Prevent insects from having a spring party in your home

The warmth of spring and summer that most of us have been looking forward to comes with the annoying presence of pests. Now that winter is over, most of us have to again contend with being woken up by buzzing mosquitoes in the middle of the night, or swatting flies away while we try to eat. Granted, the little guys we call insects are quite necessary to our environment. Their absence would collapse certain food chains, which would have a negative effect on local ecology. Therefore, a balance needs to be maintained in terms of preventing their decimation, but also ensuring that they do not populate our homes and spread diseases. An article by Morrow (2016) was published in Huffington Post and it explores the main ways that every homeowner can prevent the infestation of pests such as cockroaches and ants by following a regiment of basically keeping a house clean. An existing problem of pests might be harder to stamp out, requiring the professional pest control specialists to give solutions – but if you’ve been lucky in keeping that at bay for some time, here’s how we suggest you continue. This may sound like a military regime, but securing all entrances to your home is your first line of defence. From the little space underneath your front door to the gaps in those windows that don’t quite close properly, insects are small and will move in through those spaces. It has also been reported that an area in a state of drought will drive more insects indoors, as they search for the food and water they can’t find inside, in your home (Vogt 2016). The tip above made mention of the size of insects – keep this in mind when thinking about the food in your home as well. A grain of rice in the sink is a negligible thing to a human, but to an insect, it might as well be an all-you-can-eat buffet.  So from kitchen counters to dining room floors, constant sweeping and wiping are essential. Clear the rubbish bin regularly – especially if it contains food items that have gone off. Rotting fruit, vegetables and meat function as posters of invitation to insects. And flies (with their larvae in tow) will be particularly delighted to accept the invite. When the heat starts to settle in properly, there’ll be a lot of water activities, whether you have an Olympic-sized pool or just a water hose. As long as the water is flowing, you’re good. Standing water though is problematic as it is ideal  for mosquito breeding. Look out for spots around your home where puddles are likely to develop and cover them. Insects come to your yard before they enter your house, so maintain the lawn and ensure that there is no redundant pile of rubbish for them to hide under. It cannot be stressed enough that tidying and cleaning up will save you several headaches when it comes to various pests. If you are sitting with a current pest headache though, look into getting a pest control service to do an analysis of your home’s problematic areas. You will be given a specific solution according to the type of pests you have and the extremity of the situation. You don’t have to let these little bugs spoil your fun for the season.