When the weather gets warmer, pests come out in force, and keeping them out of your home requires some upkeep and diligence. By keeping your property well maintained, having your air ducts inspected and repaired, and getting professional help can keep pests of all kinds out of your house all summer long.
Trim Your Trees
One of the reasons keeping pests away is so difficult is that they can find all sorts of ways into your home no matter how sealed it might be. Limiting the ways creatures can get inside is one of the most crucial steps toward effective pest management, and one good way to start is by having your trees trimmed.
Trees that grow close to your home can offer benefits like shade during the summer, breaking up heavy winds, and adding aesthetic value to your property. If left to grow too much, however, they can end up acting like a bridge between the ground outside and your house. Branches and leaves that touch or hang too far over your roof or lean against your walls let pests crawl into your home from above, bypassing pesticides and other treatments.
Seal Your Air Ducts
Much like trimming your trees, having your air ducts inspected and kept in good shape is another excellent preventative measure you can take to keep pests out of your house. Air ducts offer pests an easy way to get to most rooms in your house, and even small gaps and holes in your ducts can let creatures in.
Air ducts should be inspected every three to five years, and this can help with more than just energy efficiency. Bugs of all sorts can fit inside, and even rodents and birds can use your ducts as a safe place to make a home. Rats and mice, for example, can fit through small holes, so it's worth having your ducts inspected and repaired if necessary; even if your energy bills aren't rising much, it pays to have these repairs done as soon as you can.
Along with helping keep your ducts from turning into a highway for opportunistic pests, duct inspections can also catch other problems, such as high condensation levels in your ducts and mold in your insulation. While your ducts are being inspected, your attic and garage areas can also be inspected for signs of termites.
Have Your Home Inspected
Factors like where you live, the climate in your area, the age of your house, and even the specific neighborhood you live in can affect what kind of pests your home is most susceptible to. This in turn can affect what treatment options are most effective for you. To get the most effective pest treatment, it's a good idea to add calling a pest control specialist to your list.
While many pest control treatments will be preventative, such as using pesticides around the perimeter of your house, they may also recommend baits and traps and other treatments if you've been experiencing prior infestations, or if they catch signs of other pests already inside your house. For example, if your home suddenly has an influx of flies indoors, there may be something inside your home that needs to be dealt with.
Because specialists can take care of your individual needs and follow up with regular inspections and treatment plans, they can offer invaluable assistance toward keeping your home free of pests.
Having pests in your home is more than just annoying. Many of the common pests that invade homes are actually dangerous. Rats can bite young children, spreading serious diseases like leptospirosis and salmonella. Cockroaches can spread E. coli, and many people are allergic to proteins in their bodies. Regardless of which pest is bothering you, it is important to get rid of it as soon as possible. Pest control companies can do a lot of this work, but it is also important to be informed. After all, you are the one who lives in your home and needs to take preventative measures against pests every day. Learn the basics here on this blog, and put them to use.