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Category: Residential Pest Control

How Bugs Enter Your Home

Posted on by john

It’s bug season in the Charleston area, and insects are moving into homes in droves, seeking shelter and sources of food. Whether you’re dealing with roaches, ants, biting flies, or bees, chances are they’re finding easy entryways into your home. You may not even notice how bugs enter your home. It may take an professional evaluation and service to remove a stubborn infestation. The best way to prevent bugs from entering your home is to understand how they get in, and how to stop them.

Cracks

Small spaces in the foundation, along baseboards, or in walls are open invitations to insects. They sense the difference in air temperature and may be attracted to food or hiding spaces in your home. Check your foundation carefully for any fissures or openings. Any you find may be providing insects with a way into your home. Seal cracks with caulk to keep bugs out.

Around Windows and Doors

The spaces around windows and doors may seem minimal, but to a bug, they are giant chasms, wide open highways they use to make their way indoors. Use weather stripping around any openings, and be sure to install fine screens on all open windows to prevent bugs from moving in.

Follow the Pipes

If you have pipes or wires that enter your home, chances are bugs are using them to traverse the walls as well. This is how bugs enter your home. Seal the area where pipes or wires come in with caulk to keep bugs from entering. Pipes are especially problematic because condensation or leaks may create damp patches that attract roaches and other insects into your home. Be sure to repair any leaks right away and remove standing water from your property to reduce breeding opportunities for insects.

Hitchhikers

Two of the most dreaded insect pests- bed bugs and roaches- are both known to be avid hitchhikers. They will crawl into the seams of clothing or bedding and catch a ride from an infested building or room to a brand new spot. Use extreme care when buying used furniture, and if you suspect an infestation in a place you’ve visited, take precautions to keep insects from hitching a ride. If you suspect an infestation in your home, contact Exclusive Pest Control. We’ll help rid you of insect pests and help you prevent infestation in the future.

Residential Pest Control Services

Posted on by john

When it comes to keeping your home free of insect and rodent pests, the best cure is prevention by residential pest control services. With regular checks by a professional service, and some preventative measures, you can keep pests at bay and your home clean and free of insect and rodent invaders.

Seal any Cracks

Especially as the weather changes, pests like insects and rodents begin to seek shelter, often in the sanctuary of our homes. To avoid allowing pests to have space in your home, you need to seal up any easy entryways and prevent them from entering in the first place. Weather stripping, caulk, and foam insulation are useful in closing up any gaps or spaces around windows, doors, and the home’s foundation. By sealing up these entry points, you can prevent many pests from ever entering your home in the first place.

Remove Breeding and Hiding Grounds

Many pests congregate in cool, shady, moist places and breed in standing water. Remove any hedges near the foundation of your home and consider treating shaded areas to prevent mosquitos and other pests from hiding out and multiplying. Be sure to remove any standing water from your property, as mosquitos especially are attracted to these pools and use them to breed.

Regular Checks Prevent Infestationresidential pest control

Having a professional regularly run routine checks on your home and point out any potential problems is a great way to gain peace of mind. Experts like the staff at Exclusive Pest spot any concerns, like a dripping pipe in the basement that creates a damp patch- a prime attractant for cockroaches. Their professional residential pest control services can be invaluable in preventing bugs and rodents from gaining a foothold in your home in the first place. Call today to discuss your specific concerns and to set up an appointment. We’ll meet with you and discuss your options for defending your home against invading pests.

Ant Killer vs. Ant Bait

Posted on by john

Ants are one of the most invasive, annoying, and difficult to remove pests that invade our homes. Bested only by cockroaches in their tenacity, ants are a recurring problem for many homeowners, one you may despair of solving. When perusing the offerings in the insecticide aisle, you may feel overwhelmed by the offerings. Is it better to “bait” ants, or go for ant killer?

Ant Bait                                                                                                                                  

Although the idea of “bait” is usually to attract prey, a concept counterintuitive to pest control, ant bait is not there to bring ants in. Ant bait is a Trojan horse, designed to wipe out not individual insects, but the colony. The ants come in and take the bait, then return home with it, ultimately poisoning the entire colony.  ant killer charleston sc

Ant Killer

Ant killer is a spray or compound that attacks the individual ant directly, killing the insect. This method is effective if there is not already an established colony in or near your home. Sprays are generally effective against a number of different species of bugs, while baits may affect only ants. The correct approach to your specific ant problem will be as unique as your home and situation.

When to Call in Professionals

While you may be able to deal with an occasional ant with DIY or over the counter sprays and baits, a larger infestation may require professional assistance to eradicate. The presence of small children or pets may also be a factor. Many sprays are toxic, and residue may be harmful to pets or small children. Baits, while safer, can be ingested by children or animals if they’re within reach. A professional exterminator can help you discover the routes ants are using to get into your home, remove those pathways, and eliminate the existing ant problem. Call us today for a consultation.

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