The season of lawn care and gardening has begun, and as the days become warmer, you'll be tempted to leave your windows and doors open more frequently. But that also increases the possibility that more pests can enter your home.
Since most insects and rodents stay outside, particularly during the warm seasons, the best place to eliminate breeding spots is outdoors. One of the insects you don't want to find crawling around your house is the centipede, which can cause pain and swelling if you're unlucky enough to get bitten by one.
Centipedes may enter your home through any dark cracks or crevices that haven't been sealed off. To practice better pest control, fill in holes and caulk openings around pipes and cables that go into the house.
If there's water around the foundation, it could be the result of rain gutters that aren't positioned properly so that water runs off away from the home. That's easy to fix by facing gutters away from the structure.
Piles of mulch or dead leaves that collect near the house can also get wet during rainstorms and attract centipedes, which will find a way into the house if there's even the smallest crack in the foundation. By clearing away this debris, or replenishing the mulch so that water doesn't puddle around it, you can reduce the incidence of centipedes crawling near your home.
Going in and out of the house often in spring and summer also gives pests more opportunity to get indoors. Just holding a door open may be enough to allow in moths and mosquitoes that circle outdoor lights and other pests that you may not notice right away, including centipedes. But once inside, it's sometimes difficult to get rid of some insects, and you may have to call a pest control service like Abell Pest Control to solve the problem and advise you on how to prevent repeating it.
Just as centipedes live in wet areas outdoors, they gravitate to damp sections of your home like the basement. In humid weather, moisture will linger in the air and seep into basement walls, floors and any materials that absorb dampness quickly.
A dehumidifier can reduce moisture in the air and eliminate a sticky feeling indoors, but if a more serious leakage problem is occurring, you may have to seek help from a contractor. In any case, eliminating the conditions that draw centipedes will reduce the possibility of an infestation.
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.
