Cottages are a great destination getaway, regardless of whether they're on a beach or a lake. However, cottages are less enjoyable when you notice you have a few unexpected visitors - pests. These unwanted guests can cause serious problems at a cottage while you're away, from littering your floors with crumbs to inhabiting every part of your home. Consider these tips to avoid this situation in your cottage.
Most people have cottages as a second home that they visit a few times a year, so it's uncommon for you to always have a fully stocked fridge. However, you may have other kinds of food in the house that doesn't perish as quickly, such as grain-related products and dry snacks. If you forgot to seal this food up before you left, you're asking pests to come invade your cottage, Cottage Tips noted. After each stay, make sure that all crumbs have been vacuumed up and all food has been placed in airtight containers, such as those made from glass or metal. Wipe down all your counters and surfaces to get rid of any residual substances from meals, such as spilt juice. Eliminating any trace of food will highly reduce your chances of a pest infestation.
Before you lock the place up each year, look for any new holes, cracks or crevices that may have developed over time, Insurance Hotline stated. Pests use these areas of natural wear and tear to access homes and get cozy. Fill even the smallest of openings with steel wool or caulk them to keep out small rodents and insects. Look on both the outside of your home and inside, as some pests can gnaw their way through to make a convenient tunnel.
Pests have a tendency to do well in moist environments, especially those that use humidity to their advantage, such as silverfish and carpenter ants. If your cottage sits near a body of water, it may accumulate moisture fairly quickly. Luckily, a dehumidifier can help take away some of this and keep your home dry. Some areas of the home, such as the basement or the attic, tend to be prone to moisture more than the kitchen might. Place dehumidifiers in these parts of the cottage first to see if moisture is reduced.
Keep all trees, bushes and other shrubs away from your home. Placing vegetation directly next to your home is an inviting way for pests to crawl from the plants onto your house. Instead, regularly trim foliage back to prevent bridges from being built.
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.
