The last thing you want when you are about to sit down to dinner is an army of ants showing up to chow down. Nor do you want to see roaches, grubs, flies, or any other bugs in your home. Even the ladybug, a beloved insect in the garden, doesn’t come off as appealing in your home. So what can you do to keep bugs out of your home? Here are some tips:

Make sure that doors and entryways are sealed, as well as windows

It doesn’t take much space for an insect to get into your home, so make sure that the areas around doors are protected with things like thresholds, door sweeps, and weatherstripping. As for windows, make sure that the area around the windows is sealed – if it is not, use things like weatherstripping and caulk to do so. And instead of having open windows or doors when it is too hot, make sure that you have screen doors, and screens on your windows, to keep out unwanted pests. An open window or door is a huge temptation to bugs.

Be careful with food

It is important to keep sanitary habits in place, to make your home inhospitable to bugs. Try to keep your eating to the kitchen, but if the idea of snacks in front of the television is irresistible, at least be sensible about it. That means bringing your dishes and uneaten food back to the kitchen to be taken care of.  Make sure you do not leave plates of partially eaten food lying around – do your dishes regularly – and take the trash out regularly as well. And keep your pantry food sealed so that bugs do not find a hospitable place to hide.

Cleanliness can keep the bugs away

In addition to clean food habits, you also want to keep your home neat, so bugs do not have a gathering place in your clutter. So throw out newspapers regularly, and keep the rest of your clutter to a minimum. You don’t want to have a family of bugs reproducing in your clutter before you even know they exist!

Don’t forget about good lawn care

 

Many bugs get their start in your home by growing in your yard. This is where regular lawn care comes in. You do not want to have standing water, which can be a breeding ground for bugs. The same goes for messy lawns, with leaves piling up, or for thatch buildup. In addition, lawn professionals have methods of perimeter pest control to stop the bugs before they decide to make it into your home. For instance, perimeter pest control services from Lawn Doctor are aimed at ridding the perimeter of your house of all sorts of bugs, including ants, crickets, spiders and various multi-legged pests. Make sure you are diligent with having a clean, uncluttered yard – this can prevent bugs from getting on your property in the first place.