Lexington Exterminators Offer Winter Pest Control Tips

Contrary to what you might believe, exterminators don't love to hear that you have a pest problem. Most pest control companies would rather do periodic visits that prevent pests from getting into your home in the first place. It is easier and more cost effective to keep pests out than it is to get pests out. That is why your Lexington Exterminators at Action Pest Control offer these useful winter pest control tips.

Tip #1: Pests go where the food is. Don't give them anything to eat.

Whether it is inside or outside your home, pests in Lexington are looking for food. Food comes in many forms. It might be a sticky glob of jelly on the counter. It might be a rotting apple core in the garbage. Or, it could be bugs feeding bugs. Spiders, for instance, live mostly on flying insects. If you're feeding the flying insects, the spiders will come. If you have lots of plants and flowers around your home, you'll be drawing in ladybugs, beetles, and other insect-eating insects. The trick is to remove food sources. You may not be able to do much about those pretty flowers you love, but you can keep the garbage cans covered and the food sources cleaned up. A clean house is unwelcoming to a bug.

Tip #2: Pests love clutter.

The more objects you have in your yard, the more comfortable bugs and wildlife will be roaming about in it. Wood materials are especially inviting. If you have a stack of 2x4s or a pile of saw horses, bugs will take up residence. They love to live in old tires, cinder blocks, discarded toys, boxes, wood piles, etc. Your goal should be to keep your yard clear of clutter and keep it mowed. The less welcoming your yard is to pests, the fewer pests you'll have in your home.

Tip #3: Seal your home.

Some bugs will come. It is inevitable, especially if you have those flowers we spoke of earlier. That is why it is important to make sure all of your screens are in perfect shape. It doesn't take much of a tear or hole for a wasp, spider, or beetle to get into your home. In Lexington it is particularly necessary to install weather stripping or door sweeps to keep the cold out, but these are also wonderful bug deterrents. If you don't have them, get them installed. If you do have them, make sure they are not damaged. A roach can slip through a gap as little as ¼ of an inch. Once you have your windows and doors sealed, use a caulking gun to fill in rotted holes and gaps around outlets, fixtures, pipes, air conditioning units, and other places where cracks can let bugs in. In your lifetime I'm sure you've witnessed a roach climbing out of your air conditioner, but they didn't get in there from the outside. They get in through cracks first and then hide in air conditioning units. Keep things sealed up, and keep those bugs out.

For more exclusion tips and information on how a limited and focused use of pesticides can pest proof your home, call a professional. They have access to gigabytes of data on pest prevention, and many will be happy to do a free inspection of your home to help you identify problem areas. With modern Integrated Pest Management methods, pest companies have moved from being exterminators to being preventative services. Give them a chance to help you stay pest-free.