This is a time of year when you may be hauling clothes off to the dry cleaners and doing extra loads of laundry to make the transition from winter wear to warm-weather clothing. To make room for summer outfits, you're probably moving your cold-weather items to storage areas of your home.
Before you store away clothes for the next few months, consider how and where they're being stored, because you could find an unwanted surprise when you pull them out of storage six months from now - damage from clothes moths.
Two types of clothes moths - case-making and webbing moths - can damage your clothing if you've placed them in dark areas of your basement or closets. If you haven't contained them properly in airtight bags or sealed bins, when you remove the items from storage you may find that moths have been at work. The telltale signs are the silk webbing and tiny tubes that are left behind by the pests.
However, your clothing may not be the only textiles at risk for damage. Stored soft furnishings like curtains, rugs and slipcovers that are made of natural fiber rather than synthetics could also attract clothes moths.
If you find evidence that clothes moths have infested your closets and storage areas, stored clothing should be washed with hot water or dry cleaned. Vacuum house goods that may be affected and wash down closets where the infestation took place.
But home pest management can't stop there. Rugs, upholstered furniture and decorative pillows made of natural materials like wool or silk, whether they're in storage or in use in your home, may also be affected.
Practice good housekeeping by frequently vacuuming to rid those items of any eggs and larvae left behind by moths. Remove animal hair from furnishings frequently, because moth larvae feed on it. In addition, vacuum floors and dust shelving and walls regularly to get rid of webs or excess dust where insect eggs and larvae may reside.
If you have needlework displayed on the walls or heirlooms made of natural fabrics, vacuum them carefully. Clothes and home goods must be washed or cleaned before they are stored away in tight-fitting containers.
Adding moth repellents will help, but they'll kill pests only if they're maintained at sufficient concentrations. Over time, their effectiveness will fade. For a long-term solution, you may have to consult with a company like Abell Pest Control that specializes in pest removal.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
The kitchen is largest gathering place for pests in a residential home. The reason is simple: pests can grab a bite to eat and take a sip of water while they're here. And when they find such a bountiful place, they will return home to their nests and report the finding - before you know it, your whole pantry is a buffet for ants! The problem could get even worse if a piece of food falls somewhere and begins to rot. Similarly, fruit and vegetables you bring into your home may be harboring unseen pests waiting to hatch.
