Spring insects

Spring Pest Control: 10 Tips for Preventing Spring Insects and Pests

Spring has sprung and that means insects and other critters are reproducing rapidly.

They would love to get inside your house and would love to crawl and fly all over your property, but you don’t want that.

Fortunately, there are many simple things that you can do to keep those spring insects and other creepy crawlies outside where they belong and to keep their numbers and presence in your yard at a reasonable level as well.

Read on to learn ten great spring pest control tips to keep your home and garden pleasant, enjoyable, and critter-free. With a little preparation, you can make sure that you remain king or queen of your castle by crushing any springtime insurrection that Mother Nature and her friends attempt.

1. Store Food Properly

One of the best things you can do to keep pests out of your house in the spring or at any time of year is to make sure you store your food in a way that won’t attract them. Keep snacks in air-tight, sealed containers and keep food items off your countertops. Don’t leave dog and cat food out for long periods of time and keep all crumbs off the floor.

2. Eliminate Standing Water

Standing water is enticing to mosquitoes and other spring insects who love to use it to lay eggs. If you leave standing water around your property, you shouldn’t be surprised if later you end up with swarms of insects that plan to stay to “bug” you all summer.

Puddles can form without you even noticing and can stick around for a while if you don’t take steps to drain them. Be sure to be on the lookout for buckets, old tires, and other vessels stored in your yard that could collect water any time it rains. If you have a small pool for your child or your dog, empty it frequently and refill it with new, fresh water to further discourage insects from settling in.

Leaks can also be a problem so keep an eye out for those. Roof and plumbing leaks on the outside of your home will soften the wood and will give ants and termites the chance to begin burrowing into your walls.

3. Seal All Cracks, Holes, and Gaps

Another way to keep pests of all kinds out of your home is to do a careful and close check of the exterior to make sure there are no cracks, holes, or gaps. As soon as you find them, patch them up. Even a tiny hole is bug enough for a mouse or rat, and squirrels and possums would love to sneak into your attic if you have holes in your roof.

If you love letting the fresh air in, make sure you have screens in place. A wide-open door can let in many bugs even if it’s open for a very short time.

4. Keep a Clean House

Keeping your home clean is crucial if you wish to keep pests out. Sweep your floors on a regular basis and only eat in the kitchen. Clean up after every meal and don’t leave dishes in the sink. Insects and other pests can smell food waste better than you can and will be drawn into your home if you don’t stay on top of it.

5. Treat Your Perimeter

Spraying insecticide around the outside of your house and on the edges of your property can be a big help when it comes to deterring many types of insects. Any experienced and reputable pest control company will be happy to help you with this task and will likely be much more thorough and effective than you would be doing it alone.

6. Keep Rubbish Bins Clean and Sealed

Pests like possums, crows, and other scavengers would love to dig around in your rubbish bin and they absolutely will if you let them. Make sure you buy bins with tight-fitting lids to discourage them from doing so. Even closed bins can stink and attract insects; be sure to hose them down every few weeks to keep those bugs away.

7. Stay on Top of Landscape Maintenance

Landscape maintenance is vital to effective spring pest control. In the winter, the plants and shrubs around your home became somewhat dormant, but when spring arrives, they are ready to burst into periods of growth. As a result, they can come overgrown quickly.

Trim back shrubs and tree branches that may give critters an easy way to get onto your roof. Use mulch sparingly as many insects view it as a welcoming home in which to burrow. Flowering plants around your home may attract stinging pollinators, too.

As plants die, remove dead leaves and branches. Vegetative detritus is attractive to a number of pests that you don’t want around.

8. Power Wash Everything

You should power wash your homes and sidewalks at least once a year or so to remove any dirt that has collected and to discourage the anchorage of animal and insect nests. Clean your siding and external walls thoroughly and wash away any piles of leaves or other nest-building materials.

9. Clean Your Gutters

Another place that pests love to hide is in your gutters. Damp leaves and other collected items offer a great place to hide and to stay warm during cooler spring nights. This can not only result in attracting insects like termites, but it can also encourage mold growth.

Cleaning gutters can be challenging and labor-intensive; take your time and be careful. Consider hiring someone else to do the job for the best results.

10. Declutter Indoors and Out

Pests love to congregate in cluttered areas so if you have a lot of junk in or around your home, get rid of it. Whether its indoors and in your basement or attic or outdoors on the edge of your property, keeping things you no longer need provides comfortable homes for the type of guests you don’t want around. Give things you don’t want anymore to charity or sell them online. You’ll clean up your property, discourage pests, and may even make a little money, too.

Show Spring Insects That They’re Not Welcome

Each of the above tips will be helpful on its own, but if you use all of them together, you will surely see a decrease in the number of spring insects and other pests that choose to visit your home. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but it will be worth it when you are not bothered by these critters.

If you do all of the above and find that you still need help, please give us a call. We’d love to help you get rid of these pests once and for all and we can’t wait to hear from you.