pest prevention Archives - IMEL PEST CONTROL
Best tips to prevent pests from entering your home this Spring in Elsah, IL
Here’s what you can do to prevent those pests come Springtime
For some, there’s nothing better than Springtime. Flowers, sunshine, warm temperatures – what can be better? Unfortunately, it’s not always sunshine and roses in the Springtime. This time of year also brings about pets that infiltrate your home looking for food and water. From cockroaches and ladybugs to spider and other multi-legged friends, it’s important to take preventative steps to keep them out of your home. Read below for some times on what you can do to keep your home pest-free this Spring!
Clean Up
The first thing that you can do is clean up around your yard and around your home. Indoors, clutter gives insects places to hide in plain sight. Outdoors, buildup of leaves and debris around the home, doors and windows may provide an easy access point for insects looking for ways to get inside. Clear the clutter and keep debris away from points of entry to keep pests out.
Eliminate Sources of Moisture
One of the main places you’ll see pests in your home in the Spring is around water, plumbing and anywhere moisture can be found such as the basement or a bathroom. Eliminate any excess moisture by fixing leaking pipes and correcting drainage issues that could be attracting hordes of pests to your home.
Block Entry Points
It’s also important to block points of entry into your home. This means sealing any cracks, holes or openings to the exterior of your home. Common problem places include around doors and windows, around the foundation and even openings in siding. Do a visual inspection of the outside of your home to identify additional places where insects may get in.
Preventative Treatments
Another option for preventing pests is to call for preventative treatments from your local pest control company. They’ll be able to assess your home for vulnerabilities and provide pet and kid-safe treatments that keep pests away. Imel is the name to know for pest control in Elsah, IL!
Watch out for these summer pests at your Edwardsville, IL home or business
Keep these summer pests from vacationing in your home
Whether you live or go to school in the Edwardsville, IL area, you know that summer means high temps, days at the pool and a litany of fun activities. However, it’s not all fun and games for Midwesterners as the season heats up. While this area can be great for float trips and all types of summer enjoyment, it’s also a time for many pests to play as well. However, how do you limit pests while maximizing the fun you have this year. Well, the first step is becoming familiar with the enemy. Here are the pests you should look out for as the weather heats up and what you can do to limit your exposure!
Mosquitoes
When it comes to summer pests, there are few more feared than the dreaded mosquito. Not only do mosquito bites cause itching, but they can also spread serious illnesses that will have you worrying about a whole other problem.
While your municipality likely treats for mosquitoes, you may still see them in numbers this season. To prevent mosquitoes, limit any standing water around your home, as this is a breeding ground for the insect. Additionally, store-bought bug sprays, fly paper or citronella candles may help protect you while enjoying time outside.
Stinging Insects
The summer brings an unending onslaught of stinging insects to worry about. Whether it’s carpenter bees that bore holes in your wood deck or wasps that build nests underneath ledges, limiting nesting areas will also limit untimely meetings right outside of your front door.
To limit stinging insects, you can pick up a few cans of wasp and hornet killer at many stores and inspect your home for nests. You may find nests in garages and sheds, in trees, underneath ledges, inside wood surfaces, etc. You can also call a professional to ensure your completely protected if the problem is severe.
Ants
Ants are extremely active in the summertime, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll be warding them offer all season long. Ants love to find their way inside your home looking for food and anything they can carry away to their nest.
However, it may be easier than you think you eliminate these pests. Take a walk around the perimeter of your home to spot any nests that are close to your foundation. Next, be sure to keep trash and food sealed at all times, so as not to attract any hungry ants into your home.
Flies
Flies are another unfortunate part of the summer months, and they come in all shapes and sizes. From the tiniest of fruit flies to the dreaded horsefly, you’ll want to be sure you keep doors and windows closed and a fly swatter handy.
Limiting flies can be trickier because it’s difficult to know where they’re coming from. However, the best thing you can do is keep your home clean. Fruit flies are attracted to decaying fruit while common houseflies feed on garbage and filth. Keep it clean to limit these guys.
Ticks
If you live near a wood area, you’ll no doubt have your run-ins with ticks this season. Ticks live in piles of dead leaves and other wood areas, waiting to hop onto their next victim. Many times this is in the form of a dog or pet or someone that’s hiking or working in the woods.
Ticks can cause serious illness, so it’s best to give yourself a thorough inspection anytime you’ve been in the woods are somewhere that ticks like to hide. Additionally, be sure to treat your dog with tick and flea control medicine to ensure unwanted visitors aren’t hitching a ride right into your home!
Termites
Last, but certainly not least is the termite. Also very active during the summer months, this is the time when termites are foraging for food and working to build up their colonies. This desire for progress leads them right to your home to snack on the studs in your walls.
With termites, you’ll want to limit anything close to the home that could serve as an access point such as piles of logs, brush or other detritus material. Additionally, it’s important to seek the help of a termite professional, as termite infestations can cost you thousands in structural repairs – prevention is certainly the better option here.
Pest prevention for your Columbia, IL home
Check out these pest prevention tips
As the calendar turns to March, many people are starting to realize their winter dreams of backyard barbecues and long, sunny afternoons. However, if pests had it their way, they’ll crash the party before you even start to enjoy the warmer temperatures, bringing with them their colonies, disease and other health hazards. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re here to tell you that there are methods you can use to cut down on your insect problems this season. While there are many things that you can do, here are the top five pest prevention tips to keep your home free of insects this spring and summer!
Seal Doors, Windows & Openings
First, it’s smart to seal any openings that an insect may use to gain access to your home. Start with the obvious places, doors and windows, and move to lesser-thought-of areas like around plumbing, light sockets and other tiny spaces you can find throughout your home. From a tiny crack in the wall to the space underneath your door, it’s important to seal off any and all access points that you can find!
Keep Clean & Tidy
When pests make their way inside the home, they’re usually looking for two things – food and shelter. Don’t aid their search by leaving out old food containers, leftovers or even crumbs. Additionally, clean up all clutter, such as piles of clothing and unread mail, to ensure there are no places for these critters to hide and reproduce.
Fix Plumbing Leaks
Many insects are drawn to damp environments, which makes your pipes and space around any plumbing fixture a place that could be targeted by bugs. Insulate pipes with foam insulation to cover condensation and fix any leaks that could be attracting insects. You want to be relaxing by the water all summer, not providing a resort for pests to enjoy inside your home.
Yard Maintenance
There are many things that you can do inside the home for pest prevention. However, there are some things you can do outside the home, as well. Keeping a yard that’s clear of brush piles, log piles, and other detritus materials. Moreover, any organic material left near or up against the home (like a pile of logs) could harbor an entire colony and provide an easy access point for termites, rodents and more.
Call a Professional
While the other tips can be highly effective at preventing insects, they only real way to keep your home bug-free is to call the professionals for pest treatments that are catered to your specific needs. Professional pest control specialists can identify your risk areas, find current infestation and provide treatments for both. Contact Imel in the Columbia, IL area for more about how professional pest control can benefit you!
