Preventing Pests Begins Outside

Spring pest prevention can be easy as long as you take a few preventative measures to keep pests from entering your home. Pests like ants will be looking to get into your home this spring, and if you’ve done nothing to prevent their entry, there’s a good chance they’ll get in your home and start foraging for food. Not only will a couple of foragers find their way in, but if they are able to find food, they’ll leave a pheromone trail for their buddies, letting them know that your house is the place to be. Playing host to hungry ants is not a good way to start off your spring! Here are some helpful tips on how to prevent ants and other spring pest invaders from getting inside your house, by focusing on the outside.

1. Check around the perimeter of your home and make sure there are no holes, gaps or possible entry points. Cracks or gaps in siding or the foundation can allow ants and other pests indoors, so you should fill these holes with expandable foam caulking or silicone caulking.
2. Keep the immediate perimeter of your home free from vegetation and mulch. If you must have a border around your home, consider crushed rock or gravel. Pests will find it harder to get into your home with a gravel border and will find fewer places to hide if there is no vegetation around.
3. Cut back trees and shrubs so that they don’t touch the outside of your house or your roof. These can all act as ‘bridges’ for ants and other pests allowing them easy access to your home.
4. Make sure that your outdoor trash can is stored away from your home in a garage or other protected area. Ants will be attracted to the food in your trash can, and if it is stored near your home, they will go straight from the trash can to your front door!
5. If water regularly runs through your property, have the water redirected. Moist environments attract pests like ants, so it is best to keep your home as dry as possible.

All of these tips can help protect your home from spring pests without even making any changes on the interior of your home. If you want to be absolutely certain that ants won’t find your home this spring, we suggest our year round Home Protection Plan to keep pests out through every season. This service provides inspections and treatments that are customized for your home, so if you have a problem with ants, we’ll make sure to address ants and any conditions that may be attracting them. We want to help with your spring pest control so that you can get the warmer months started off right!

For more information on ant control or our Home Protection Plan and to schedule your first appointment with us, please contact us today.