Every homeowner should ensure their home’s temperature is consistent for comfortable living. Unfortunately, your crawl space could contribute to your home’s ever-changing temperature. Crawl spaces can be impacted by moisture and pests, making it essential to fix these issues promptly. Read on to learn more about crawl space care for your home.
Moisture in Your Crawl Space
Living in the southeast can bring high humidity. This humidity contributes to conditions suitable for fungi growth and wood rot. Over time, these conditions can cause severe health issues for family members who suffer from asthma and allergies. If you notice excessive moisture in your crawl space and North Carolina home, it’s best to resolve it in a timely manner.
Pests in Your Crawl Space
After the warmer months leave, your crawl space might become a refuge for pests and wildlife. Some pests that might seek shelter and comfort in your crawl space include ants, crickets, spiders, mice, and cockroaches. Termites will also find it easier to eat away at our home’s structure if it is moist enough.
Crawl Space Care Tips
Enclosing or encapsulating your crawl space is one of the best methods for taking care of your crawl space, although there are some do-it-yourself crawl space care measures you can implement on your own to improve the health of your home’s crawl space.
Eliminate moisture by repairing leaky faucets and clearing clogged drains
Seal any exterior cracks or holes to keep pests from easily accessing your home
Eliminate any additional food supplies and hiding places for pests and wildlife, such as woodpiles stored near your home
Replace any loose mortar around foundations and weatherstripping around windows and doors.
If you suspect you have pest infestations or moisture problems in your crawlspace, reach out to a pest control company near you to schedule a free inspection and receive the best plan of action today!
Seeing cockroaches in your home is never ideal. Certain roaches can mean there is an infestation, instead of just one. Failing to remove these pests can lead to unpleasant outcomes and more sightings.
We have broken down the most common cockroaches found in North Carolina and how to keep them away; let’s check it out!
German Cockroach
These roaches are generally light to dark brown and have two stripes near the back of their head. This species does have wings but rarely uses them. They prefer dark, moist places, such as basements and crawl spaces. They don’t do well in the cold, so they thrive better here in the South.
American Cockroach
Larger than the German cockroach, these roaches can get up to four centimeters in length. They develop wings towards the end of their lifecycle, with males having some longer than their bodies. They can be identified easily with a yellow band behind their head. They are typically found where there is an abundance of food, so restaurants see more infestations than homeowners would. They prefer dark or damp wood piles in the wild.
Here are some ways to prevent cockroaches and keep them away from your home.
Eliminate food sources: store food in airtight containers and do not leave food out on counters
Clean up food debris: make sure crumbs are not left on the counters and vacuum often to keep food off the floors
Declutter your home: clutter provides free hiding places for roaches; be sure to keep clutter minimal
Seal all entry points: key risks are windows, doors, pipes, and drains. Be sure to seal all open areas to keep them out of your home.
If you think you have a roach infestation, be sure to reach out to your local pest control company. These professionals will provide the best plan of action to keep roaches out of your home.
Even though bed bugs can be removed with heat treatments, it doesn’t mean that they completely hate the heat. What it does mean is that bed bugs are still very active in the South, especially in North Carolina. When the heat is in the ‘80s and ‘90s, this increases activity for bed bugs. It’s best for every homeowner to begin preventing them now, so you can sleep soundly at night.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny, oval, brown insects that feed on the blood of animals or humans. About the size of an apple seed, these pests are known to be passive spreaders, as they won’t spread from house to house but instead spread by hitchhiking. .
How Do We Avoid Them?
Bed bugs can enter your home undetected through luggage, clothes, used beds, used furniture, and other items. Being most active at night, that is when they will make their move to bite you and have their meal. If you discover you have bed bugs, you will need to move fast. They can produce up to 3 generations within a year, so they spread quickly.
Reduce the clutter in your home to give them fewer hiding spaces
Be vigilant when using shared laundry facilities
If you believe your home has become infested with bed bugs, be sure to reach out to your local pest control company, and a technician will be able to come up with the best bed bug control solution for you.
If you plan on spending any time outside this summer, there is a good chance you will get a mosquito bite. Once mosquitoes bite, they cause a minor allergic reaction. Most often, the skin will raise and turn red. The itch itself comes from the allergic reaction to the saliva. It’s an anticoagulant that the mosquito injects while sucking your blood.
So, how do you treat a mosquito bite?
Wash the affected area with soap and water. You can also use rubbing alcohol to remove any excess saliva that is still on the skin.
Apply ice to the bite as soon as you become aware that you have been bitten. The ice can help alleviate the pain and swelling.
Avoid scratching. This will only aggravate the itch and prolong healing. You can apply an anti-itch medication to the area of the bite to keep you from scratching. You can also try home remedies such as applying toothpaste, baking soda, or Epsom salt.
Make sure to keep an eye out to make sure your bite doesn’t get infected. You can tell a bite is infected if it appears red, feels warm, or has a red streak spread outward from the bite. If your symptoms worsen, please see a healthcare provider. Also, if a bite causes a fever, vomiting, or shortness of breath, call 911 or get to an emergency room as soon as possible.
Household pests are any undesired animal that has a history of living, invading, causing damage to, eating food from, acting as a disease vector for, or causing any other harm to a human habitat. While many are just considered a nuisance, some household pests can become dangerous as they pose a risk to health, property, and lifestyle. Also, household pests aren’t just limited to insects. They include arachnids, rodents, and wildlife.
While household pests can be found year-round, some are more common in the summer months. Here are four of the most common summer pests and how you can prevent them.
Mosquitoes
Mosquito season peaks during the summer months. Mosquitoes are able to reproduce in large numbers due to the warm weather and humid environments that accelerate their life cycle. If you have standing water on your property, you will most likely see mosquitoes since this is where they lay their eggs. Mosquitoes can be dangerous to humans as they carry pathogens that can cause serious diseases such as Zika and West Nile virus.
Mosquitoes can be prevented by:
Wearing clothing that covers your arms and legs
Eliminating areas of standing water
Repairing or replacing torn window screens
Applying insect repellent
Ants
Ants hibernate in the winter and come out in full force during the summer. Ants are usually seen indoors during the summer because they’re searching for food and water as these can become scarce for them. They are also building up their reserves for the fall and winter months.
Ants can be prevented by:
Keeping your home clean, especially the kitchen
Not leaving pet food and water bowls outdoors
Sealing cracks and holes in your home’s exteriors
Keeping trees and shrubs trimmed away from the house
Termites
Termite swarming season is in the spring, but these newly established colonies grow exponentially in the summer. Termites can go long periods of time undetected. This allows them to cause significant damage to your home. It’s important to keep an eye out for signs of termites so you’re able to catch them early.
Termites can be prevented by:
Eliminating wood to soil contact around foundations
Keeping plants a few feet away from your home
Fixing leaks and eliminating any other sources of excess moisture
Having an annual termite inspection performed
Flies
Flies invade your home in the summer months to escape the heat. While they only reproduce during the hotter months, getting indoors allows them to do so even more prolifically.
Flies can be prevented by:
Keeping windows, doors, and vents sealed
Using garbage cans with tight fitting lids
Storing food in airtight containers
Not leaving dirty dishes out
Turning off outdoor lights at night
Don’t let these common pests ruin your summer. If you have a problem with any of these pests, contact your local pest control company. They will be able to help eliminate them safely and prevent them going forward.
