Unfortunately coming into the summer months pests become more of a problem than other times of the year. These pets take advantage of the warm idea living conditions to breed at an increased rate. And they seek shelter, food and water in the safety of your home. Although they prove themselves to be a nuisance not only to you but to your family. Whether it is through painful bites, getting into your food or just buzzing around. Although there are many things you can try to stop pests from becoming a problem this summer. Sometimes the best option is just to call in a professional exterminator like Endeavour Property Services who offer pest control throughout Auckland. Although below we will cover some tips to protect your home from the most common summer pests.
- Flies
House flies become more of a problem leading into the summer months, whether they are coming into your home seeking cool and shelter, or crashing your outdoor BBQ. During the summer season flies breed like crazy which explains the high numbers we see in and around our homes. Flies are not only a complete nuisance they are also a danger to your families’ health as they are capable of spreading a range of diseases. Although it is nearly impossible to stop flies from entering your home all together, especially in summer where you have doors and windows open due to hot weather.
Although it is possible to make your home a less attractive target to flies. As flies are commonly attracted into your home in search of a food source, this could be decaying food, crumbs on the bench or dirty dishes. So, in order to reduce the number of flies entering your home the first step is to ensure there is no food or food residue lying around. Also, to be sure than pet food isn’t left in bowls, rubbish bins have secure lids and are emptied regular. But unfortunately, these preventative methods are not always enough to have a fly free summer season.
So, if you are still struggling to control the flies in your home be sure to keep a strong air flow through your home. If there is no wind, set up a fan in the worst affected areas. Having good ventilation helps a lot, as flies do not like moving air. So, get some air circulation through your home and it tends to send them out of your home. Also invest in some fly sprays, the most effective sprays are the automatic dispensers that dispense the spray at regular intervals. As this maintains a barrier against flies and deters them from entering your home. These sprays come in a range of types including 100% natural sprays, deterrents and fly killing sprays, so just select the solution that best matchers your needs.
2. Mosquitos
Who doesn’t hate mosquitoes? They’re just a pain, they are always around it the worst times. They are heard to control and cause painful and itchy bites, and in some cases, are responsible for spreading deadly diseases. The best thing you can do to prevent mosquitoes from congregating around your home is to eliminate all stagnant water areas that attract them. This is because Mosquito eggs can only develop in pools of water that are not moving. So, it is important to keep your pools filters running, and any water features or fountains continuously circulating. Also, be sure to keep your gutter cleaned, as blocked gutter can cause water to build up and become stagnant. Other water sources that you may not initially spot are water building up in holes in your lawn, and rain water that may have gotten trapped in wheel barrows or bins. By putting in the time in making sure your property does not have any stagnant water you are protecting your family against mosquitos. Although it is also important to apply insect repellent to yourself and your family as well as using citronella candles to deter pests when eating or entertaining outdoors.
3. Ants
When the weather warms, ants often march inside homes in search of food and water sources. Ants become more of a problem leading into the summer months, although most species are harmless, they cause a nuisance to homeowners infesting kitchens, bathrooms, basements and even air conditioning units. In order to stop these ants coming into your home in the first-place home owners need to be proactive. In order to stop ants entering your home it is important to first seal up any gaps or holes, in windows walls and your homes foundation. These gaps may not be initially noticeable as ants are very small so don’t need much space to enter your home. An easy way to do this is to mark the entries where you see the ants entering your home.
Then it is important to treat the ants, the best way to do this is through the use of an ant bait. Place the ant bait where you have seen the ants travelling. The more bait you set the more effective it will be as the ants will carry the bait back to their nests. The best way to apply the bait is through ant bait stations or alternatively you can put the bait in empty bottle caps. It is important to replenish the baits regularly until you no longer see any ants, this could take up to two weeks depending on the level of infestation.
4. Fleas
Pet owners will know that the summer months come with the hassle of fleas, not only the discomfort that they can cause to your pets. But the hassle that comes when they infest your home and bite your family. Fleas like many other insect’s breed and have a faster metabolism in warm humid weather which is why they thrive in summer conditions. A small number of fleas can very quickly become a full-on infestation, 10 adult fleas can grow to 250,000 in just a month. This is why it is so important to keep your eye out for fleas and get onto treating them as soon as you notice them.
In order to keep fleas at bay be sure to treat you pets every month, even if you do not think they have fleas. As they can easily pick them up so it is important to regularly treat them to ensure they are not bringing fleas into your home. Also, it is important to regularly vacuum your home as this will help catch the full lifecycle of fleas. When vacuuming be thorough, be sure to vacuum under furniture and behind doors and these usually undisturbed areas are where fleas usually stay. It is a myth that carpets are where fleas prefer to stay, in reality they are much more often hiding in gaps between floorboards. It is important to maintain a clean home and if you have already got a flea infestation be sure to treat the home with a flea bomb, or call in a professional exterminator as they can be very heard to remove, especially when you own multiple pets.
