Oct 6, 2017 | Pest Control
1. Mice and Rats
Mice and rats will seek shelter and warmth during the cold winter months. They can fit through very small openings so eliminating entry points is an effective way at preventing them from coming into your home. Eliminating food and water sources is also effective. Replace damaged roof tiles and fill any cracks in the roofing cement. Keep your attics and garages tidy and clutter free. Store your items in plastic containers versus cardboard. Install chimney caps to keep them from nesting inside your chimney. Cover your air vents with wire mesh. Store food in airtight containers and don’t leave any dirty dishes in the sink. Empty your trash regularly and make sure trash can lids are secure. Don’t leave trash bags out in the open. Clean countertops, stoves, and behind the fridge regularly and sweep and vacuum often. Seal holes around pipes using caulk or expanding foam. Keep branches and shrubbery trimmed away from the house and store firewood at least 20 feet from the home. Don’t leave pet food out overnight and seal unused pet food in airtight containers. Replace weatherstripping on windows and doors.
2. Squirrels
Squirrels like to frequent attics and chimneys to make their nests. Cover chimneys with chimney caps. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from the house and cut down overhanging limbs. Replace rotting wood and seal any entry points including where pipes and utilities come into the home and overhanging eaves.
3. Birds and Bats
Birds and bats can and will come into your home through any opening in the exterior of the house. Chimneys should be sealed with chimney caps. Inspect the outside of your home for any openings and seal them with steel wool or foam rubber. Keep doors and windows shut as much as possible. Use screens if you must have your windows open and inspect the screens regularly for damage.
4. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are attracted to moisture and excess water. They will also enter your home in search of food. Check your pipes regularly for leaks and repair quickly. Remove obstructions in pipes to prevent bursting and leaks. Seal around pipe entry points into the home. Clean your gutters. Store items in plastic containers rather than cardboard and keep them off the floor. Store food (including pet food) in airtight containers. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Wipe down countertops and sweep and vacuum regularly. Clean under sinks, in stoves, and behind appliances regularly. Empty the trash regularly.
5. Fleas
Fleas will hitch a ride into your home on your pets. The first step in preventing fleas is to treat your animals with a flea preventative, whether through medicine or shampoos or both. Check your rugs, carpets, furniture, and pet bedding for signs of fleas. Wash your pet’s bedding and other items in hot water frequently. Vacuum regularly and be sure to empty the vacuum each time you use it. Keep your grass mowed and your shrubs trimmed as this gives fleas less room to hide. Fleas can come into your yard on wild animals so don’t leave pet food out overnight to tempt them to enter your yard. Seal entry points into the house or under porches to prevent them from hiding there, as well.
6. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can come into your home in luggage (be vigilant about preventing bed bugs when traveling!) on furniture, bedding, boxes, and even clothing. Check luggage, furniture, bedding, etc. carefully before bringing it into your home. Use a mattress cover that encases the mattress and the box springs. Vacuum frequently. Wash and dry bedding on high heat regularly. Do the same with clothing after traveling.
7. Moths
Moths are attracted to wool, fur, and upholstered furniture. Be sure to check your clothes regularly for signs of damage. Wash clothes and store them in sealed bags. Use moth balls. Vacuum and clean the insides of storage areas including wardrobes, closets, and drawers regularly.
8. Spiders
Spiders like to hide in areas of the home that are seldom used. Store seldom used items in sealed plastic containers. Seal cracks and holes in the exterior of your home to keep them from coming inside. Keep your outdoor lights off and use blinds or curtains to block the inside light. Spiders aren’t attracted to the lights but other insects are which the spiders feed on. This eliminates a food source for spiders. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from your home. Keep the grass mowed and remove debris from around your home. Sweep and vacuum regularly. Clear out as much clutter as possible. Vacuum spiders and spider webs.
Oct 6, 2017 | DIY, DIY Pest Control, Pest Control
1. Mice and Rats
Mice and rats will seek shelter and warmth during the cold winter months. They can fit through very small openings so eliminating entry points is an effective way at preventing them from coming into your home. Eliminating food and water sources is also effective. Replace damaged roof tiles and fill any cracks in the roofing cement. Keep your attics and garages tidy and clutter free. Store your items in plastic containers versus cardboard. Install chimney caps to keep them from nesting inside your chimney. Cover your air vents with wire mesh. Store food in airtight containers and don’t leave any dirty dishes in the sink. Empty your trash regularly and make sure trash can lids are secure. Don’t leave trash bags out in the open. Clean countertops, stoves, and behind the fridge regularly and sweep and vacuum often. Seal holes around pipes using caulk or expanding foam. Keep branches and shrubbery trimmed away from the house and store firewood at least 20 feet from the home. Don’t leave pet food out overnight and seal unused pet food in airtight containers. Replace weatherstripping on windows and doors.
