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Stop Inviting Pests In Your Home This Summer

With summer rapidly approaching, the frequency of outdoor festivals, cookouts, picnics and other outdoor events is not only a favorite for local residents but also pests. Nothing kills your mood at your family barbecue or reunion like a swarm of mosquitoes or aggressive ants. When you wake up on a hot summer Saturday to head out to Splashtown with the family and get bit by a spider in your bedroom—it puts a real damper on the day.

You don’t have to be the victim of a home invasion by annoying and even dangerous pests this summer. Before you find yourself in the middle of a full blown infestation, frantically Googling “exterminator near me,” follow these easy steps to remove the welcome mat for pests and stop inviting them in for an unwelcome visit. As for your pesky neighbors who smell the ribs cooking and show up— we recommend just acting like you’re not home, we only deal with bugs and animals.

7 POINT PLAN TO PREVENT PEST INFESTATION

  1. Put Up A RoadblockThe perimeter of your home is the main point of entry for all pests. You need to make it hard for them to find easy access to get inside. They are seeking food, shelter and water so they aren’t going to expend a lot of energy if it seems too difficult to get in. You don’t need to turn your home into Fort Knox, just do basic due diligence. Make sure all screens are free of holes and repair them if there are any. Check for holes, worn out weather stripping around doors and windows that leave gaps. Also, make sure you check your roof for damaged shingles, holes, gaps and other access points where pests can get in. The bottom line is, you don’t need it to be a fortress, just don’t make it so easy.
  2. Clean Your HouseEven just a few crumbs that have been kicked into the corner by foot traffic is a hefty bounty for a tiny ant or other bugs. One Frito on the floor for example, can feed over 50 ants, just one! So imagine if you have a pile of crumbs in the toaster or a rogue cereal flake on the breakfast counter. Don’t let your home be the loot room when the pests go raiding for food. Wipe down your counters, run the dishwasher regularly, empty out the crumb tray on the toaster and empty the trash daily. These little things will be big improvements to making your home less of a target.
  3. Stagnant Water Is An Oasis To PestsThat full water bowl outside that’s for your spoiled dog that won’t leave the couch when it’s above 80°, is a waterfront resort to mosquitoes and other pests. Standing water anywhere in your yard is the most commonly overlooked mistake that will bring the pests in droves. Sometimes standing water isn’t always as obvious as a water bowl. It may be a low lying area in your yard, a rut near a downspout, or an AC unit drain. Walking your yard regularly and taking note of potential problem areas will help you maintain a yard free of standing water. This is your home, your refuge— not the Copa Cabana for mosquitoes and other pests.
  4. Landscaping Needs To Be Kept UpIf your yard looks like Jurassic Park, then don’t be surprised to see 12” tall mosquitoes and an army of pests. Overgrowth is a perfect haven for ant mounds, wasp nests, skunks, raccoons and many other pests to flourish. You are literally turning your yard into a wildlife pest refuge when you don’t maintain it. Instead, trim bushes and trees that surround your exterior walls, control weeds with a lawn service or pull them yourself and keep the yard free of debris and clutter. A neat and tidy yard gives little room for pests to take shelter or nest.
  5. Eat Fruit, Don’t Waste ItIf you’re trying to have a beach body by June but you aren’t eating the healthy fruit you bought from the store, you’re causing two problems. The obvious one is that the beach body is shot, but the less obvious one is you’re setting a feast for flies. If you let fruits and vegetables such as apples or bananas get overly ripe, they give off a strong aroma to flies and they will flock there. Kill two birds with one stone, eat your fruits and vegetables and get that beach body and then you won’t have leftovers on the counter. If you still have some leftovers, discard it in the trash right away once it’s reached its expiration.
  6. Maintain Your Firewood SupplyFirewood piles can be like Hilton hotels for termites and they always want to checkout extra late. Don’t become their extended stay destination; keep the firewood away from your house. Far away as possible is ideal but if limited on room at least five feet or more. Also, don’t store firewood on the ground directly. Firewood should be stored on racks above the ground which keeps the wood from rotting as easy which is very attractive to termites.
  7. Don’t Throw Leftover Meat Out Too SoonIn the summertime, your trash can registers temperatures easily over 100°. Combine that with last night’s pot roast that was a tad too dry that you tossed; and you have tasty bait for raccoons or stray cats. You know who they bring with them? Fleas and ticks, so unless the trash is getting picked up the next morning, leave that overcooked pot roast in the fridge until trash day. This will give you time to focus on how you could mess up a simple dish as pot roast, but also keep pests at bay. The bottom line is— your dinner may have bombed for you but the pests will think it’s fine dining.

DON’T CHANCE IT JUST CALL CHAMPIONS PEST CONTROL SERVICE

The best and most complete way to ensure your home doesn’t turn into a pest sanctuary this summer is to call the pros at Champions. We will inspect every inch of your home and surrounding landscape and identify problem areas, and suggest a foolproof plan to make your home is unattractive to pests. Prevention is the best offense to defend against infestation and other pest related problems so contact us today!

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