Home Tips
WAYS TO PREVENT INSECTS IN YOUR HOME
Reduce their water supply
- Remove water dishes for pets at night.
- Fix leaky sinks and pipes.
- Check showers and baths for leaky plumbing.
- Screen the opening of faucets.
- Put wet cleaning sponges in a plastic baggy overnight.
- Do not leave standing water in the base of potted plants.
- Check the drip pan under the refrigerator for standing water.
- Check gutters and down spouts. Make sure water runs away from your home and does not splash near the foundation.
- Keep gutters free of leaves to prevent rain water from spilling over the side and next to the foundation.
- Never let water from a sprinkler wet the soil near a building or deck.
- When paving around your home, make sure that the paving is angled away from the structure to drain the water. Paving should be lower than the interior floor level.
Reduce their food supply
- Remove pet food dishes at night.
- Store pet foods and bird seed in tightly sealed containers.
- Do not leave dirty dishes on the counters or in the sink.
- Run the garbage disposal daily to eliminate food in the drain.If you do not run it each day, rinse dishes well before putting them into the dishwasher.
- Use a trash can with a lid and clean it regularly.
- Clean surfaces in your kitchen to eliminate grease on oven hoods and walls near stoves.
- Vacuum the carpets regularly.
- Clean up spills on the floor immediately, and sweep and mop regularly.
- Wipe out insides of cabinets regularly.
- Rinse out recyclable items before storing them in a bin.
Reduce their shelter
- Do not store brown paper bags beside the refrigerator.
- Do not place mulch directly against your foundation. Always create air space between the vegetation and the wall.
- Do not store any timber or wood products (cardboard boxes, newspapers, cotton materials) beneath a suspended floor (such as in a crawl space).
- Move the woodpile away from the house in warmer months. This reduces the chance of insects hiding in the wood from coming into the house.