Fall Pest Control Treatments and Preventive Measures

As the weather becomes cooler, you might notice that there are more bugs in your home than usual. Instinctively, small critters search for a warmer, safer shelter to spend the winter months–and your house just happens to be the perfect place.

To help keep crawling insects, rodents, and other destructive pests at bay, we compiled a list of fall pest control treatments and preventive measures.

Store your firewood at least 20 feet away from your home. Additionally, keep shrubbery trimmed and remove containers or any items near your exterior walls that may attract pests into your house.
Make sure that your crawl spaces, attics, and basement are clean and dry. And if you notice any leaky pipes, immediately address the problem. Remember, many common house pests are naturally attracted to moisture–e.g., cockroaches, earwigs, silverfish, and centipedes.
You may consider using glue board traps in storage areas, garages, basements, and other places with low foot traffic to keep crawling insects and rodents at bay.
If you notice that flies cluster near your home, you may want to use fly traps or insecticide fly spray.
Make sure that your door sweepers and window screens are intact and there are no gaps and holes in the exterior of your home where crawling insects and rodents can use as their entry points.
If you see any crevices and gaps around your windows and utility pipes or in your wall, seal them immediately using caulk or steel wool.
Don’t leave pet food dishes out for long periods of time to avoid attracting rodents and crawling insects.
Make your kitchen less attractive to pests. These are some of the most basic guidelines: clean up immediately after each meal, store food in airtight containers, keep your garbage in sealed receptacles, and remove crumbs and spills.
Inspect your gutter and other outdoor drainage systems. Keep in mind that many house pests are attracted to moisture.
Inspect every grocery bag, packaged delivery, or any item before you bring it inside. Many kitchen pests such as silverfish, carpet beetles, and cockroaches are known to hitchhike from delivery trucks and boxes.
If you have outdoor trash cans, make sure that they are tightly closed. Additionally, don’t leave foods and drinks in your yard to prevent attracting wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and other stinging insects. You’ll notice that they tend to be more aggressive as the weather becomes cooler possibly because of food scarcity.
If you notice that crawling insects like stink bugs, box elder bugs, and ants congregate around your home (and make their way inside), you can use a vacuum to get rid of them. However, a more cost-effective approach is to find their access points, i.e., the gaps and crevices, and seal them immediately.
When going outdoors, wear long sleeves and pants to protect yourself from ticks. Also, check yourself (and your family and furry companions) thoroughly for ticks after spending time in a wooded or bushy area.

To learn more about Fall Pest Control Treatments and Preventive Measures, or if you have a pest infestation, call Pest Be Gone at (916) 257-4942 or email them TODAY.