As winter comes to an end, we all look forward to the warmer spring weather so we can start enjoying more activities. Unfortunately, the same is true for insects. As the weather warms insects emerge from their shelters and start looking for food and water, and in their search, they often find themselves inside our homes. So how do you keep pests from making your home their new home? We are going to offer some quick helpful tips that you can do to keep your home pest free.
Seal Doors and Windows
Pests are experts at finding the smallest gaps, cracks, and crevices that lead inside our homes. Windows and doors are the first places bugs often find to access our homes. Other places are electrical and plumbing protrusions at exterior walls, attic and crawl space vents, and even brick chimneys where they meet the siding. Seal off all these openings using caulk, foam, steel wool, and wire screen to limit access by pests. Check the seals of doors and windows and repair any damaged seals.
Keep Kitchens and Pantries Clean of Food Debris
Make sure that you clean up the kitchen after each meal or once a day, wiping down counters and sweeping the floor of any small crumbs. Any dishes or cooking utensils should be rinsed off and placed in the dishwasher, or hand washed and cleaned. Make sure the trash is emptied on a regular basis. By following these small steps you can cut off the food supply that spring pests are looking for. An often over looked area is food pantries and cabinets. Make sure that any pantries and cabinets where food is stored are cleaned of any crumbs or food debris that may have accumulated over the winter.
Pet Feeding/Watering Areas and Areas of Standing Water
Also, make sure that pet food storage and feeding areas are kept clean of any pet food. if possible, do not leave food in pet dishes for an extended period of time. It may also be helpful to wash your pet's food bowl depending on the type of food that is fed to remove food residue that could attract pests. Areas of standing water outdoors such as planters, buckets, etc. these areas of stagnant water are breeding grounds for mosquitos, flies, and other insects. As part of your spring yard maintenance make sure that there are no stagnant pools of water. If you have any water features in your yard like ponds, water falls, even bird baths, make sure the water is continually changed or, if equipped, the pumps are good working order. Keep debris from collecting in any water features that can give shelter to insects.
Cleanup Clutter
Remove any piles of old mulch, dead leaves, or rotting limbs from your yard and around the sides of your home. Pests like to hide in dark, moist, decaying material and as it warms up they will venture out from these areas and make their way into your home. Many people store items down the sides of the house, these areas are often neglected since they are out of view and not a regularly visited area of the property. Make sure that these areas are clean and if possible throw away old clutter where pests like to hide.
Call Us
If you already have a pest issue and need help, give us a call today , we're always here to help!