If you want any hope of preventing pests from getting into your Phoenix home, you need to start with some strong outside preventative care. You can control invading outdoor pests by preventing their entrance in the first place, and it’s the most effective strategy for decreasing pest intrusion.
Next, you have to seal off any possible entrance points, such as gaps under doors, holes in external walls, and holes in window screens. Your pest control technician in Phoenix can give you more tips, but here are the basics.
Survival
Pests need the following to survive:
- Moisture: Water loss is a threat to all bugs, which is why they thrive in standing water or areas of high humidity. You’ll find them hiding under mulched shrubs and plant beds, underneath decks and porches, and in dense ground cover such as ivy.
- Food: Invading pests feed on decaying organic debris, bacteria and fungus in high-moisture environments. Hunter-gatherer insects will spend their time in the same areas as their prey. Most insects feed between dusk and dawn due to the peak relative humidity. For example, ants are busy feeding on honeydew during the day, while ground beetles and moths are drawn to lights at night.
Don’t Make Them Comfortable
Exclusion and moisture control are the two best tools you have at your disposal as a homeowner. You need to eliminate pest-friendly environments, which means you should create hostile or dry environments in and around your home. Also, reduce the presence of anything that attracts pests to your home, and physically block their access.
- Lawn: Keep your grass neatly trimmed and don’t allow thatch to build up.
- Mulch: Only use a thin layer of mulch – about two inches or less -- and use cypress or decay-resistant mulch. Leave a 12 to 18 inch space between your foundation and the mulch. Place a rock barrier in between.
- Leaves and debris: Remove rubbish at the base of your home to avoid buildup. Store firewood at least 10 feet away from the home, and cover the stack.
- Proper grade: To encourage water to flow away from the foundation, make sure your yard is graded properly.
- Vegetation gap: Keep a foot of space or more between the foundation and your plants so air and moisture can escape. Cover this gap with gravel, cement or blacktop.
- Trees and shrubs : Keep enough space between trees and plants to allow sunlight to reach the ground. Trim back tree branches so they don’t overhang your home and give critters a shortcut to your attic.
Other Tips For Proactive Physical Prevention
- Tightly close doors so that no light shines through gaps.
- Make sure all windows are secure and screened.
- Apply caulk to door and window frames.
- Fill holes in the outer walls with caulk.
- Tightly connect or caulk fascia boards and siding.
- Place screens on vents in the attic and soffit.
Frontino Pest Control in Phoenix, AZ
Despite your best efforts, pests may still enter your home. When that happens, call our Phoenix, AZ commercial exterminators right away to address the situation. Just contact us today at 602-338-9223.