Image Source: Pexels
Spring cleaning is more than just an annual household chore that you do after winter and at the beginning of spring. For one, it helps give your home a breath of fresh, warm air after a long winter. Another is it helps prevent pests that emerge from a seasonal change from entering your home. These bugs crawl out after winter and the first thing they usually do is to look for food and shelter, often settling in houses like yours.
Fortunately, spring cleaning can help you prevent an infestation from happening in your home. Keep reading below to find out why spring cleaning is excellent for pest prevention and to get other tips on spring pest control.
Trim Trees and Bushes
Trimming trees and bushes around your home helps lessen the possible hideouts of pests like squirrels and mice. Aside from this, it’s also a great way to keep your trees and bushes healthy. One thing to remember is to not just grab a pair of shears and cut away. There are proper trimming practices you need to learn.
Trimming or pruning is best in early spring, after the heavy cold has started to dissipate. It’s important to first remove dead or insect-infected branches from your shrubbery. You should also take away any branches rubbing with one another.
Image Source: Pixabay
Here is another thing to remember when trimming the trees and bushes – use the three-cut method:
- The first cut needs to be a slight undercut on the bottom of the branch, about one-quarter through
- Make a second cut from above, about a quarter of an inch past the first cut
- Do the final cut above the branch collar or at the base of the branch
Power Wash Surfaces
Pressure washing surfaces around your house also helps remove dirt easily. In addition, pressure washing makes up for a great spring pest control step. This tool can help you exterminate pests and their nests within walls, wood, masonry, siding, or any similar surfaces.
To do power washing well, try these tips:
- Test the power of your pressure washer by spraying it a few feet away from anything
- Don’t spray on delicate objects like windows, light fixtures, and plants
- Spray horizontally in a smooth left to right motion and not randomly
Clean Out Gutters
Image Source: Pexels
Gutters are an ideal environment for termites and mosquitoes, especially if there’s a build-up of water there after winter. Once they start infesting your gutters, they could continue plaguing the rest of your home, so always take care of your gutters every time you do spring cleaning.
Here are some of the things you need to do to clean your gutters:
- Use a plastic scoop, or any similar tool, to remove the accumulated gunk from your gutters
- Lay down a tarp underneath your ladder to collect all the dirt you scoop out of the gutters
- Once you remove all dirt or debris, flush your gutters and downspouts with a garden hose so you wash off any remaining dirt
The Most Common Spring Pests
| Carpenter Ants | Carpenter ants emerge in spring to find food and shelter. They make colonies and damage the wood where they nest. |
| Mosquitoes | Mosquitoes are attracted to moisture, and after winter, you’re likely to have a lot of water build-up in your house. These insects carry diseases that can harm your family and your pets. |
| Termites | Termites are known to cause significant structural damage. They swarm at the beginning of the spring, where there’s an abundance of moisture. |
| Rats | Rats breed during spring, and they’re active all year long. Rats can contaminate your family with serious diseases, like leptospirosis. |
Pro Tip
Pests can get into a home through the smallest of cracks. So don’t forget to clean crawl spaces and gutters when doing springtime home and yard work.
-->