With spring quickly approaching, you may be noticing an influx of pests around your property. During the winter months bugs, like mammals, enjoy hibernating until the weather warms up. Depending on the winter conditions in your area, if the winter was mild…Chances are creepy crawlies are popping up even earlier than anticipated. Fortunately, preparing your home correctly and keeping an eye out for signs of invasion can help you keep your home pest-free all year long.
Prepare Your Home
Insects can enter via small spaces around your house, so look for gaps and cracks in exterior walls and around windows and doors, and seal them appropriately with caulk, spackle, or weather stripping. Sealing up your house properly has the extra benefit of making your home more energy-efficient, so this is worth taking some time and effort. You can keep your house free of pests and save a little money on your heating at the same time.
Indoors, look for small openings around baseboards and in cabinets. Pay close attention to cabinets in which you store food, because pests are looking for sources of food and water in addition to a warm place to call home.
Trim shrubbery around your home so that it isn’t resting against your exterior walls. Pests can easily climb across thin branches and gain access to your home. Rake up yard debris and dispose of it well away from the house so that it doesn’t become a breeding site for pests; they could easily spread and seek new territory inside your home. Clear out debris from your gutters for the same reason—this is also a good idea for general home maintenance, so it benefits you in multiple ways. If you have a fireplace, remember that many pests make their homes in wood piles. Store firewood away from your exterior walls and only bring it in when you are ready to put it in the fireplace. Installing screens on chimneys can also help to keep pests out of the house.
Storage and Living Areas
Avoid using cardboard for storage in basements, attics, and garages. Instead, use tightly sealed plastic containers and bins to keep rodents and other pests from making their homes among your stored items. In your living space, store food in similar airtight containers. Taking out your trash regularly, keeping your garbage cans firmly sealed and tidy, and cleaning up any food messes promptly will keep kitchens clean and pest free.
Watch Out for Problems
If you suspect you have a problem with pests in your home, it’s best to be proactive. Infestations are easier to take care of when they are small, and you don’t want to give pests any chance to multiply. Look for some warning signs that pests might be invading.
Termites can eat away wood from the inside without damaging the surface, so any strangely hollow sounding wood is something to check out. Cracked or distorted paint may also be a clue to termite damage.
Also look for ants wandering around. If given a chance, ants can start in one room and spread throughout the house. To prevent them, wipe down counters and non-carpeted floors with a solution of two cups of vinegar in half a bucket of warm water. This solution can be used to wipe cabinets, furniture, and any non-upholstered surface to repel ants. Individual ants can be sprayed with this solution as well. If you find the ants’ placed of entrance, seal the crack to prevent them. Larger ants, especially winged ants, may be carpenter ants, which can do structural damage to your home.
If you think you have pests, either by spotting them directly or seeing indications that they may be present, you can always ask a pest prevention professional to inspect your home. They will know where to look, what signs to notice, and can give you a better idea if you have a real problem on your hands or just a couple of interlopers.
While spring doesn’t bring complete relief from the worry of pests entering your home, you can do a lot to prevent their entrance and avoid any serious concerns. If you simply prepare your home, store food and other items well, and take care of garbage and yard waste, your chances of contracting a serious pest problem will diminish.
About the Author:
Nathan has been with Blue Sky Pest Control since 2004. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Blue Sky. He previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Senior Associate in its Merger and Acquisition Practice (Transaction Services) in Washington D.C., and at Franklin Covey as the assistant product manager for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People product line. He has a bachelor and master degree in accounting from Brigham Young University. He and his wife Allison are the parents of 4 children. In his spare time, he enjoys golf and a great book.
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