Pest Infestation Prevention For Every Season: Summer Edition

Bugs and wildlife are a problem all year round, but summer is the time of year when every living creature thrives. One big reason for this is every living creature feeds on other living creatures. Therefore, prevention must take this fact into consideration during the summer months. Here's how it works.

Have you heard the song that goes like this? "She swallowed the bird to catch the spider that wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her! She swallowed the spider to catch the fly; I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die."? This is how nature works.

If you have flies in your yard, you're going to attract spiders. Spiders love flies. And, when those spiders move in, you're going to have more wasps because wasps eat spiders. When you apply pest control measures that reduce flies, you break the chain. Does it mean you won't have any spiders? No. But you'll have fewer spiders.

• Flies are drawn to open trash cans. Be sure to keep all exterior trash in sealed cans, and clean those cans periodically. Wasps get into trash too, as do many other creatures.
• Flies are drawn to light. Keeping exterior lights off at night and drawing curtains can help to reduce flies on your property.
• Some flies are drawn to open wounds on animals. If you have a pet (or a farm animal) with a wound, keep it cleaned and covered.
• Some flies are moisture pests. When you reduce wetness around your foundation perimeter, you'll make it less interesting to these insects. Repair leaky spigots and hoses.
• Clean out gutters and repair any breaks. Make sure downspouts channel water away from foundation walls.
• Some flies come into your yard looking for a blood meal. The best way to deal with these is by having seasonal mist treatments. You may have some limited effect on mosquito populations by planting mosquito-repelling plants such as lavender, citronella, catnip, etc.

Flies are only one of many bugs that will come into your yard and become food for other pests. Here are a few tips that will help to reduce a wider range of pests:

• The more your yard feels like nature, the happier bugs and wild animals will be. When you keep your grass mowed, weeds plucked, leaves raked, and vegetation trimmed, you make your yard less inviting.
• Some pests are parasites that hitchhike into your yard on furry animals and birds. To reduce parasites, such as ticks and fleas, take measures to keep wild animals out. Put fencing around gardens, fruit trees, and berry bushes. Use fencing to keep animals from getting under your deck, porch, patio, or other structures. Make sure your dryer exhaust isn't exiting your home in a location that could be used by a wild animal for harborage. Reduce clutter in your yard to give rodents fewer harborage options.
• Create a 2-foot dry area around your foundation perimeter.
• If you have wood products stacked near your home, consider moving them at least 20 feet away and keeping them elevated.

Some pests can do damage as they search for food on your property. One example of this is the woodpecker, which loves the larvae of carpenter bees. If you think it stinks to have carpenter bees boring tunnels into your home, it's even worse when woodpeckers come to peck at your home to get a bite to eat. When you take measures to resist carpenter bees, you resist woodpeckers. Carpenter bees prefer untreated wood, so apply some stain or paint to make your home less interesting. They also bore into the ends of wood planks. Apply metal flashing to prevent this.

Once you have taken measures to reduce the bugs in your yard, be sure to take the time to inspect your exterior walls and foundation and fill in any gaps, cracks, and holes you see. Bugs, rodents, and other wildlife can come into your yard and explore your wall for entry points, even if there is no food in your yard attracting them. Your job is to make sure they don't find any.

If you need assistance managing pests, and you live in our Texas service area, reach out to us to schedule a free inspection. We'll help you figure out what pest pressures you're dealing with and give you options to keep your yard as pest-free as possible.