Jun 30, 2017 | Mosquito, Pest Control
Common pests you’ll see after rainy weather:
The best way to prevent rainy day bugs:
- Keep shrubbery and trees trimmed and away from your home’s exterior
- Take out garbage daily
- Clean up spills immediately
- Don’t leave pet food out
- De-clutter
- Seal off pest entry points
- Interior and exterior pest control treatments by a professional exterminator
- Eliminate sources of standing water (inside and outside)
- Mosquito bite prevention
- Monthly mosquito treatments
Feb 7, 2017 | Mosquito, Pest Control
It’s raining, it’s pouring… the bugs are exploring!
You may notice an invasion of pests like ants, roaches, and spiders into your home after a rainy day. Why? In most cases, their shelter is compromised, forcing the bugs out of hiding in search of a drier refuge.
The best way to avoid this is with proactive pest control. Make your home less appealing to pests and restrict access by keeping shrubbery and trees trimmed and away from your home’s exterior, take out garbage daily, clean up spills, don’t leave pet food out, de-clutter, and seal off any entry points. You can also ask your local exterminator to apply preventative pest control products, usually in granular form, around your home’s perimeter. This helps to limit the number of pests in close proximity to your home and act as a barrier.
Another side effect of lots of rain: mosquitoes. Once the weather warms up, mosquitoes will be out in full-force. Help to reduce mosquito bites by eliminating sources of standing water that may have accumulated during heavy rainfall. You can also get rid of mosquitoes with monthly treatments during mosquito season targeting mosquito breeding and resting sites in your yard.
May 28, 2015 | Going Green, Pest Control
In addition to routine, professional pest control, here are 10 ways you can get rid of bugs.
1. Go around the exterior of your home and seal up any areas where insects could enter your home. Check around windows, doors, plumbing entrances, fan vents, and electrical entrances. If your home has window screens make sure they are intact and if areas are torn or damaged replace them.
2. Make sure to trim all hedges, trees, and other landscaping back away from the home. Creating at least a one foot barrier will keep insects from using easy methods to enter or get close to your home.
3. Always remember that insects are living creatures just like humans and they need food, water, and shelter. Inspect the perimeter of your home, as well as the interior, and pay close attention to areas that could potentially provide all three of these needed resources.
4. All food and beverages should always remain covered or sealed in air tight containers. Following this simple step will eliminate the risk of insects being attracted to your home. If you have fruit out in your kitchen make sure you eat it before it over ripens or store it in your refrigerator. If food or drinks are dropped or spilled make sure that they are cleaned up immediately.
5. Routinely empty all the trash and place it outside in garbage cans with tight fitting lids. All trash cans inside the home should also have lids.
6. Make sure to keep all pet food sealed in air tight containers.
7. Remove extra clutter from your home. Get rid of items that are old and damaged and find a great charity to donate the rest.
8. Keep all doors and windows closed while not in use.
9. Make sure to change all your exterior lighting to low sodium vapor light bulbs. Most insects are attracted to light but they are less attracted to low sodium vapor lighting. Also make sure to point your security lighting away from your home and not directly on it.
10. Don’t Bring Them In! Be careful whenever you travel, move, or bring home the groceries that you check everything before bringing it into your home. Especially as it gets colder make sure to check and clean all your firewood before you bring it in your home.
Mar 31, 2014 | Uncategorized
Have you ever thought about eating bugs?
We’ve blogged about it before. In many places around the world insects are considered a delicacy. That trend has not caught on in America (thank goodness). That’s not to say that no one has jumped on the bug eating bandwagon. In September, over 3,000 people attended BugFest in Raleigh, NC, another 1,300 people attended Hoppy Thanksgiving in New Orleans…all to taste foods that included bugs. Meal worms, crickets, larva are all different insects that are eaten.
Those that support bug foods compare it to eating sushi.
“Those of us engaged in entomophagy are hoping that this will be like sushi. Forty years ago, you would’ve looked at someone like they were crazy if they suggested opening a restaurant serving raw fish, but now it seems you can’t walk a city block without coming across a sushi place.”
To read more about this new phenomenon, visit USA TODAY’s article There’s a bug in my food…on purpose?
So what do you think? Would you add bugs to your diet?
SOURCE
Feb 24, 2014 | Uncategorized
Getting Rid of Pests by Eliminating their Needs
Bugs are no different than humans in that we’re all in search of 3 basic needs: water, food, and shelter. It’s important when trying to obtain a pest-free home that we are eliminating pest’s basic needs. Limiting their access to these items will be a big step in prevention AND maintenance.
So what steps do you take to eliminate these sources?
Trim vegetation away from structure
How to Eliminate Pest’s Water Sources From Your Home:
- Check under cabinets and sinks for leaks
- Caulk around pipes
- Eliminate any areas in the yard where water pools
- Clean out gutters of debris so water can drain properly
- Don’t leave your pet’s water bowls sitting out
- Remove debris in the yard that gathers water
- Remove standing water from bird baths
How to Eliminate Pest’s Food Sources From Your Home:
- Clean up any food spills immediately
- Don’t leave your pet’s food sitting out
- Keep food (pet food included) in tightly sealed containers
- Take out trash on a regular basis
- Place trash in an outside garbage can with a tightly sealed lid
How to Eliminate Pest’s Access to Shelter From Your Home:
- Be cautious of what you bring in (old furniture, produce, boxes, all can contain bugs that you could potentially bring into your home)
- Caulk and/or seal any cracks or crevices located around windows, doors, pipes, vents, etc.
- Use low sodium vapor lighting on the outside of your home
- Point security lights away from your home
- Trim back vegetation at least 1 foot away from your home
- Remove clutter and debris from the interior and exterior of the home
- Keep doors and windows shut
- If you need to have doors or windows open use screens
If pests have already found their way into your home it’s best to call a professional exterminator. A pest professional can properly inspect your property, identify the pest, identify the sources, effectively treat the home for the targeted pest, and work with you to develop a customized action plan to maintain and prevent further issues from occurring. If you’re in need of a professional pest control company call Northwest Exterminating!
