If you want to sit outside and not be bothered by gnats, mosquitoes, flies, hornets, and other of nature’s less hospitable creatures, get a screened gazebo. A screened gazebo can also keep out debris, such as cottonwood puffs, falling leaves, and birds that might leave droppings all over your benches or gazebo spa.

The best part about screens is that they afford you more privacy. If you have neighbors, or if strangers can see your gazebo from the street, a screened gazebo is your solution. Some screened gazebos come complete with the screens; these screens either can be stationary, or they can be slid or swung open to allow more contact with the great outdoors.

Other screened gazebos need to be converted, by buying and installing screens in the spaces between posts or walls. Some come as “wrap-arounds” that you can stick in place. Other screens come pre-framed. These pre-framed gazebo screens either attach permanently to the structure or are built to be installed and uninstalled with ease.

Some gazebo screens are made of a darker material that is coated with a special polymer that blocks ultraviolet radiation by as much as 92%. You might want to opt for one of these types of screens if you spend a lot of time hanging out in the gazebo, are especially prone to sunburn, or want that extra assurance of privacy.

Screened gazebos cost somewhat more than gazebos that have no screens. If you already have a gazebo, screen kits can be had for a few hundred dollars. Not a bad price to pay, considering the bug benefit you’ll get.

Gazebos Info provides detailed information about spa, garden, patio, canopy, screened, metal, and vinyl gazebos, as well as gazebo plans and kits. Gazebos Info is the sister site of Awnings Web.

• How to Choose a Gazebo


• Building a Gazebo


• The Advantages of Gazebo Kits


• The Advantages of Spa Gazebos


• A Look at Garden Gazebos


• The Benefits of Patio Gazebos


• The Advantages of Canopy Gazebos


• Pesticides


• How to Extend Your Living Space Outdoors – Working with Color


• Planning Tips for Compact Courtyard Gardens