To help prevent pest invasion, listed below are conditions that attract, offer harborage, or provide entry for various pests. Eliminating these conditions will reduce current activity as well as prevent future infestations.
Spring
1. Wood to soil contact. Keep soil from touching wood to reduce pest access. If there must be wood to soil contact (on a porch or deck) use pressure-treated wood or material which is insect resistant. Eliminate hollow porch post and columns.
2. Ventilation and high moisture conditions. Eliminating damp conditions, increasing ventilation and replacing decayed wood, aids carpenter ant management and helps prevent future infestations by the ants and wood destroying fungi. This may include your cellar, crawl spaces or under dirt filled porches.
3. Flower and shrubbery beds. Adding crushed rock around the foundation instead of mulch will eliminate a food and harborage source for sow bugs, centipedes, millipedes and many other insects. Crushed rock is also a rodent and snake deterrent.
4. Leaking gutters and roof lines. Keep gutters and roof lines in good repair and free of debris to reduce wood rot. This reduces breeding areas for wood destroying insects. Satellite carpenter ant colonies are usually in areas of moisture damaged wood.
5. Openings at plumbing, electrical, and telephone line entrances into your home. Sealing openings around these entries reduces access for carpenter ants, stinging insects, and many occasional invaders.
6. Excessive plant cover around the foundation. Leaves and other debris under decks, in window wells, and behind bushes should be removed to eliminate decaying organic matter which may provide a food source or harborage for insects such as sow bugs, centipedes and millipedes.
Summer
1. Decks and porches. Leaves and other debris under decks, in window wells and behind bushes should be removed to eliminate decaying organic matter as well.
2. Deck flashing. Ensure all deck and porch flashing is in good repair to prevent water build up and leaks into your home. It has been our experience that a great number of carpenter ant infestations originate from leaks between sliding glass doors and decks or porches.
3. Excessive plant cover on and around your home. Vines and shrubbery growing on decks, and up the side of your home should be removed or at least well-trimmed. This will eliminate dampness and decaying organic matter which may provide a food source and harborage for insects. Continued dampness may lead to wood rot and become susceptible to carpenter ants.
4. Dead and rotten trees & stumps. Remove dead or rotten trees and stumps from around your home. Termites and other wood destroying insects commonly feed in these areas.
5. Overhanging tree limbs. Carpenter ants commonly nest in trees and stumps; and use branches and vines to gain access into structures. Trimming tree limbs that are in contact or overhang your home will reduce access for these ants as well as access for squirrels.
6. Proper lighting. To avoid attracting many flying insects out of the woods and into your home at night, use indirect instead of direct lighting. Also use sodium filled (yellow) light bulbs rather than mercury-filled bulbs. Move lighting away from your home and direct it toward your home to lure flying insects, spiders and earwigs away from the house instead of attracting them to it.
7. Pet bedding. Wash or replace pet bedding, pet blankets and pet pillows this time of year to reduce the occurrence of fleas. Vacuum all pet resting and sleeping areas to eliminate flea eggs. Vacuuming is helpful in removing fleas from closets, behind and under furniture, and in other so called “quiet zones.”
8. Torn window, door and attic vent screens. Tears and holes should be repaired to prevent flies, mosquitoes, stinging insects and cluster flies from entering your home.
Autumn
1. Firewood storage. Carpenter ants wil forage extensively and will travel as far as 100 yards from their nest. Store firewood as far from your home as possible—removing your home from the range of carpenter ants, termites and other wood-destroying insects.
2. Openings at plumbing, electrical, and telephone line entrances into your home. Sealing openings around these entries reduces access for many occasional invaders including house crickets, centipedes, millipedes and rodents.
Grocery bags stored improperly. Store a small number of paper grocery bags in a cool dry area. Damp grocery bags in a warm area provide harborage for cockroaches.
3. Unsealed recyclable storage practices. Store recyclables away from the kitchen in sealed containers. Unsealed recyclables provide food, water, and shelter for insects such as cockroaches and flies.
4. Un-caulked shower and tub fixtures. Many insects including silverfish will try to infest your bathroom. Keep all pipe chases sealed to prevent harborage for these pests.
5. Leaky plumbing fixtures. Leaky fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom, as well as outside spigots, provide a needed water source for many insects and rodents.
Door sweeps. Install door sweeps on exterior doors as well as on overhead garage doors to prevent mice, chipmunks and squirrels from entering this fall.
6. Excessive debris in gutters. Clean the gutters. Fal is the time to prevent water and ice back ups from damaging your roof and soffit. Moisture damaged wood will provide an excellent carpenter ant nesting site in the spring.
Winter
1. Prolonged storage of garments/fabrics. To prevent carpet beetle, cloth moth and other fabric insect damage, avoid prolonged storage of unused garments, bedding, any fur or animal pelts, old wool rugs, or upholstered furniture.
2. Food storage areas. Keep kitchen cabinets, pantry areas and other food storage areas clean and remove crumbs or food particles, as exposed food attracts insects. Use older products before newer ones, and opened packages first.
3. When purchasing packaged food, be certain containers are sealed. Check the packaging date. Packages with clear plastic or wax paper coverings should be checked for food-infesting moth larva and other insects.
4. Improper food storage practices. Store dried foods in insect proof containers such as screw top glass, heavy plastic, or metal containers. This prevents entry or escape of Indian Meal Moths and other pantry pests.
5. Purchase dried food in packages that can be used up in a short time. With families of our own, we realize the benefits to purchasing in bulk, however, whenever possible keep foods in dry storage less than 2 to 4 months.
6. Broken basement windows, warped doors, holes in the foundation, or unscreened vents. These are invasion routes for mice, rats and even squirrels. Close bulkhead doors tightly. Cover vents with metal grillwork, backed by rust resistant screening.
7. Trash containers clean, covered, and lined with plastic trash bags. Keep trash containers clean, covered, and lined with plastic trash bags to reduce this food source for cockroaches and rodents.
8. Pet food unsealed or left out overnight. Indian Meal Moths and other pantry pests will infest pet and bird food if left accessible. Keep pet and bird food sealed and unavailable to these pests. Rats and Mice will also feed on pet and bird foods.
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