Bugs! Everybody hates them. But we have them. And in the South, we even have some special ones, don’t we!!! Well, as long as they are outside in the wild, that’s fine…but when they make it inside our home or condo, that’s a whole other story!
Top 10 Ways to Keep Insects Out of Your Home
Whether you live in an apartment, condominium, or a single family home, bugs can be a problem. In the first two, you don’t have much control over your neighbors and how they might live, or how clean they keep their place. And if they don’t keep it clean, bugs could show up, and end up in your place too. In condos and apartments, the pest control is limited to the exterior of the building and common areas. The inside of your home is your responsibility.
A single family home has even more possibilities for bugs! So here are some ways to keep insects out of your home….keeping in mind that all of them may not apply to your particular living situation!
- Routinely empty all the trash and dump it down the trash chute or place it in outside garbage cans with tight fitting lids.
- Keep doors and windows closed when not in use. If possible, have screens on your windows, and a screen door that fits tight on exterior doors. Condo balcony doors are almost impossible to have any screening…so you have to watch for flying insects that could end up inside!
- Remove extra clutter from your home. In your basement or garage, these can provide nice warm living spaces for these things!
- Keep pet food in a sealed container. If you keep it in the garage, it’s food for more that Bow Wow!
- All food and beverages should remain in covered or sealed air-tight containers.
- Make sure to trim all hedges, trees and other landscaping back away from your house. If you live in a condo or apartment building, discuss this with maintenance personnel or management if you are having bug issues.
- Inspect the perimeter of your home and pay close attention to areas that could offer a way into your home. Again, in an apartment building, if your patio doors don’t close properly, contact maintenance to have them repaired/replaced if you ARE having issues. They may give you a hassle about this, but stand your ground.
- Change exterior lighting (if applicable) to low sodium vapor light bulbs. Most insects ARE attracted to light, but less attracted to low sodium vapor lighting. (NOTE: I confess…I have NO idea what this is!!!)
- Don’t bring them inside! That seems obvious, but I move outdoor plants inside for the winter that won’t survive the cold. I always inspect them for things I DON’T want in my house!
- If you have a basement or attic, install critter-proof mesh vents in attics and crawl spaces.
Some great tips to keep your home, condominium or apartment bug free!
As a disclaimer…..when I looked for a photo to attach to this post, I really did not want you, or anyone, to be freaked out, or creeped out by a bug photo! Bees are pretty cool and needed insects…but thought that photo would not send you screaming! If you really made it to THIS portion of the post, why not give me a “Thank You” comment for not scaring you!
