Now that summer is winding down and the weather is starting to cool, insects may be looking for a new home. Your home. Depending on the conditions in and around your home, you may be welcoming a variety of pests without even knowing it—until it’s too late. Here’s a list of what to watch out for and how Cardinal Pest can help with residential pest control.

Why Pests are a Problem

They’re called pests for a reason. There are several insects, rodents, birds, and other species that find their way into your home and cause destruction in numerous ways:

1. Damage. Some insects like beetles and crickets dine on fabrics and can damage your carpets and clothes. Mice and moths are the same way. Termites and carpenter bees or ants prefer to decimate the wood in and around your home.
2. Bites and stings. Bees, bed bugs, mosquitoes, ticks, and other pests are known for biting to feed or stinging when threatened. This could also lead to a severe allergic reaction.
3. Contamination. Ants, cockroaches, flies, and other pests come in looking for food, so when they find accessible containers in your cabinets and pantry, they’ll help themselves.
4. Infestation. Usually, when you find one pest in your home, there’s a good chance there are others around. Left untreated, you could be dealing with an infestation that’s costly to eradicate and repair any related damage.

Many of these pests are all looking for the same thing: food and shelter. Hopefully, you’ll only have to deal with one pest species at a time. However, if conditions are good enough for some, it’s likely to attract others.

Targeted Residential Pest Control

Pest control options may differ depending on the type of pest and infestation level. The right residential solution should be targeted for one specific type of pest. But the methods you take to prevent future infestations can also help keep other pests away. Here’s a general list of pests homeowners deal with in and around the house:

Indoors:

• Ants
• Bed bugs
• Beetles
• Cockroaches
• Flies
• Crickets
• Spiders
• Stink bugs

Outdoors:

• Carpenter ants
• Fleas
• Mosquito
• Rodents
• Stinging pests
• Termites
• Ticks

Of course, the pests you find inside may originate outdoors unless it travels through food and fabric products. Plus, any outdoor pests may be okay as long as they stay outside. However, if they find their way indoors it could cause more of an issue. The key is to determine which pest you’re dealing with. Then it’s time to pinpoint how they got there and why. Once you know this, you can better target the pest control solution and work to prevent it from happening again.

Pest Control Process

The right pest control solution starts with proper evaluation of the situation:

1. What type of pest are you dealing with?
2. How did it get there? Openings in doors, windows, or walls?
3. Why is it there? Attracted by open food containers? Moisture in the basement?

Before any pest control company suggests a solution, a thorough examination of your property should help determine the best method of extermination and prevention. The method depends on the pest, whether it’s spraying a few ants, removing a beehive in the attic, or laying mouse traps around the house. Depending on the level of infestation, multiple applications of preventative products may be necessary.

While any room in your house is fair game, pests typically frequent the dark, quiet, moist places in your kitchen, bathroom, basement, or attic. They can enter through cracks in the foundation, chimneys, or eaves. Travel is easily undetected through your wall or while you’re sleeping. And poorly sealed food items are on the top of their wish list.

Pest Prevention

Since most pests originate from the outdoors, that’s where pest prevention should start. Having a well-maintained yard is an easy way to help prevent pests from hiding there and eventually finding their way inside. Perimeter pest control means trimming any shrubs around your home, cleaning any debris, and spraying preventative products around doors and windows.

Properly storing food is another way to keep pests out. Keep containers tightly sealed and off the floor. This goes for pet food as well. Clean up any spills and regularly take the trash out, especially if it contains discarded food.

Since many pests prefer moist areas, you also want to make sure your drains are clear. Blockages can attract all sorts of pests that may end up laying eggs in your pipes. Leaky pipes also make a nice pool for thirsty cockroaches and rodents.

If you do end up dealing with an infestation of any kind, learn more about what attracted them and use this to help prevent another infestation in the future. Contact the residential pest control specialists at Cardinal Pest to evaluate any pest situation you’re currently dealing with. Prepare your property for the fall when more pests are looking for a winter home.