A few steps can help keep bugs at bay this summer

Monday, July 14, 2014

As summer goes, the warm, wet weather is ideal for pests to invade people's daily lives.

Among the most abundant pests this time of year are mosquitoes, ants, wasps, spiders, ticks and chiggers, but there are ways to keep them from infesting homes.

Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association, said pests need three things for survival: food, water and shelter. Minimizing the availability of those three things can help reduce the possibility of pests coming indoors.

Sweeping floors and vacuuming carpets is always a good strategy, but other tricks can keep the crawlers out.

Never leave dirty dishes around, and dry and pet foods should be stored in airtight containers, she said. Ants and cockroaches are particularly fond of food crumbs and uncovered food containers. Not leaving containers around with meat or seafood should keep flies away, and an even longer-term solution is to use fly screens to get rid of the stubborn ones.

Chris Horrell, owner and manager of Bug Zero's Cape Girardeau office, said spiders, beetles, mosquitoes and other pests that try to get in people's homes keep pest control professionals busy this time of year.

If traveling around, camping or going outside, Horrell advised that people use specific products to protect themselves from attracting parasites, or wear long sleeves and long pants because insects such as mosquitoes can't bite what they can't access.

"A product we recommend is called Permanone, and it's something you can treat your clothing with before you go outside if you are going to be somewhere with ticks or things like that, and it works really well," Horrell said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends four ingredients in insect repellents: picaridin, DEET, IR3535 and oil of lemon eucalyptus.

"We recommend that you follow the label instructions on the appropriate doses and the appropriate application," Henriksen said. "And if you use a product with at least 20 percent DEET, it can repel ticks."

But the key is to check yourself and pets to keep pests such as ticks away from the inside of the home.

"If you have a tick on you, get it removed as quickly as possible," Horrell advised.

Not only can pest control professionals treat the interior of a home to remove invading pests, but they also can keep them from getting there in the first place by treating the outside. Keeping lawns clear of dead plants is also a good way to keep insects away.

Moisture attracts pests, especially mosquitoes. Checking for water leaks is a way to make sure a standing pool of water won't attract the buzzing insects. Citronella oil also is a good mosquito fighter, as well as sealed window screens and limited outside lighting. Caulking any holes or cracks in a house is a way to keep away bugs such as ants and spiders.

"It's a common misconception that people think that often they are bit by a spider, when in fact very few spiders actually bite," Henriksen said.

Horrell recommends people check with a professional if they find pests inside their property.

"We are professionals, we do this every day, we know what products to use, what to mix with our products, while people can make a mistake like over-applying a product or applying an incorrect product and somehow make their situation even worse," Horrell said.

Wasps and hornets are pests people should not deal with on their own. A wasp nest should be handled in the morning, when it's cooler and the insects are less aggressive, he said. Termites also require professional help to eradicate.

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