Tips to Battle Bugs This Spring
Warm weather and blooming buds are welcome signs that spring has finally sprung. Unfortunately, unwelcome critters and insects are also fans of sunshine and greenery — they thrive in it. You’ve worked hard to keep your home warm and cozy and bugs are the first to take notice. Ants, termites, mosquitos and bed bugs are among the top culprits of spring insect infestations. Luckily, just a few proactive measures can reduce the risk of pest home infiltration. Follow these tips to keep your home vermin-free all season long.
Wash and Dry With Hot Water
You don’t necessarily need to throw out your bed, box springs and bedding at the first sign of a bed bug. It’s possible to treat bed bugs with natural remedies. Wash your bedding in hot water to kill any bed bugs in your bedding. Although bed bugs can’t swim, you need the heat to kill off the eggs. After you finish washing, immediately put the infested items into your dryer on the hot cycle. Bag your laundry in sealed plastic bags and bins to contain any dead bugs.
Make Your Own Bug Spray
Start treating your pest problem by making your own bug spray. Fill a spray bottle halfway with distilled water, witch hazel and up to 50 drops of essential oils, such as rosemary, eucalyptus or lavender, and spray the infested areas. Furthermore, rubbing distilled lavender oil on the hot parts of your body, such as your underarms and neck, can help repel bed bugs and keep them from biting you at night, claims Wellness Mama.
Take your natural remedy a step further by sprinkling diatomaceous earth in the infested areas to kill crawling insects, including bed bugs, fleas, ticks, silverfish and spider mites.
Set up Regular Exterminator Appointments
Many pests can be difficult to see or detect until it’s too late. Ask for quarterly appointments with your local exterminator to look for everything from bed bugs to termites to protect your home. Your exterminator may look in crawlspaces, under your porch, in shady areas and in any damp places for possible warning signs and infestations. Then, they may recommend heat or chemical treatments for any existing problems. If you have pets, make sure they know ahead of time and take preventative measures to ensure their safety.
Vacuum Repeatedly
Dead bugs, eggs and even live bugs can be swept away in a vacuum. Pests can dwell in a lot of unlikely places, so be sure to vacuum everything from your bed frame to your furniture to every crevice in your home. Afterward, make sure to seal your vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag before throwing it in your garbage to keep any live insects or eggs inside. Follow up after your spring cleaning by spraying your home with essential oils and other pesticides.
Implement Prevention Strategies
To prevent pests from coming into your home, seal up any holes and cracks with caulk and look for pipes and wires that make openings in your exterior. Give your home a good spring cleaning every year and organize old boxes, reduce clutter and get rid of junk to help keep pests away.