Just like humans, pests need water, food, and shelter to survive. When you eliminate their food supply and get rid of their favorite hiding spots, you’ll reduce the risk that pests will start residing in your home. The best way to pets proof is to keep pests out entirely and to do this; you must seal up the gaps and cracks in your home’s exterior.

Seal And Repair Cracks And Openings

Given the minuscule size of many pests, it’s not difficult to believe that these critters can enter the house through holes or cracks that are almost invisible to the members of the house. That is why sealing the cracks on the exterior of your home can be a great way to bug-proof the home.

Check your basement for gaps, and cracks, especially where pipes pass through the wall. Move outside and search for openings around laundry vents, exterior outlets, and utility meters. These areas will most likely have invitingly large holes for pests.

Keep The Kitchen Clean

All unwanted pests are always attracted to discarded bits of food. This makes keeping a clean kitchen important. Here are some quick tips; 

• Keep leftovers in lidded containers.
• Inspect for sugar spills close to the coffee maker.
• Wipe off residue containers containing sugary items, like jelly and peanut butter.
• Keep fruit out of sunlight and check for spoiled produce.
• Sweep or vacuum regularly.
• Rinse the containers before placing them in the waste bin.
• Add Screens
• To enjoy the fresh air without being bothered by insects, install screens on your doors and windows. Choose a 20-mesh screen to keep the most annoying household pests at bay. Screen installation is really simple and requires just basic tools.

Clean Up Your Yard

Insects will most likely congregate under compost heaps, grass clippings, and decaying leaves. They’ll also use branches near your home as pathways. Always trim branches and shrubs to keep the insects confined to plants alone. Clean up pet feces, and keep waste bins and compost heaps safely covered and far away from your home. 

Keep A Dry House

Pests love damp environments, and this is why eliminating wet spots and moisture is important. To do so, begin by applying some caulk to fix the leaks around sinks and tubs. In your basement, inspect the ground for stains that indicate leaking pipes, and check above for loose fittings or cracks.

Search for water spots around your ceiling that may mean a crack in your roof. These holes can be an entry spot for bugs.

Give Pets A Dining Space

People who have their dog’s pet food inside a bowl know that it’s a huge mistake. The bits of food knocked out of the dish will end up across the floor and attract ants and other pests.

Give your pet a marked out dining space on a rubber mat and all spilled food will be easier to see and clean up.

To avoid ant problems with food left on the ground, place the food bowl in a bigger bowl with water surrounding it — the ants cannot cross this moat to reach the food.

Keep Firewood Away From The Main House

Ants, termites, and cockroaches love to hide in woodpiles as well as damp ground underneath. Ensure that the firewood is stacked on a raised surface and kept away from your house. 

If you’ve got a lot of wood, set up a firewood rack, which makes provision for wood to be kept neatly and away from the ground. Otherwise, store wood somewhere like a bench or wheelbarrow and cover it up with a tarp. 

Make A Homemade Flytrap

Everyone hates fruit flies. They show up wherever there is something tasty and seem to linger around forever. If you get tired of running after these creatures, consider this scientific approach.

Add a spurt of dish soap to a half cup of ACV in an open container. These flies are attracted to sweet-smelling vinegar. The soap breaks the tension on the surface, drowning the fly. 

Place a few of these all over the house where pests are, but don’t put the traps near windows that are open as this that encourages flies to enter the house.

Practice Mosquito Management

Everyone hates mosquitoes because they’re annoying bloodsuckers. Their bites leave itchy welts, and they can transfer diseases such as the deadly Zika virus. Here are innovative ways to eliminate these annoying pests;

• Remove standing water: these pests lay eggs in only stagnant water, so get rid of their breeding ground by turning over water in all open containers and throw soil or mulch over yard puddles.
• Put minced garlic on and around your porch. The odor acts as a repellent to many insects, and mosquitoes aren’t left out.
• Adding eucalyptus, citronella, cinnamon or even castor oils to your sunscreen can repel mosquitoes— just ensure that you follow instructions.
• When you’re outside on the porch, you can use an oscillating fan. The wind is also a mosquito’s enemy.
   

Alliance Pest Services provides pest control and pest prevention services for your home and business.  Call today for a FREE pest evaluation.