Spring is in the air, which is great for those of us who live in the Northeast. It often means an end to winter and the beginning of outdoor fun. It means amusement parks, ice cream cones, waterparks, swimming, riding bikes, and trips to the beach. But insects are no less excited about the spring than you are. Once the ground thaws, ants, spiders, flies, termites, and wasps will all be mating and setting up new colonies. The time to be proactive about best control is now while the ground is still cold and these pests are hibernating. In this article, we’ll take a look at some simple ways to prepare your house for the impending onslaught.
Spring Cleaning
Spring is the time for cleaning for good reason. As the beginning of the seasonal year, it represents a chance to get rid of the old to make room for the new. But it also helps you prepare for insect problems you may have before they occur.
You’ll want to take a good look at your cabinets and pantry area and give them a deep clean with bleach. Dust from cereals and grains can lure ants and other insects and ants will lure spiders and so on. Spilled drinks that weren’t quite cleaned all the way need also to be spotless. You’ll want to clean underneath your sink and leave diatomaceous earth down there to reduce the moisture.
Check Your Screens
Damaged screens provide a perfect entryway for insects and can otherwise negate effective preventive pest control measures along your perimeter. You’ll want to make sure that they aren’t peeling away from the frame along the edges and those with holes should be thrown away and replaced.
Reduce Clutter
Clutter makes an insect’s job much easier. Insects are naturally afraid of wide open spaces being very small compared to the rest of the animal kingdom. Wide open spaces are generally not to their liking. They are too vulnerable there so, if they can make their way in the shadows, like ninjas, they will. Reducing the overall clutter in your home makes them easier to spot and renders them more vulnerable to the first weapon in the history of pest control: Your foot.
Check for Cracks in Your Foundation
Bugs can get into your house in a number of ways. Underneath doors, through screens, and through drains are all very popular avenues along which insects invade homes. There are a couple of ways to ensure that bugs are not creeping into your house. The first is to go around your foundation and look for cracks. If you do have cracks, you’re going to want to shore those up. In the meantime, you can place diatomaceous earth in and around the area. This will prevent several types of insect from entering your home. Firstly, diatomaceous earth is a desiccant meaning it absorbs moisture. It also has very small edges that can harm insects but is fine for larger beings like yourself.
Fix Leaky Faucets and Outdoor Downspouts
Have you been putting off dealing with leaky faucets and downspouts? Now is the time to get on that. Moisture draws insects, mold, and nothing good.
Integrated Spring Pest Control Solutions
Integrated pest control solutions are about prevention, maintenance, and extermination all in one go. Pointe Pest Control can conduct initial inspections and will go over the types of pests that you had a problem with the night before. We can make recommendations on what you should be on the lookout for this year and areas of your home that may present problems moving forward into summer. In some cases, homeowners don’t help themselves out their gardens and floodlights. But the negative effects of these can be mitigated to some extent by using bug lights or using diatomaceous earth around shrubbery and in certain problem areas.
The idea is that preventative pest control is the best kind of best control because it avoids the pitfalls of a full-on infestation before it can do serious damage to your property.
Pointe Pest Control Helps Homeowners Prevent Springtime Pests
If you had a serious problem with pests last year, this year won’t be any different. Taking a proactive approach can save you thousands of dollars in property damage caused by ants, termites, or other common house pests. The skilled pest control experts at Pointe Pest Control can ensure that your most valuable asset is safeguarded against serious threats this spring. Give us a call or talk to us online to set up an appointment.