Keeping insects out of your house might often seem futile, especially given that there are two hundred million of them, for each human on the planet. However, by covering your bases, and identifying their main points of origin, a measure of success remains very much viable.
In this article, we cover some common points of entry for most bugs and simple solutions to deal with the same.
Seal Your Doors
You will be surprised with the number of bugs that pass right through your front door, we essentially invite them in. On closer inspection, most doors, and windows are likely to have multiple points of entry, in the form of cracks, and gaps that make the perfect passageway for small insects.
This can be dealt with using solid steel, or aluminum threshold to plug the gaps, apart from attaching a sweep beneath the door, or door-seal kits to the border frame. It is also essential to include weather stripping for door sweeps, in order to effectively block the air, dust, water, insects, and even noise coming from the outside.
Taking this a step further, and making this system fool-proof, you can install a hydraulic door-closing system, so that no one can leave the door open, and unintentionally invite bugs into your house.
Keep Your Kitchen Clean
Being the key source of organic materials in a household, kitchens often form the crux of the problem, when it comes to attracting and housing a wide variety of insects. This is all the more intensified in untidy kitchens, with rotting food, and perishables, which are enough to support an entire colony of insects without you knowing.
Even trace amounts of honey, syrup, jam, frying oil, and food scraps can attract cockroaches and ants that can feast on these for days, effectively contaminating one of the most crucial components of your household.
Here again, the solutions are pretty straightforward, such as storing perishables in air-tight containers, making effective use of refrigeration for leftovers, and more. Beyond this, homeowners should make sure that their kitchen is cleaned every day, and disinfected at least once a week, along with throwing out the garbage every day.
Maintain Your Yard
An unmaintained lawn is a green-carpet welcome to a host of insect populations, notably mosquitos and fleas. Insects love such lawns because of the thick layer of accumulated leaf litter, and the plenty of space that yard waste provides for them to hide and breed. This eventually results in an infestation that is difficult to eradicate.
The first course of action in this regard is to keep your yard free from any stagnant water, which can be used by bugs to lay eggs, and breed. An effective system for draining excess water, and its proper functioning remains crucial, especially if they are prone to blockages from leaves and lawn clippings.
If your yard has a pool, make sure to keep it chlorinated and purified on a regular basis, even when they are not in use. Mosquito larvae start to develop in almost any still water body such as fountains, or bird baths if the water isn’t changed, and purified at least twice a week.
Final Words
Preventing insects from entering your house may not always be a top concern when moving into a new home, but it’s a lot easier to take the necessary precautions, compared to eradicating an infestation after it has taken hold.
The above-mentioned tips pertain to the most common sources of pests in American households, if you feel you’re facing a unique problem beyond these, it is best to engage pest control professionals, and have your place thoroughly evaluated.
