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5 Lawn Games to Play This Summer

cornhole rules

Break Out These Lawn Games This Summer

If you’re like us, your summer weekends are likely spent in the backyard with family and friends, grilling up some burgers and dogs, and playing classic lawn games.

Here are some of our favorite summer lawn games we love to play with our family:

1. Cornhole

Killingsworth Environmental Cornhole

What you’ll need:

cornhole boards

8 bean bags

2-4 people for teams of singles or doublesHow to play:

Set the two platforms 27 ft apart. Teams or individuals will stand behind their board and toss bean bags at the counter board.

When the bag lands in the hole count three points if the bag lands on the board’s surface count one point.

The first team to score exactly 21 points wins.

Equal points cancel each other (example: if one team gets five points, and the other gets two, the winning team scores a total of three points.)

2. Badminton

Killingsworth Environmental badminton rackets and birdie

What you’ll need:

2-6 people for small teams

A racquet per person

A birdie

5-foot badminton net

A court that is 44 ft long by 20 ft wide (if you’re playing by official rules – any open, grassy area will work)How to play:

Serve the birdie from below the waist to the team across the net. From there, continue to hit the birdie back and forth between teams.

You can only hit the birdie once per side–it must be hit directly back across the net. When the birdie lands on the ground, or if your opponent makes a mistake like hitting out of bounds, under the net, or into the net, you are awarded a point.

The first team to score 21 points wins (you must win by two points).

3. Horseshoes

Killingsworth Environmental horseshoe pit

What you’ll need:

2 metal stakes

4 horseshoes

2-4 players for teams of singles or doublesHow to play: Each player gets two horseshoes to pitch. The first player pitches both shoes, one at a time, and then the other player pitches their shoes to completes one “inning”. Walk to the stake and score that inning. Switch pitching order each inning. If you throw a “ringer” (completely around the stake) you’ll receive three points but if your opponent also throws a ringer then both cancel each other out and no one receives points. If neither player throws a ringer, the player with the shoe closest to the stake is awarded a single point. Score the only ringer and the shoe closes to the stake and score four total points.

4. Ladder Ball

What you’ll need:

  • 2 ladders
  • 2 people (for singles) or 4 people (for teams)
  • 6 bolas (two balls attached by a string)

How to play: Set the ladders five paces from each other. Each player gets three bolas. The first player tosses their bolas to the ladder and their opponent follows. Wrap your bola around each “rung” for points.

  • The top rung: score one point,
  • The middle rung: two points,
  • The bottom rung: three points.

If you knock your opponent’s bola off, their points are lost. An extra point is added to your score if you wrap a bola on each rung or if all three bola’s are wrapped around the same rung. Score exactly 21 points to win.

5. Kan Jam

What you’ll need:

  • 2 “kans”
  • 1 disk
  • 4 people for teams of doubles
  • 50 feet of space (if playing by official rules)

How to play: You and your partner stand at opposite kans and alternate throwing and deflecting the disks to hit the kan, or go inside the “kan” from the top or through the slot opening.

  • Score one point when your teammate deflects the disc to hit the kan.
  • Score two points when you throw the disc and hit the kan unassisted by a teammate.
  • Score three points when your teammate deflects the throw into the kan.
  • Win instantly when you throw the disk through the small slot opening on the kan.
  • You must score exactly 21 points to win.

One thing that might ruin your summer lawn game fun? Pesky mosquitos. Lucky for you, we provide expert mosquito spray treatments that create a barrier around your yard to keep mosquitos out. Don’t let these pests keep you from fun backyard games – schedule an appointment!

5 Lawn Games to Play This Summer

Bedbug inspection

How to Know if Your Hotel Has Bedbugs

Upon entering a hotel room, do you typically reach for the tiny toiletries, take a leap onto the bed, or perhaps start by inspecting for bed bugs? Knowing what to look for is essential. Anticimex Carolinas Service Manager Christian Tweed has shared valuable insights on identifying bed bugs in your hotel room and preventing them from hitching a ride back home with you. And if bed bugs do become an unexpected part of your vacation, remember that Clark’s Pest Control is here to assist!



Q&A with a Pest Professional


How do bed bugs get inside hotels?


Bed bugs are primarily hitchhiking insects as opposed to foraging ones, meaning that they get carried around on people’s clothes and belongings. Someone with an active infestation in their home can easily bring bed bugs to their hotel, but they can also be picked up during travel (airplanes, taxis, and rideshare services) and brought to a hotel room.


What do people misunderstand about bed bugs in hotels?


From a probability standpoint, all hotels will deal with bed bugs at some point in time. If you think about a bed bug’s method of travel, there’s literally nothing a hotel can do to stop them from being carried in. What I have realized is that luxury hotels are more likely to have an aggressive response to dealing with a bed bug case once it’s identified as they tend to have a higher quality of service and a reputation to protect. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience more often than not.

Got bedbugs? Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today!

What do you recommend travelers do when they get to their room to check for bed bugs?


Most hotel headboards hang directly on the wall. I start my inspection here before even looking at the bed itself. I have found bed bugs, their exoskeletons, and the telltale black stains they leave behind around the edges of or in the crevices of headboards. If the headboard looks clean, move on to looking over the pillowcases and comforter for any signs or stains. You can dig into the bedding as deep as you want here, but I encourage people to look over the top layer of things at the very least.


What are some lesser-known signs of bed bugs in your hotel room?


The specifics of the black stains they leave behind, which as gross as it sounds, are just digested blood as that’s all that bed bugs feed on. If the stains are on a hard surface, they will be small dots as if left behind by an ink pen and will smear into a brownish gray when moisture is applied. If they’re on fabric, they will usually bleed along the fibers making a small diamond, square or X shape.


If there are bed bugs in your hotel room, can they travel home with you?


They absolutely can, however this is easy to prevent. While staying in a hotel, keep as much of your clothing and luggage off the beds as possible. Storing suitcases in the bathroom might sound odd, but it’s an effective method of prevention.

Don’t tackle bedbugs yourself, call Clark’s at 866-781-4991!

What should you do with your suitcase if you suspect your hotel has bed bugs?


When arriving home from a trip, leave your luggage in the garage or on a porch and bring your clothes in one load of laundry at a time. If the clothes are dirty, wash them like you normally would, if they’re clean then run them through the dryer for at least forty-five minutes. Once your suitcase is empty, vacuum over it meticulously (don’t forget to empty the vacuum when you’re done), or if you’re in the right climate, expose it to heat for a few days by placing it in your vehicle (parked in the sun) or for a few weeks in your attic.


The Clark’s Solution


If you brought bed bugs back to you home, Clark’s is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment.


A Clark’s Pest Professional will do an inspection and recommend a plan of attack to get rid of bed bugs now and prevent them from hatching in the future. Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today for more information.




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