Spring into Pest Control!
Spring is in the air bringing new life, blooming trees, and fresh starts. If you’re one of the 69% of Americans who participate in spring cleaning every year, you are likely gearing up for deep organization and cleaning. While your first instinct may be to dust shelves, clean out your closet, and go through your pantry stock, many homeowners fail to take a few pest-preventing cleaning tasks into consideration.
Pests come out of hiding in the spring. They are seeking food, shelter, and a place to grow their family in your home. As your pest control experts, Advanced Integrated Pest Management is here to help you prepare your home for these critters and crawlers with a few tasks to incorporate into your spring cleaning routine.
In the Pantry
Your pantry is like a dream vacation destination for certain pests. Stored product pests intentionally seek out dried goods typically found in pantries like grains, cereal, nuts, or candy. The most common types of pantry pests are:
- Indian meal moths
- Drugstore beetles
- Sawtooth grain beetles
- Granary weevils
- Grain moths
- Confused flour beetles
- Rice weevils
One of the best ways to keep these pests out of your stored food is to frequently rotate your food and to keep these products in pest-proof food storage containers. As you clean out your pantry this spring, toss out old open products. Inspect grains, flours, and pet foods for signs of pests. If you find pests, call your pest management professional for quick identification and removal.
Declutter
One of the most satisfying parts of spring cleaning is ridding your home of items you no longer need while freeing up space in your home. This is not only good for your home organization and mental clarity, but it will also assist in keeping pests at bay.
Undisturbed spaces like garages, attics, store rooms, and crawl spaces are ideal nesting areas for pests. Cleaning out these areas of unnecessary junk and clutter, as well as cleaning up all the dust and grime will help create an unwelcoming environment for those unwanted pests.
Clean Your Gutters
It is time to take spring cleaning outside, up a ladder, and into your gutters. As they fill with leaves, sticks, dirt, water, and other debris, gutters become an appealing spot for certain pests to linger and nest. A clogged gutter will also be slow to drain water which can at times cause damage to your roof.
Lessen your chances of pests and roof damage by frequently checking and cleaning out your gutters. Remember to always wear gloves and practice ladder safety!
Get Rid of Standing Water
Around this time of year, mosquitoes will begin wreaking havoc on your backyard. Do your best to combat these pests and more by eliminating any standing water around your property, as the pools attract them. This means emptying flower pots, buckets, bird baths, toys, and patio furniture.
Control Vegetation
Pests are drawn to cool, covered, and moist areas. This makes overgrown bushes, trees, woodpiles, and grasses are vulnerable to pest invasions.
Pests are drawn to discard piles, clutter, and stored items in and around structures. Take spring cleaning as an opportunity to give the overgrown vegetation, trees, and bushes a trim and to remove excess clutter from your property.
Call In the Professionals
Overall, the best way to add pest control to your spring cleaning list is to bring in the professionals. While all of these tips will aid in keeping pests at bay, professional pest control solutions will protect your property from unwelcome guests.
At Advanced Integrated Pest Management, we provide a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, mechanical, cultural, physical, and chemical control methods in a way that minimizes economic health and environmental risks.
Give us a call at (855) 768-0615 or contact us online to book your first appointment today!