When you garden, you're bound to run into some insects. Of course, many homeowners are happy to keep these bugs outdoors and most can be harmless. However, some, like earwigs, can be seriously detrimental to your garden's livelihood.
Earwigs feast on the flowers, fruits and vegetables that you plant in your garden. Roses, strawberries, zinnias, lettuce and potatoes are particularly susceptible to being eaten by earwigs. Earwigs aren't much of a pest to humans outside of the garden. As Washington State University explained, tales about earwigs going into people's ears are unfounded and they usually have trouble surviving indoors.
Whether in your outdoor garden, window boxes or greenhouse, look for holes on the flowers or buds of various plants as well as untouched leaves - this is a sign of an earwig infestation. If you suspect a large earwig problem in your home or your garden, contact your local pest control company to get the right treatment to keep earwigs at bay. You may even want to talk to pest control services preventively, as earwigs don't all die over the winter. Many hibernate or lay eggs and infest your garden again in the spring.
Here are a couple of important steps you can take to prevent earwigs from taking over your garden and eating your fruits and flowers in the first place.
If you aren't sure whether or not you have earwigs in your garden, it may be because they hide during the daytime. The Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour advised homeowners to go out to their gardens at night with a flashlight and to dig around looking for earwigs. These pests are most active during the night, so you'll likely see some and maybe even catch them in the act if you have an infestation. If you do spot earwigs in your garden, talk to pest management experts to get the garden help you need.
Earwigs are particularly drawn to moist and dark areas. Near many people's gardens there are plenty of these. Homeowners can simply remove things like leaf piles, wood heaps, mulch mounds and stones. Keeping bushes trimmed and lawns cut can also help reduce the likelihood that earwigs will settle in your garden.
If you do find earwigs indoors, you may have a crack or hole in your home's exterior. Consider caulking or patching it - it's the best thing for both you and the earwigs, since they have very little interest in humans.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
The kitchen is largest gathering place for pests in a residential home. The reason is simple: pests can grab a bite to eat and take a sip of water while they're here. And when they find such a bountiful place, they will return home to their nests and report the finding - before you know it, your whole pantry is a buffet for ants! The problem could get even worse if a piece of food falls somewhere and begins to rot. Similarly, fruit and vegetables you bring into your home may be harboring unseen pests waiting to hatch.
