Pest Prevention in North Central Florida

Here’s the single most important thing there is to know about pest prevention in North Central Florida. Bugs and rodents – basically, any type of pest – want three things: food, moisture, and shelter. If they can find those three things in your home, they will likely decide to move in. If they can’t find them, they will go looking elsewhere for them. Yes, it’s that simple, folks.

And once they’re in, pests are not only irritating, they cause physical damage to your home, spread germs, irritate allergies, and downright make you uncomfortable. Nobody wants that. So let our team of experts help you with some practical pest prevention tips. We’re a team of pest prevention experts in North Central Florida, and here’s what we recommend and practice in our own homes to keep the critters at bay all year.

How to Prevent Pests in Your House

Earlier, we talked about how the key to pest prevention is eliminating pests’ access to three key resources: food, water, and shelter. Here are a few tips that will help prevent pests by removing their access to those resources.

• Fix any leaky faucets inside and outside your home: a leaky faucet can look like a desert oasis to a pest – and if they can find somewhere nearby to nest, even better.
• Do not put open garbage cans under your sink: Open garbage cans under the sink act as a magnet for flies, rodents, roaches, and ants.
• Store food in properly sealed containers: Food that is not sealed tight or properly stored can attract roaches, weevils, and mice.
• Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight: Dirty dishes left in your sink overnight, let roaches thrive! Remember most roaches are nocturnal; that is awake at night.
• Put away pet food bowls all day and all night: If you leave your pet food bowls out all day and night it is like an open invitation for unwanted guests.
• Keep the area around your outside trash cans clean: Bleach your trash cans every few months: Outdoor trash bins are bug and fly treasures! Keep the area around your trash cans clean and bleach them out every so often to keep the odor down. The bugs are attracted to the smell.
• Fix any broken or cracked attic screens: Broken or cracked attic screens will allow the pests to move into your home.
• Properly seal your attic and crawl space: Improperly sealed attics and crawl spaces can become a new home to spiders and other pests!
• Foam around any gaps between plumbing pipes and walls: Any small gap between plumbing pipes and walls is a real problem! If mice can get their nose through the hole, the rest of their body will follow. They can squeeze through holes the size of dimes!
• If your roof leaks or you have a blocked gutter, get it fixed ASAP: A leaking roof or blocked gutter is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
• Keep your lawn mowed and plants around your home trimmed: Rodents and other pests can get into your home by the tall grass or yard debris.
• Keep piles of firewood around 20 feet away from your home: Piles of firewood near your home can attract ants and termites! Not to mention it could be a fire hazard.

What About Rodent Prevention?

Rodent prevention and pest prevention go hand in hand; many of the same strategies for one will work for the other. A rodent’s goal is to live and breed, and it needs food, water, and shelter to do those things, so focus on taking those out of the equation. 

Rodents are very resourceful, so a big part of rodent prevention comes down to not letting them inside in the first place. That’s why rodent exclusion is such an important part of rodent prevention, especially sealing entry points. For more information, check out our 10 Most Common Rodent Entry Point infographic.

We’re Your North Central Florida Pest Prevention Experts

Pest prevention is all about recognizing potential problems and acting proactively so they don’t become problems. By following the tips in this article, you’ll go a long way toward preventing pests in your home. We also offer pest control service plans that can protect you all year as new seasonal pest threats emerge. 

If you have questions or you’re ready to schedule an inspection, reach out to our friendly team. We’re ready to work for you, so call us today.