Be sure that you always rinse out glass, metal, or plastic and paper food containers and wrappers before recycling them or throwing them away.

You should clean out the inside of garbage and recycling bins each month. If you do this you will not have build up of gunk that will attract pests. To clean out your bins, you will want to hose them out, and use an old broom dipped in a disinfecting solution to scrape sides, etc.

Last but not least, and while obvious, if you want to discourage pests from your garbage area, you will want to keep your garbage in cans with lids.

Outdoor areas: if you want to discourage pests in the outdoor areas so that your yard is cleaner, and more fun for you, then you will want to do the following.

If you have a wood burning fire place, and you keep wood on hand, you will want to stack the firewood away from the house as it is inviting to pests. You will also want to make sure it stays well aerated. You want to be sure to avoid storing large amounts of firewood in your garage or anywhere inside. Wood to a pest is like candy to a child, it is highly tempting. So, if you must store some of that indoors, then only keep enough for your next fire place use.

Another useful thing you can do to really discourage pests from your yard and home are to clear out your gutters. Build up of sludge, leaves, etc. is inviting to bugs and pests, so avoid them by taking a few minutes each month to clear those gutters out.

Another important thing you will want to do in your yard to discourage pests is direct water from downspouts and drains away from your house. Your exterior drainage may not sound like something that attracts pests, but it does, so if you do not want bees, and other pests near your yard and home, make sure your drainage steers them elsewhere.

It is important to trim your trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds when necessary so that they do not touch your house. If they do, they act as a gateway to having pests in your home. So, cut them back and keep your beds clean, etc. this will keep unnecessary pests out.

Last but not least, make sure that if you have bird baths, etc. that you drain and refill them weekly. If you don't, the water will get rancid like, and will attract all kinds of bugs and pests.

Basically, if you keep your yard area clean, and get rid of unnecessary things, you will have a yard that discourages pests. Pests need somewhere to hide, something to eat, etc. So, remove these things and you will greatly reduce the amount of pests you have.