Hopefully, that cold weather is in our rearview mirrors and we can start to officially prepare for spring to arrive! We can finally scrap the winter coats and trade them for light jackets and slip-on shoes! The coming of spring is a truly magical time where life begins anew, but it’s not just the flowers that are making a comeback – the bugs and the pests are beginning to stir too. Here are a few things to add to your spring to-do list to help keep those pesky bugs out of your home!
Deny Them Access
If you give an insect an inch, they’ll invade so fast you won’t even be able to say “Uncle”. Don’t even give them the opportunity to think about invasion by sealing every entry point you can find around your home. Fill the cracks and crevices of your house’s foundation with waterproof caulking, but make sure to use steel wool for any hole larger than a dime as mice will chew right through caulking and you definitely don’t want a family of mice in your home either! Replace weather stripping where necessary and seal any gaps around windows and doors. Pay attention to places like dryer vents and utility connections as this is a prime location for creepy crawlies to enter your home.
An Airtight Plan
The best way to keep ants and other bugs out of the kitchen is to leave no trace of food evidence for them to find. This means cleaning up crumbs, spills and leftovers right away instead of leaving them out overnight, frequently emptying garbage and compost buckets and wiping down surfaces with a vinegar solution. Did you know that vinegar is a natural bug repellent? You can even use it to scrub the floors! Make sure to use airtight containers for every food item in the pantry, especially cereals! The boxes are cute, but if not properly sealed, you’re basically asking a family of ants over for lunch. Ensure that pet food is also transferred to airtight containers and keep all dry food items properly sealed. We know it’s tempting to keep fruit on the counter, but overripe fruit is a beacon for bugs. Try as much as possible to keep perishables in your fridge, even though those apples look so cute in that bowl.
Don’t Offer Drinks
Bugs are always looking for three things – food, shelter and water. Pests can only survive a week without access to water so a surefire way of repelling them is to remove excess moisture in your home, especially in laundry rooms and bathrooms. Dehumidifiers are an excellent tool to combat this! Silverfish and cockroaches love the dark and the damp and will congregate under sinks, between the shower curtain and the liner, behind toilets and anywhere else they can find a moist home. If you aren’t able to take care of the problem yourself, definitely get in touch with your plumber!
Spring is full of life and growth, but make sure you’re keeping the growth of bugs out of your home base! Doing a little spring cleaning and bug-proofing your home will do wonders to help keep the pests at bay. If they’ve gotten past your best defences and infiltrated, give us a call at 403.262.1666 and we’ll spring into action to eliminate those pesky bugs! Let’s make this a bug-free spring!
