American Pest Acquires Atlas Exterminator Co. Inc.,
09/08/2020
Fulton, MD, August 31, 2020—American Pest, Washington DC’s leading provider in modern, preventative pest management, acquires Atlas Ext...
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When we say D.C. has some irritating pests, we're not talking about congress. Our nation’s capital has all the usual suspects that invade homes during the summer months. You'll find stinging insects squeezing in through vulnerabilities in your roofline. You'll have carpenter bees boring tunnels up into your eaves and under your steps. You'll have ants, millipedes, centipedes, earwigs and a host of other creepy crawlies getting into your cellar. There is just no end. So, how do you resist pests? What is the magic formula that will repel those invaders? What concoction will do the exact opposite of Love Potion No. 9?
The truth is: there is no miracle formula to safely repel all pests. But you can resist them. Imagine, it's sort of like wearing frumpy clothing, leaving your hair a mess, and not bathing for a couple weeks. If you make your yard less attractive to pests, you'll have fewer pests trying to get into your home. Here are the ways you can make yourself ugly.
Do you smell pretty? Cut it out.
Bugs are attracted to the smell of rotting food. If you have an open trash can or a compost pile, you could be giving the "come hither" to all those bugs. Put all trash in sealable cans to keep the odors from luring in unwanted guests. If you have a compost pile, make sure it has a 20:1 ratio of carbon to nitrogen. Carbon is generated by items like dried leaves, straw, twigs and branches. Nitrogen-rich materials are green, like grass clippings and vegetable matter. If you have the right mix, your compost pile won't have that nasty smell those bugs love. It will smell earthy instead.
Are you offering to take those bugs out to dinner? Stop it.
Pests love to eat out. Get rid of any food sources in your yard. Food can come in many forms. Obviously, you'll want to put away any food items left over after a barbecue, but the open trash listed above isn't only pretty to smell, it is pretty to eat. Those little pests will think you took them to a 5-star restaurant.
When you have lots of flying insects dining on your trash, you'll actually be creating another food source: The bugs themselves. Spiders think flies are tasty. If you don't want spiders around, don't have flies around. That brings us to the next point.
Are you all sparkly? Stop dolling yourself up!
There are a ton of pests that are attracted to light. You'll have everything from mosquitoes to termites checking you out if you give them something pretty to look at. But light doesn't just come from exterior lighting, it can come from your windows. Have you ever seen a bug smashing its face on a window, trying to get out? It is because that bug sees the bright sunshine outside. The opposite is true at night. If you're letting light out at night, you'll have bugs swooning over you. Close the drapes and keep your exterior lighting off. If you must have lights on, especially for security reasons, use yellow, insect-resistant light bulbs.
Summer is the time when a whole host of pests are going to want to invade your D.C. home. Making your yard less attractive for them can help keep the amount of pests down. Combine those easy prevention steps with a year-round pest control plan from the experts here at American Pest and you will surely have the clear advantage. When you have routine pest service, you don't have to keep your guard up quite so much, and you can even leave those exterior lights on for occasions when it is nice to enjoy an evening outside. Contact us today!
