Knowledge is Power
Insect Intelligence and Prevention
10 Tips to Protect Your Home & Yard
Understanding pests and their habits gives you the upper hand.
Block Pest Entry to Your Home
It’s hard for pests to irritate you if they can’t find a way in! Make it hard on them:
- Check window screens for holes, repair as needed.
- Check for gaps around doors and windows.
- Caulk and replace with weather stripping as needed.
Keep a Clean Kitchen
It’s a pile of crumbs to you and me, but it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet to ants and other insects.
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight.
- Wipe down counters.
- Sweep floors.
- Put food away immediately.
- Take the trash out regularly.
Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
At the first sign of fruits becoming overripe, dispose of them. Otherwise, fruit flies are sure to take advantage of your hospitality – and that’s a headache you don’t want.
Don’t Throw Meat in the Outside Garbage Too Early
Time your meat disposal carefully. Rotten meat sitting in a hot trash can will attract flies, raccoons, mice and worse. Raccoons and mice won’t let a plastic trash can stand between them and such a feast. To avoid hosting this unintentional feast, wait until a day or two before trash pickup to toss out unwanted meat.
Don’t Bring the Outside in
Keep outside toys outside and inside toys inside. If you have to bring in a toy, chair, or table, thoroughly wipe it down first. You’re sure to find cobwebs and spiders on the underside.
Eliminate Standing Water
Standing water is mosquitos’ breeding ground of choice. Walk your property and check everywhere for potential standing water. Mosquitos only need about a bottlecap’s worth:
- Rain spouts
- Around air conditioning units
- Toys scattered in the yard
- Gutters
- Potted plants
- Low-lying areas
Avoid Overgrowth
Pests of all kinds prefer overgrown areas.
- Trim bushes and trees near the house.
- Keep grass low and away from the house.
- Rake and remove debris.
Firewood Storage = Termite Bait
Termites are often found in damp or wet firewood. Unsplit wood with bark is more likely to attract insects than split wood. Don’t attract termites to your home.
- Stack wood in loose piles, off the ground to keep it dry.
- Store firewood away from your house. The further away, the better.
Check the Places you Least Expect
We’re not the only ones that enjoy outdoor furniture. Check chains, corners of swing sets, straps and pads of outdoor furniture and all the other nooks and crannies they provide. These are great homes for everything from ants to black widows.
It may be obvious, but…
Hire a pest control service! We may be a little partial to our own brand, because we believe our 75 years of experience keeping the Oklahoma City metro pest-free speaks for itself, but whether you go with Acenitec or another company, simple pest control will keep you and your family comfortable and safe. This is your home, after all. Spiders, ants, mice, fleas, scorpions and mosquitos can find their own!
Mosquito Management
Knocking out mosquitos around your home is largely a matter of prevention. Getting rid of breeding sites is the best way to eliminate them before they appear. When you see standing water anywhere in your yard, it should look like a mosquito party to you. If mosquitos are already out of control, contact us for help!
Please don’t fog or mist your entire yard with mosquito-killing insecticides.
It will likely only put a slight dent in the mosquito population, while wiping out countless harmless and beneficial insects – including pollinators like butterflies and bees, praying mantises, ladybugs and others. Instead, follow these prevention tips and trust Acenitec to handle the rest.
“Blanket spraying everything is environmentally irresponsible”
Gary Roberts, Acenitec President
Mosquito Prevention Tips
- Eliminate artificial water containers such as aluminum cans, old tires, plant-watering pales, or buckets.
- Check flowerpots and other plant containers for standing water or wet soil. Loosening soil may allow water to soak in better.
- Change water in bird baths and wading pools once or twice a week. Drain wading pools when not in use.
- Stock garden and lily ponds with top-feeding minnows.
- Keep rain gutters clean and unclogged, and keep flat roofs dry.
- Drain and fill stagnant pools, puddles, ditches and other swampy areas.
- Keep margins of small ponds clear of vegetation.
- Put tight covers over rain barrels, tubs, septic tanks, etc.
- Fill tree holes with sand, or – better yet – drill a hole that slopes down for drainage.
- Remove tree stumps that may hold water.
- Keep weeds in surrounding areas mowed, including nearby vacant lots.
- Keep screening and weather-stripping around doors and windows in good repair.