During warm months, coming upon rats on your patio can be every bit as unsettling as finding one in your dining room or basement in the wintertime. Whether they're inside or outdoors, they carry bacteria and contaminate both the food and surfaces that are in their path.
The key to keeping rats as far as possible from your property is to clear out areas that may harbor them, according to Pest World. Plug up openings they may squeeze through to get into your house. Rodents are resourceful creatures, and where there's a small opening, they'll find a way to move indoors.
Don't give rats a chance to hide near your home and gradually make their way into the house. In the course of getting your yard and patio in shape for summer, take time to examine moist, dark areas under porches, at window wells and any outdoor spot where moisture may gather.
If there's loose mortar on your foundation or weather stripping that's hanging loose around windows and doors, replace it with fresh materials. Install door sweeps on any exterior door and fix damaged window screens. All chimney vents and openings should have a screen installed over them.
A leaking pipe or clogged drain is a good breeding place for rats. They'll nest between walls and floors and wherever they can get water and food from rubbish. If you find any cracks or holes on the outside of your dwelling - commonly around pipes and other areas where the utilities enter the house - block these openings with steel wool and caulk over it.
Keep your shrubbery, trees and other greenery trimmed back from the house. If you haven't used up all your firewood this winter and plan to store it on your property, place the unused wood at least 20 feet away from your home so rats don't have a place to hide.
Indoors as well as outside, don't allow moist conditions to develop in basements, attics and crawl spaces. Keep those areas dry and well-ventilated so rodents won't be drawn to them.
If you store garbage in your basement before trash day, keep it in covered cans. If you don't use containers on collection days, place trash in rodent-resistant bags at curbside. Don't allow trash to accumulate week to week.
When your own efforts aren't enough, call on pest management specialists like those at Abell Pest Control to give you advice on pest control.
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.
