Yard and Desert Landscape Pest Control in Las Vegas

Why do gravel and decomposed-granite yards shelter pests?

Decorative rock over landscape fabric makes a cool, dark, undisturbed layer where scorpions, ants, crickets and spiders hide in the day. Fabric folds, edging and the gap beside a wall give them voids. Gravel groundcover can shelter scorpions, though how many live in a given yard varies.

Rock is a good choice for a desert yard, since it saves water and keeps weeds down. The trade-off is that the layer beneath it is a protected microclimate. Under a bed of rock the soil can stay cooler and damper than the surface, especially where an emitter is feeding it.

Bark scorpions, in particular, arrived in Southern Nevada with plants imported from Arizona and new track-home construction. The imported landscape rock and plants that came with that growth are part of why a landscape treatment is worth thinking about on newer lots.

How do drip lines, pools and turf bring pests into the yard?

In a desert, water is the draw. Drip emitters, valve boxes, pool decks, hose bibs and turf edges give ants, crickets, wasps, mosquitoes and rats a steady supply. Fixing leaks and moving emitters off the wall base often lowers pressure as much as any product, and it is the part a homeowner controls.

Roof rats are documented in the valley since 1990 and do best with year-round water from pools and irrigation, plus fruit and pet food. A leaking line next to a palm is a better invitation than the palm alone.

After a monsoon storm, standing water in a planter, a low corner of the yard or a clogged drain gives mosquitoes places to breed. Aedes aegypti is now documented across the valley, and it can breed in small containers such as saucers and buckets, so tipping them out matters. See mosquito control for service on that.

• Check each emitter after the first hot week; replace any that are popped, cracked or constantly wet
• Keep valve boxes lidded and drained
• Aim sprinklers away from the wall base and the house
• Empty saucers, buckets and toys that hold water after storms

How do palms, citrus and block walls become a roof route?

Roof rats climb palm trunks, citrus branches and oleander, then walk along block-wall caps to the roofline, using the same path every night. A palm touching the roof, a branch over the wall or fruit on the ground makes the route easier. Trimming and clearing fruit shortens the highway; sealing the roof gaps closes the destination.

Roof rats came into the valley on imported palm trees and fruit shipments, and they favor palms and cypress and fruit and pet food. That is the documented route, and it is why a yard with mature palms and citrus often gets the call.

Block walls do the rest. A wall that touches a tree or a roof is a bridge, and a cap with gaps is a place to nest. Trimming back branches from the roof and wall, harvesting fruit and storing pet food indoors are low-cost steps that a technician will list.

What happens in the yard during the monsoon?

From early July to mid-September, the monsoon can bring heavy rain, flash flooding and strong winds. Water can push insects and scorpions toward higher, drier ground, which may include your foundation and patio, and standing water brings mosquitoes. A technician checks drainage and wall bases after storms, and treats where activity has shifted.

Flood-control channels and detention basins, such as the Flamingo and Tropicana washes, carry runoff across Paradise and Spring Valley. Homes backing onto channels and basins may see more activity after storms, since a wet corridor can also be a route.

If a storm washes gravel from a bed or exposes fabric, the exposed edges are new shelter. Raking rock back and fixing washouts is a small chore that removes a hiding place.

What should you change in the yard yourself?

Four low-cost changes help most: fix irrigation leaks, trim palms, citrus and shrubs away from the roof and wall, pick up fruit and pet food, and keep wood, pots and tarps off the ground along the wall. These steps remove water, shelter and routes, so treatment lasts longer and costs less to maintain.

Move firewood, stacked bricks and potted plants away from the wall line. Keep the first foot of rock beside the foundation thin, since a deep bed there gives pests a roof over their heads.

Outdoor lighting matters as well. White and blue-white bulbs draw insects, and the insects draw spiders and scorpions. Warm-colored bulbs draw fewer.