Most of us look forward to this time every year. The beginning of spring means flowers blooming, squirrels & birds playing in the yard, sunshine, and outside activities. It also marks the reemergence of many residential pest issues.
Now is the time to get ahead of these pest issues by following some proven pest control tips from the pest control professionals at Walker Pest Management. We have been protecting South Carolina homes from pest issues since 2001. Follow these tips whether you have a pest control service or not.
Tips To Prevent Spring Time Pest Control Issues
Following these simple tips can help prevent pest infestations before they happen. Prevention is always the best method of pest control. Battling a full blown infestation of any sort can be frustrating, time consuming, and costly in some cases.
South Carolina's Most Common Springtime Pests
- Cockroaches
- Mosquitoes
- Ants
- Silverfish
- Bees, Wasps, & Yellow Jackets
- Mice, Rats & other Rodents
- Flies & Gnats
- Earwigs
- Ticks
- Fleas
What you can do to help prevent common springtime pest infestations in South Carolina:
1. Clean and keep it clean.
The majority of pests come into a home looking for 3 things, food, water & shelter. By cleaning and keeping your home clean you can prevent many pests from being attracted to the inside of your home. Spring is a great time for a deep cleaning and spring cleaning is a ritual for some.
- Deep whole home cleaning from top to bottom. This includes all rooms especially rooms where food is kept or there is a water source.
- Never leave food on the counter over night.
- Make sure trash bins are emptied regularly and disposed of away from the house.
- Do not store street trash bins inside the garage. It may be convenient but it is a huge attractant to mice and insects.
- Never leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight. Always clean them after every meal, dry and put away. Even clean dishes with water on them drying can be attractive to insects like ants and cockroaches.
- Always clean up food preparation areas right away.
2. Store food and dispose of waste properly.
Whether it’s people food or pet food it doesn’t matter. Storing any food product properly will greatly eliminate your chances of an indoor pest infestation. All animals need food to survive. Don’t make finding a free meal easy for them.
- Store pet food in sealed, air tight containers.
- Opened cereals, grains, flowers, bird seeds should all be kept in sealed zip lock bags and stored air tight plastic containers.
- Keep sugar, honey, molasses & other sweeteners in proper containers in the refrigerator.
- After food prep & meals dispose of waste materials and remove from inside house. It might be good to have seperate bins for foodstuff and regular waste. Never leave food waste overnight, both insects and rodents are attracted.
3. Moisture control & standing water.
It doesn’t take much, even a slight leak in a pipe or faucet can create enough standing water to attract spring pests. Water is needed for all animals to survive and high moisture & humidity aid insect egg production. Moisture problems should be looked for inside and outside.
- Keep gutters clear of debris and standing water. Make sure the pitch of gutters lets all water run out.
- Inspect, locate, & repair any leaks. Repair new leaks immediately.
- Keep crawlspace and basements well ventilated and dry.
- Remove standing water & items that catch and hold rain. It only takes a container the size of a thimble for a mosquito to lay eggs in.
- Do not over water flowers & shrubs near the house.
4. Seal up insect entryways.
Any opening in your home will provide an easy entrance for springtime pests. Inspect and seal and potential threats to your home. This should be done on the exterior, interior, and crawlspace areas. Pay special attention to utility entry points. During construction builder don’t typically seal very well, or at all in some cases, around electrical, air vents, or electrical entries.
- Check brickwork around the foundation for weep holes. These are small vertical slots that are left with no mortar between bricks, that allow for condensation to drain out. Use metal screening cut to size to fill hole and stop mice and larger insects without stopping water from escaping.
- Repair any tears in screens on windows & doors.
- Make sure all windows and doors are sealed well when shut. Sometimes they need to be adjusted or use caulking to fill gaps.
- Don’t leave doors or windows open unless you have screens behind them to keep flying insects out.
- Replace worn or missing weather stripping from around doors & windows.
5. Proper lawn and garden care to prevent spring pests.
We now know that insects are looking for food & water. If we have sealed entry points at the ground level and around windows & doors then what is left?
- Trim tree limbs trimmed back away from the home at least a few feet. Make sure there are no limbs hanging over the roofline.
- Keep vines trimmed away from the home. Some vines can grow up brickwork and go behind siding. Trim at ground level.
- Shrubs & bushes should be kept trimmed back at least 18 inches from the house.
- Trim tall grass.
- Remove any rotting stumps, limbs, & decaying wood from property. Especially any wood debris from crawlspace.
6. Contact a Professional Pest Control Company to do routine pest prevention services.
Pest control professionals have the knowledge, training, equipment and pest control products necessary for keeping your home pest free all year long. A pest professional will work closely with you to point out any potential problem areas that need to be addressed.
If you need a pest control professional and have a home in the Upstate South Carolina or the Columbia area give us a call. By providing excellent customer service and unmatched pest control plans, Walker Pest Management has become a highly regarded local pest control service. Walker Pest Management has an aggregate rating of 4.9 of 5 stars from over 425 online reviews.
