Spring is wrapping up and the temperatures are rising. That means those outdoor critters are waking up and are looking for a warm place to hang out at night along with a tasty meal. Hopefully, that meal isn’t you.
Unfortunately, there are some bugs that get inside your house that do want to snack on you, such as mosquitos, fleas, and bed bugs. Other bugs would prefer your clothing and dry goods, like moths. And then there are the bugs that are just plain creepy with many legs. These include ants, cockroaches, crickets, house centipedes, and spiders.
So, how do you keep these little invaders from getting inside your home? Here are six tips for doing that, beginning with the outdoors and moving inside.
1. Trim and Declutter
To keep insects away from your home, it is always a good idea to move items that attract them away from the house. This includes trimming back plantings such as bushes, branches, and creeping vines. Foliage and plants are excellent things for bugs to nest in or climb on. Cut anything that is touching the siding and pull vines off of the brick.
Wood piles are ideal hiding places for spiders and ants. Relocate your firewood about 10 feet away from the house as soon as the temps get above freezing.
If you have a tendency to collect items that sit in your yard, think of spring as a good time to do some cleaning and purging. Donate unused planters and lawn tools to an organization that needs them. Have a yard sale of outdoor furnishings and bird baths. Or simply go to the dump with rusted or rotted materials and say goodbye to clutter.
2. Control Garbage
It is no surprise that our garbage and recycling are feasts for bugs. You can make your garbage unappealing to insects and rodents. Place all garbage in plastic or biodegradable trash bags that you can tie tightly. Then, place the filled bags in trash cans with securely fitting lids.
Most municipalities require that recycling be thoroughly cleaned, except for paper. It is pretty easy to rinse out any food containers until the residue is gone. Place the clean containers on a dish rack or kitchen towel to dry. Wet containers will attract insects. Once clean and dry, place the containers in your recycling bin.
3. Seal and Fill
You would be amazed how spiders, centipedes, ants, and stink bugs can squeeze through the tiniest of openings. It makes good sense to take a walk around your home in late spring to identify any cracks or gaps. Foundation cracks can be filled with masonry caulk. Window and door trim is easy to seal with a simple bead of colorless silicone. Bottoms of doors and windows can benefit from weatherstripping to make a tight fit when closed.
While you’re at it, replace or repair any ripped or missing screens at windows and storm doors.
4. Schedule a Pest Control Service
A bug infestation generally needs the help of a professional exterminator to rid you of the problem. Having a kitchen counter filled with tiny sugar ants can be extremely frustrating and hard to control. An exterminator can treat the outside of the home, as well as the inside, with environmentally conscious insecticides. He or she can also identify the problem areas, seal openings, set traps and bait, and remove nests.
5. Vacuum and Clean
Once the outside of the home is addressed, it is time to clean up inside. A home can be riddled with summer bugs that you might not ever notice until your breathing becomes labored or you have an itchy rash. Fleas, bed bugs, and dust mites can be in your carpets and your soft furnishings and bedding.
A good practice is to vacuum regularly and wash linens. You might also consider having your air ducts professionally cleaned. Likewise, your pets should be brushed outside and bathed periodically. If you have cats, empty that litterbox often. If you are being bitten a lot, that is the time to contact an exterminator and a professional carpet cleaning company.
The first rule of thumb with insects is to not leave food or open containers out for too long. Try to clean up soon after meals and put things away in the fridge or pantry.
6. Wipe Surfaces and Dry
It is recommended that you clean all surfaces, such as countertops, periodically with a cleaning solution that has essential oils, like peppermint, geranium, or orange oil. Insects do not like these ingredients.
Have you ever noticed spiders in your bathroom, house centipedes in your kitchen sink, or crickets in your damp basement? Just like humans, bugs need water and will find it inside your home. If you are cleaning bathroom fixtures and kitchen sinks with a water and soap solution, wipe the surfaces dry with a rag or paper towels. Standing water is an open invention for many bugs to take a drink.
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