How To Protect Your Home From Pests?

Spring Cleaning to Protect Against Spring Pests

Chances are, you’ve hit the ground running and are already well into your spring cleaning routine. While you’re at it, why not go the extra mile and protect your house from spring and summertime pests? Adding only a couple of extra steps to your routine can ensure a pest-free home all year long.

Kitchen
The kitchen can be a haven for a multitude of invaders because of the abundance of food. Keeping it clean is a must, but it isn’t just about removing spoiling fruit from the counter or sweeping up crumbs from the floor. Total pest management in the kitchen requires reaching into those long forgotten corners and adding preventative measures. Remove everything from your cabinets (yes, I mean everything). Anything hiding there will be discovered and can be dealt with. Signs of an infestation can include pest droppings, gnawed packaging, or unusual stains. Wipe down surfaces, change out liner paper, and replace your items.

Do the same in your pantry. Throw out all expired items, including dry goods such as spices and flour (not every pest goes for the sweet stuff). Since mice and rats can chew through paper, cardboard, and even plastic containers try repackaging items into cans or jars. Don’t forget about the floor! Remember, we are trying to go a step above and beyond to prevent future infestations so pull out appliances to sweep, vacuum, and mop behind them. You’ll be amazed, or possibly disgusted, by what collects there, but now you can rest easy knowing that it’s clean.

Bathrooms
Bathrooms are the second most likely place to spot an infestation. Avoid excess moisture of any kind. Leaking pipes, slowly dripping faucets, and ineffective gaskets (such as the seal where your toilet bowl meets the floor) are all attractants for cockroaches and silverfish. In fact, about half of all cockroach infestations start from a broken water or sewer pipe. Any corrosion or leaks you do find, need to be fixed immediately.

Exterior
We all want pests to stay in their natural environment outside of our homes, but sometimes having pests near the exterior of your house is enough to be bothersome or even cause damage. Termites will morph into their winged adult stage and begin to swarm in warm weather, usually after recent rainfall. Bees, wasps, and other flying insects also swarm and begin building new hives in the summer. Look for their nests under the eaves of your roof or in the trees in your yard. Ants become more active as the ground softens and expand their nests under your yard. If you see an anthill forming, call an exterminator immediately.

Carpenter ants love the soggy wood that is caused by the springtime rains, and an infestation can easily begin so keep an eye out for small holes in the wood or siding of your home. Seal off any possible entrances to the inside such as door and window seals or pipes and wires that feed through your walls from the outside.

With just a little extra work this spring, you can keep your home pest and worry-free. If you do run across evidence of an infestation, call our extermination team immediately. Infestations can escalate quickly when the weather warms up.