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Like there are for most pests, there are tons of sprays, killers, and repellents you can use to remove ants from different places around your yard and home. It can attract all kinds of pests, including ants. If it’s not too late, try to avoid using wood mulch as your ground cover around the swing set.
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Regularly sweep debris out of the play house and hose it down for good measure. Without crumbs, leafs, and other food sources, most ants won’t be super interested. Keep your swing set as clean as possible. Others, like fire ants, can be dangerous for your kids. Some ants are annoying due to their large numbers. That way they can be safely re-homed and not killed.Īnts can be another big problem in backyard play areas, especially on wooden play sets.
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and paint or seal over the hole.įor large nests of wasps or bees, you’ll likely want to call an expert to remove them safely.Īnd finally, if you want to be a good citizen and not kill the pollinators around your play set (which I recommend), you can contact local beekeepers to come remove large hives of bees, for free or for a small charge. Once you’re confident the bees are gone, you can fill in any holes in the wood with caulk, wood glue, putty, wood filler, etc. Try to spray down your play set at night when the bees aren’t as active, to avoid getting stung. If you want to kill the bees, there are plenty of tough chemical sprays to choose from, including this wasp, yellow jacket, and bee killer on Amazon.įor a non-lethal solution, you can create an at-home bee repellent using soap, peppermint oil, and some basic spices ( instructions here). If you find yourself with an existing bee or wasp problem on your play set, here’s what you can do. Of course, you should check with your swing set manufacturer on the best type of seal to use and how often to do it, though best practice is to apply fresh seal around once per year. When it comes to carpenter bees - thick bodied bees who burrow holes into wooden play sets - be sure to regularly seal the wood.Ī good all-weather seal can discourage bees from chewing into your play set. These greens attract a lot of different pollinators as they grow. Particularly, if your lawn isn’t a picture-perfect fescue and includes various weeds and wildflowers when it gets long - don’t allow it to grow more than a few inches high. Next, keep your lawn trimmed tight all season long. These areas attract a lot of bees, in particular, whose job it is to pollinate. You don’t want your play set too close to a garden, wild flowers, or heavy shrubbery or weeds. There are a couple of easy, and a few not so easy, ways to keep these flying nuisances away from your swing set.įirst, if it’s not too late, pick the right location in your yard for the play set. If you find them lurking and nesting near your structure, you’ll want to deal with it quickly before the problem gets worse and your kid ends up getting stung. Let’s take a look at some common play house pests and how best to deal with them.īees and wasps are probably the biggest offender when it comes to backyard play sets. I’d try to avoid using those on your play set until you’ve exhausted other removal methods and natural remedies. If problems persist, you can always bring in the big guns of chemical bug killers and repellents. Trimmed grass, good weed control, and regular sweeping and hosing down of the set should keep most infestations at bay. The best way to keep most pests away from your kid’s play set is to regularly clean the structure and keep the yard around it well-maintained. So how do you deal with pests? What’s the best way to keep bees, spiders, ants, and other bugs away from your swing set area? It turns what would otherwise be a decent space to run around into a magical place to have adventures each and every day!īut play sets, being outside 24/7, can easily become infested or overrun with pests - that can make them no fun for your kids to play with, at best, and extremely dangerous, at worst. Adding a play set or swing set to your yard can be an amazing gift for your kids.
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