Want to keep bugs out of your home? Here are just a few tips to help keep away the creepy-crawlies.
Use deterrent scents
Certain scents can repel certain types of bugs. For instance, citronella is often used to repel mosquitoes, peppermint if often used to repel spiders and lavender is commonly used to repel ants. You can scented candles, oil diffusers or air fresheners to create these scents. Such scents aren’t effective in all cases, but it’s always worth trying.
Clean up spilled food
Crumbs and spilled drinks may attract ants and cockroaches (as well as non-bug pests like mice and rats). By keeping on top of food spillages, bugs may not have a need to come into your home. Make sure to regularly empty your garbage too – bluebottles will often lay eggs in trash cans containing food waste, especially in hot weather.
Seal food to protect it from ants
Ants, flies and weevils can be attracted to food that’s been left unsealed. Opened packets of cereal and flour are common examples. Consider sealing these foods in plastic containers or mason jars to stop bugs getting to them. You may also be able to keep certain items in the fridge.
Protect clothes with moth traps
If your clothes are forever getting chewed on by moths, you could consider looking into moth traps. A moth killer kit may be able to help you get rid of moths and could keep your closet moth-free for up to six months. These kits include sprays and traps.
Fill up cracks in your home
Spiders and ants may creep into your home through cracks in the walls or gaps beneath and around doors. Take steps to seal up your home in order to keep the critters out – this could include filling cracks in walls with caulk and adding rubber seals or brushes to door frames. With ants, you may be able to follow trails to find cracks that they are entering through.
Consider bug screens on windows
If bugs keep entering your home via the windows and you want to maintain some ventilation, adding bug screens to windows could be an alternative to shutting windows. These can provide effective barriers for keeping out flies, moths, mosquitoes and other bugs.
Know when to call in the professionals
Some bug infestations can require professional intervention. If you need to remove a wasp nest from your loft or you’ve found termites in your basement, it could be worth calling pest control services to deal with the problem. Certain pests can be dangerous to deal with, while others can require specialist equipment.
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