Summer is well underway, and fun in the sun means backyard barbeques, splashing around in the pool, and concocting a plan for summer pest control.
Warmer temperatures also mean critters, bugs, and other pests are ready to come out and play. If you’re struggling with unwanted pests congregating in or around your home, it’s time to take action.
Stay tuned for our top eight ways to control pesky bugs and insects this summer.
- Clean Your Kitchen
As the weather warms up, unwanted guests such as ants and cockroaches start searching for cooler areas to take shelter, such as your home. As they get used to your comfortable home, they begin looking for food.
If your kitchen is full of crumbs and accessible food, pests can’t help but enter your kitchen and feast. Even if there are just a few crumbs on the counter or floor, pests will show up in a jiffy. To avoid this, make sure you are on top of cleaning your kitchen after every meal and snack; this will eliminate their source of food and force them to look elsewhere.
- Clean Your Yard
Just like humans, pests are constantly on the hunt for ways to get out of the heat. If they have a tough time entering your home, they will look for the next best thing–your yard.
If you haven’t been keeping up with yard work, you might be inadvertently attracting unwanted guests. Bugs love searching for overgrown trees, bushes, and grass to take shelter. To eliminate these pests, you need to prioritize lawn care. Trim your trees, clean out your bushes, and keep your grass mowed. Additionally, if you have objects in your yard that you don’t use anymore, it’s time to send them to a new home.
- Watch Your Trash
If you’ve ever smelled trash that’s been sitting out in the heat, you understand how intense it can smell. As such, trash bags and cans are particularly inviting to unwelcome bugs. As mentioned before, bugs are always looking for their next meal, and your trash is home to heaps of unconsumed food. When cleaning up, make sure that you’re taking out your garbage frequently, and that lids are appropriately affixed.
- Inspect Your Home
Inspecting your home is one of the most essential components of summer pest control. As winter turns into spring, it is vital to go through your home and make sure that you cover up any obvious points of entry. If there is even the slightest opening, bugs will find a way inside.
First, check your windows. If they don’t close completely or you find holes in the window stripping, you’re providing an inviting entry into your home.
Another popular entry point is through window and door screens. There is nothing better than opening your windows and doors at night to feel that cool summer breeze, but before you do so, make sure that your screens are free of holes or gashes.
- Take Care of Standing Water
Standing water can happen for numerous reasons. Whether you just had a rainstorm or are watering your lawn, it’s crucial to eliminate any puddles of standing water quickly.
These tiny pools of water create a breeding ground for annoying mosquitoes, making it challenging to enjoy your yard. Before the summer hits, go through your yard and look for items that can collect water, such as old furniture, yard maintenance tools, and birdbaths.
Oftentimes, there are also natural water collection areas that are not as easily resolved. Whether it’s in your yard or the cement structure on a driveway or pathway, these can also be potent areas for mosquitoes to breed. Before summer hits, identify these areas and speak with a contractor and see if they can help you enjoy your summer without worries.
- Inspect Outdoor Furniture
Sitting outside on a cool summer night is one of the best ways to enjoy the season; however, outdoor furniture and covers can create the perfect home for unwanted guests. Pests love to burrow into furniture and any outdoor coverings used to protect them. Wasps and spiders especially love to make these spaces their home.
One way to deter bugs from making homes in your outdoor furniture is to choose pieces with basic designs. If the designs have a lot of crevasses, that invites bugs and insects to build a neighborhood on your relaxing furniture.
- Store Firewood Properly
If you store firewood near your home, keep it away from your house’s structure. Piles of wood can attract annoying termites. Termites are a nuisance, but they can also be very dangerous, causing damage wherever they go. Store any firewood at least five feet away from your home. If you’re able to store it farther away, that’s ideal. Also, refrain from storing it directly on the ground. Instead, find a container or a rack to keep the wood away from pesky termites.
- Check Your Pets
Pets are amazing! They can be your best friends and provide meaningful companionship; however, pets are also the perfect vessel to bring unwanted pests inside your home. Make it part of your daily routine to inspect your pets. Your pets can carry ticks and fleas that can infest your home.
If you do find any ticks, remove them immediately. A flea prevention medication is also a must because once fleas enter your home, removing them is incredibly challenging. Prevention is always the best plan when it comes to pets and pests.
Let Summit Lawn & Pest Control Help
If you’re looking for the best summer pest control services, the experts at Summit Lawn & Pest Control are here for you! We have a passion for providing fast and affordable home lawn care and pest control services, so you can focus on enjoying your yard instead of worrying about pesky insects and bugs.
Contact us today to schedule your free assessment! We serve Lehi, American Fork, Provo, Spanish Fork, and other cities in Utah County, Utah.
