Spring Fever and Five Pest Prevention Tips to Preparing your Home
Winter is finally on its downward spiral and for many of us here in Southwest Michigan spring couldn’t come any faster. We have had large quantities of snow that Michigan has not experienced in years, and with spring finally on the way it’s time to start thinking about home preparations. VexGuard of Kalamazoo wants to make sure that you are ready for all of your pest control needs. Did you know as soon as the temperatures start getting around 35-45 degrees over-wintering pests that have taken up residence inside your walls will start to move around? It will still be too cold for the critters to venture further outside so they only have one direction to go. Ants, Box Elder bugs, and Asian Lady Beetles just to name a few are going to be on the move soon. This movement will also give a jump start to the spiders that have made it through the winter in your basement, crawl space, and or wall voids.
Soon after the snow melts and temperatures start getting into the 50s pests will start to come in from the exterior of the home. Ideally it is best if your pest control efforts are started before we reach these temperatures. This allows voids and cracks to be addressed properly and helps to prevent these pests from coming in. However, if you have waited and are starting to see pests they can still be eliminated through proper treatments and exclusion work. Exclusion work is extremely important when it comes to efficiently controlling pests in any environment. Most people think of spring and start to think flowers and new green growth. Pest Control Professionals love these as well however, there are a few guidelines you should consider when planning out your spring time projects. VexGuard Pest Control of Kalamazoo recommends when designing flower beds that will go around the exterior of your home you follow a few simple suggestions.
- Keep any vegetation at least 24 inches back from the foundation of your home.
- Look at using a recycled rubber for mulch instead of more traditional products such as wood chips. Recycled tires are remanufactured into chips that closely resemble wood chips and are attractive. These will not attract pests and help pest control applications reach the soil around the foundation where they are most effective.
- Make sure wood piles are placed a minimum of 25 feet from the home as they will attract termites, carpenter ants, and other harmful pests.
- Check your foundation and siding for cracks that could have happened during the winter or chewed/gnawed entrance holes around electrical and gas runs into your home.
- And lastly make sure that hoses and water lines are well maintained and not leaking, dripping, or having any condensation buildup that can attract pests to your home looking for a drink.
I know that these warm temperatures can seem like they are far away but before we know it they will be here and so will the pests. Make sure that you are prepared and for those of you who would like to focus on spring tasks that sound a little more fun than the bugs around your home you can always check out VexGuard Pest Control of Kalamazoo! Details are available on our website at www.vexguardpestcontrol.com.
