Where do ants, cockroaches, and mice have in common? They are all pests that belong inside, but that love to venture inside your home. If you do see them inside, you need to take action fast — because this is not where they should be! Pests are not just a nuisance. They can spread disease, destroy your insulation and other building materials, and leave nasty smells behind.
Every homeowner should know the basics about pest control. Yes, you can call in a professional as needed, but knowing the basics will still help you keep the pests outside where they belong. You can learn those basics right here on this blog.
Yard And Home Pest Control Strategies For Springtime Maintenance
Spring is a great time to clean the interior of your home in addition to performing maintenance and cleanup tasks on the outside of your home and around your yard. With the warm-up in temperatures, insects and other pests will come out of their hibernation or hatch and look for food and water along with a place to live, which can be inside your home. Here are some recommended tips to keep your yard free of pest damage and intrusion into your home.
Clean Up Your Landscaping
As you start to handle the outside cleanup of your yard's vegetation, there is going to be a lot of debris left over from winter and collecting from last fall's dead vegetation and fallen leaves. Even if you were diligent with raking up leaves last fall, they can accumulate in your yard in corners and around equipment to make a perfect spot for insects to build a nest.
Clear out dead vegetation and any trash in your yard's corners and other spots of collection. As you do so, it will get your soil ready for spring growth and give you an opportunity to clean out any insect nests and mouse shelters. Cleaning up will give you insight into the types of pests that are a potential problem. For example, if you find a lot of ant activity or nests in your garden area, you can treat the area early on before any ants damage your emerging garden plants. Or, if you find a black widow's spider nest, you can remove it and prevent a potential poisonous spider problem later in the summer.
Maintain Pet Areas
When you have outdoor pets living on your property, be sure to keep their food areas cleaned up in the spring. Set their food and water dishes out during the day but take them inside at night to prevent nighttime pest foraging. Mice, rats, and other types of pests usually look for food at night, so lock it up. Also, lock up your pet's food supply in a sealed bucket or bin to keep it safe.
If you have chickens in your backyard, invest in a good feeder system that prevents excessive food waste that can fall upon the ground. Keep their coop cleaned up of any food that spills to remove it as a pest food source.
As you take these steps to clear your property and yard of pests and potential infestations, you can help keep your home interior free of pest problems. Contact a pest control professional to treat your yard and home to keep them both free of pest-related problems.