias are known for their beautiful blooms and long flowering period.
In most areas, Petunias are treated as annuals. It’s important to note that they can be grown as tender perennials in zone 9 to 11. While these plants are known for being the perfect decorative plant, they provide so much more than that.
In fat, petunias are effective when it comes to repelling aphids, tomato worms, squash bugs, some types of beetles, along with other insects.
This is because Petunias let out a light licorice smell, which some insects do not like. Just keep in mind that while Petunias can effectively rid certain pests, they do attract caterpillars and slugs.
Are you struggling to get rid of unwanted pests in your yard? Dealing with pests can certainly be a nuisance, but it doesn’t have to be.
If you’re looking for an easy way to reduce the number of pests in your landscape, incorporating plants is the perfect place to start. Many of these plants are affordable and offers the perfect opportunity to spruce up your Las Vegas landscape.
Here at WET-TEC, we provide comprehensive landscaping services in Las Vegas to meet the needs of homeowners. Whether you need landscaping services, installation, or sprinkler repair in Las Vegas and the surrounding area, we have you covered.
Our goal is to provide you with quality service at a price you can afford. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer.
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