Keep Pests Out of Your Home This Spring
You may have enjoyed a relatively peaceful winter free of pests. However, you are not in the clear for the rest of the year! When the temperatures get warmer, pests such as ants, mosquitoes, and termites, will be emerging and invading your home again in search of food and shelter.
Some pests, such as cockroaches and bed bugs, have remained active throughout the winter, but they will become even more so in the spring. Doing what you can to protect your home, will help you have a more peaceful spring.
Here are a few things that you can do yourself to prepare your home to minimize the risk of springtime pest infestations:
Remove Moist Wood and Debris
Even if it doesn’t snow, the winter months are cold and damp. There isn’t as much sunshine, so the rain doesn’t dry out, and the overall atmosphere is damp and dank. When the temperatures start to warm up in the spring, you are likely to have a lot of damp wood and yard debris such as leaves and twigs. This moist organic matter is highly attractive to all kinds of pests, including ants, mosquitoes, and ticks.
Clean up your yard now so you can clear it of anything that’s attractive to pests. Look for moist logs and sticks and clean up any remaining leaf litter. Pay special attention to anything that’s close to your house but know that even litter at the edges of your yard can bring pests onto your property and ultimately into your house.
Clear Garbage Away from House
Garbage can also attract pests, ranging from ants to rats. Garbage cans should be kept away from your home at all times. If they are still near your home, take this opportunity to do some rearranging and put them in a better spot. Move compost piles and recycling bins, as well. Walk around your yard and clear up any other piles of trash or old junk that could be rotting, composting, or otherwise attracting pests.
Prune Bushes
Bushes and tree limbs that are close to your home can provide a bridge for pests. Ants or termites that might be chowing down on the wood, for instance, can move directly to your home. The transition will be seamless, and they will just keep eating their way through your home so long as they find suitable material. Cut off these pathways for active pests in the spring by trimming bushes and limbs that are near your home.
Get Rid of Standing Water
Pools of water in your yard will attract a lot of pests, most notably mosquitoes. Many pests travel in search of water, and if they find it on your property, they are likely to stay and make themselves comfortable. Some lay their eggs in the water, quickly reproducing and creating a bigger nuisance for you. Clear up standing water in your yard by taking measures to improve drainage.
Repair Window Screens
Screens can help keep out flies on those days that you want to keep the windows open and let the breeze in (on those rare days that there is a breeze). The right screens can also guard against other pests from wriggling their ways into your home through the window frame. Repair and replace any window screens around your home as needed to add another layer of protection against infestation.
Seal Entry Points
Some pests can slip into a crack as little as a sixteenth of an inch. Think of all the places around your home that such cracks and crevices exist. Then think about the many more pests that could get into your home through even smaller cracks.
The best thing you can do is hire a professional to seal your home. The experts can identify all the entry points that pests would use and can seal them appropriately. Inside and outside sealing will provide a strong defense for your home.
While you are thinking about spring cleaning, you should also be thinking about spring pest control. The bugs aren’t out in full force yet, so you still have time to take action that will minimize the chances that they will invade your home. Alexandria Pest Services can help. When you contact APS about a pest problem, we’ll come to your home, business, or government office to conduct a full inspection. This allows us to pinpoint the pest type and any points of entry or problem areas. If you are experiencing pest issues, call us at 703-923-0925 to schedule a professional inspection of your home. We will provide recommendations for the corrective measures and solutions to get rid of pests for good!
