Preparing For The Heat Wave

Right now the bugs are keeping it a bit on the down-low during these supposed Southern California “winter months.” While it may not seem like it’s that much cooler, the weather really does affect the frequency of pest infestations. As we make our way to the warmer spring months, it is important to take a bit of preemptive action against pests. Here are some simple, non-chemical ways to prepare for the impending heat wave and pest rush here in Southern California

Keep Living Spaces Clean

Bugs need food and protein to live, that goes without saying. That means that ants will target that cheese crusted pizza box that got left on the kitchen sink, flies will buzz around all that dog poop in the backyard and cockroaches will sneak in from the dark to pick at all those dirty dishes in the sink. Keep your foods sealed tightly in the cupboards and make sure that the trash is taken out consistently and completely. Flour weevils will specifically target all those unsealed baking goods in the pantry, finding those guys while baking bread would just be disgusting.

There’s a reason why there’s a lot of bugs and pests in and around the trash, that’s because it’s filthy, and filth contains a lot of proteins that bugs like to go for. By neglecting to take out the trash or letting trash accumulate, the door is essentially opened up for creepy crawlies to come and clean it up for you.

Do Not Leave Standing Water

As things start to heat up, Southern Californians typically start to be around a lot more water. Water sports, swimming pools, playing in the sprinklers and water slides are all great ways to cool down in 110-degree weather, but tracked water in the house could lead to another open door for heightened pest infestations. Make sure to keep tracked water from the kids dried up inside the house and the bug water park will be closed for good.

Knock Down Webs

Imagine this: you leave home to go grocery shopping, picking up the basic necessities, dropping off the kids, all that good stuff. When you come home, your house is gone. Just plain gone. That’s what it’s like for spiders when you knock their webs down. They have no where to go, no where to catch food and all their babies are probably dead. It’s grotesque, but that’s how you can get rid of spiders, just wreck up the place.

Travel Cautiously

With Spring and Summer breaks on the horizon, thousands of people are already planning trips and vacations. Which is great, I hope they have a lot of fun, but travelling can increase the chance of taking some of those nasty pests home and having them infest their lives. When travelling, it is important to check your bags, wash your clothes in hot temperatures, and inspect any of those nifty souvenirs for evidence of pests, specifically bed bugs. One helpful tip is to leave all your bags outside when you get home from the trip, bringing them inside one at a time as your inspect and wash your belongings. It can be tedious, but I’ll take an hour of tedium over a bed bug infestation any day.

DIY Pest Control: Ineffective and Inefficient

Pest control isn’t particularly something many people want to pay for, but for some it is an unfortunate necessity. For various reasons, people with pest problems would rather invest in "do it yourself" pest control rather than have a (suave) Expert Pest Technician come by and do their service. Do it yourself pest control is a great idea in theory, but various nuances make it something might not be for you.

Access to Pesticides

Just like anything that’s that's useful, the professionals tend to get all the cool stuff. Pest control is no exception.

While over the counter pesticides found in most department stores will do a pretty good job killing off the trail of ants in your backyard within seconds, it’s still not as effective as the good stuff. Pest Control Technicians are specially licensed to handle and purchase more effective pesticides. The products they use typically have special residual or growth regulating properties, meaning after that trail of ants is dead, any spiders, earwigs etc. who pass through that treated area will be infected and die.

Do it yourself pest control products have a tendency to only kill what you spray, our products work like an invisible bug mine field. And unfortunately those products aren’t available to the general public.

Not a One Time Thing

Once that ant trail has been decimated by your $4.97 can of stinky chemicals, they shouldn’t be a problem anymore, right? Well actually, pests are a recurring problem, they’re just going to keep coming. Some city’s might as well be built on an anthill with the amount of problems people have. You might spend hours sealing your home off from critters and spraying pesticides where you think bugs get in from, but it will only be effective for so long.

Even with the products we use, we still recommend recurring services to most customers due to the issues they’re having.

A Bit Dangerous

Pesticides are rated and designed to be effective against specific species of insects, but that doesn’t mean that these products aren’t dangerous. Without proper training and knowledge, it can be easy to misuse a product and get sick or damage your property. In addition, some pests are poisonous, presenting a good deal of danger. Pest control technicians are specially trained to identify bugs and take necessary precautions.

Professionals Do It Best

When it comes down to it, the pros get it done the best. Our techs are professionally trained, licensed and carry years of experience. Trained pros can accurately and quickly assess the situation and use to best treatment method for job as well as the most cost efficient. To be effective with do it yourself pest control, you’ll notice that the library of knowledge needed is pretty extensive. And on top of that, you may find yourself treating for fleas when you’ve actually got bed bugs. And those are just awful.

Besides, who wants to crawl under a house looking for dead rats? Pest control guys apparently.