2. Squirrels
Squirrels like to frequent attics and chimneys to make their nests. Cover chimneys with chimney caps. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from the house and cut down overhanging limbs. Replace rotting wood and seal any entry points including where pipes and utilities come into the home and overhanging eaves.
3. Birds and Bats
Birds and bats can and will come into your home through any opening in the exterior of the house. Chimneys should be sealed with chimney caps. Inspect the outside of your home for any openings and seal them with steel wool or foam rubber. Keep doors and windows shut as much as possible. Use screens if you must have your windows open and inspect the screens regularly for damage.
4. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are attracted to moisture and excess water. They will also enter your home in search of food. Check your pipes regularly for leaks and repair quickly. Remove obstructions in pipes to prevent bursting and leaks. Seal around pipe entry points into the home. Clean your gutters. Store items in plastic containers rather than cardboard and keep them off the floor. Store food (including pet food) in airtight containers. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Wipe down countertops and sweep and vacuum regularly. Clean under sinks, in stoves, and behind appliances regularly. Empty the trash regularly.
5. Fleas
Fleas will hitch a ride into your home on your pets. The first step in preventing fleas is to treat your animals with a flea preventative, whether through medicine or shampoos or both. Check your rugs, carpets, furniture, and pet bedding for signs of fleas. Wash your pet’s bedding and other items in hot water frequently. Vacuum regularly and be sure to empty the vacuum each time you use it. Keep your grass mowed and your shrubs trimmed as this gives fleas less room to hide. Fleas can come into your yard on wild animals so don’t leave pet food out overnight to tempt them to enter your yard. Seal entry points into the house or under porches to prevent them from hiding there, as well.
6. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can come into your home in luggage (be vigilant about preventing bed bugs when traveling!) on furniture, bedding, boxes, and even clothing. Check luggage, furniture, bedding, etc. carefully before bringing it into your home. Use a mattress cover that encases the mattress and the box springs. Vacuum frequently. Wash and dry bedding on high heat regularly. Do the same with clothing after traveling.
7. Moths
Moths are attracted to wool, fur, and upholstered furniture. Be sure to check your clothes regularly for signs of damage. Wash clothes and store them in sealed bags. Use moth balls. Vacuum and clean the insides of storage areas including wardrobes, closets, and drawers regularly.
8. Spiders
Spiders like to hide in areas of the home that are seldom used. Store seldom used items in sealed plastic containers. Seal cracks and holes in the exterior of your home to keep them from coming inside. Keep your outdoor lights off and use blinds or curtains to block the inside light. Spiders aren’t attracted to the lights but other insects are which the spiders feed on. This eliminates a food source for spiders. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from your home. Keep the grass mowed and remove debris from around your home. Sweep and vacuum regularly. Clear out as much clutter as possible. Vacuum spiders and spider webs.
Sep 16, 2016 | Lawn Care, Pest Control
We’ve been getting a lot of calls and questions about moths lately. Because there are so many different species of moths, it can be hard to determine the best treatment and prevention methods without knowing exactly what kind of moth you’re seeing.
Tubeworm moths are common this time of year. Their larvae tends to be at or just below the ground surface and primarily feeds on the thatch and roots of grasses and other plants. This is also the time of year the second generation of sod webworm moths are flying around. With the weather changing and some recent rainfall, it’s likely that these generations have emerged at about the same time causing an appearance of a “moth invasion.” Once emerged, all of these moths are very attracted to light, so turning off all unnecessary lighting in the evenings and switching exterior lighting to “Yellow light” can help to control moths.
Depending on the moth, lawn care and/or pest control treatments can also be effective. Some of these moth species don’t even require treatment as they will go almost completely unnoticed except for when they emerge, while others can damage turf. Like most pests, once they become adults their purpose is to reproduce and die, so the influx should dissipate over the next few weeks. But if you notice damage to your grass, call a lawn care specialist so they can give you recommendations to prevent further damage.
Because there are thousands of species of moths and the ones you are seeing may not be these mentioned, it’s important that they’re properly identified by an exterminator so that an effective treatment plan can be established.
