Exposed: Pest Party-Crashers

Party-crashers are never fun, especially when they have six legs and buzz. Mosquitoes, stinging insects and house flies are the pest party-crashers of the season; and let’s not forget ants! Not only do some of these pests bite, but they can also contaminate your food.

Mosquitoes can carry harmful diseases and transmit them to unsuspecting guests, while stinging insects send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room each year! Ants and houseflies can also carry harmful diseases and transfer them to uncovered food. These pesky pests can also just be annoying to your guests.

Here are some ways you can prevent these pests from crashing your party this summer.

Mosquitoes

• Avoid standing water around the home by maintaining a continuous flow in ditches and monitoring sprinkler system.
• Keep rain gutters unclogged and flat roofs dry.
• Use low pressure and sodium vapor lights outdoors. Certain light bulbs will attract insects including fluorescent, halogen, incandescent, mercury vapor and some LED lights.
• Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk—if possible, stay indoors at these times. If outdoors during mosquitoes’ active periods, use repellents to protect against bites.

Ants

• Seal any small holes or gaps around your home with a silicone-based caulk.
• Keep tree branches and other shrubbery well-trimmed and away from the home.
• Wipe down kitchen counter tops and sweep floors to remove crumbs and residue. Store food in sealed containers and keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator. Dispose of garbage regularly.
• Trim shrubs and grassy areas around the home frequently.

House flies

• Check screens and windows for holes, rips or tears, repairing or replacing them when necessary.
• Keep food in covered and sealed containers whenever possible.
• Remove any sources of food surrounding the home, such as garbage bags, pet food and fallen fruit.
• Wipe down kitchen counter tops and sweep floors to remove crumbs and residue. Store food in sealed containers and keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator. Dispose of garbage regularly.

Stinging Insects

• Remove any sources of food surrounding the home, such as garbage bags, pet food and fallen fruit.
• Routinely walk around the exterior of your home to inspect for nests, paying special attention to overhangs, eaves, underside of porches and decks.
• Keep flowering plants away from entertaining and dining areas to avoid naturally attracting stinging insects.

Follow these tips to ensure there are no pest party-crashers at your next summer barbecue.

For more information, please visit our website at http://www.wil-kil.com/.

About Shane McCoy:
Shane McCoy is the Technical Training Director for Wil-Kil Pest Control, a regional pest management company providing quality pest management for residential and commercial properties throughout the Upper Midwest. As an Associate Certified Entomologist with over 18 years of experience in pest management, Shane’s blog provides expert tips and tricks, timely information and solutions for coexisting with the insect life and critters around us. To learn more about Wil-Kil Pest Control, please visit www.wil-kil.com. You can also follow the company on Facebook and Twitter (@WilKilPest).