Even if you try your best to keep your immediate space clean and pest-free, chances are the pest issues will knock again, at least every once in a while; if so, you’re not alone. No matter the sort of pest or critter issues one may face, be it bugs, insects, rodents, ants, flies, mosquitoes, or others, the reason for their recurrence despite best efforts, in most cases, is because of unintentional pest-attracting factors. The following article discusses some everyday things that attract unwanted critters and how you can reduce the chances of pest infestation for good by managing these.
Porch And Landscape Lights
It may not seem noteworthy, but the kind of lights you have around the house, especially in open areas like the porch or the yard, can impact your insect situation.
LED lights that emit blue, white, or other cooler tones are insect-attracting, considering how insects see three different colors – green, ultraviolet, and blue. The cool tones primarily attract them the most. If you’ve observed a similar situation or have cool light tones in places like these, switching them with warmer, more yellow light will do the job right at making your house less appealing to the insects.
Gaps In The Siding And Other Cracks
Unlike humans, bugs and critters who are not big fans of entering through the main door prefer a secret ingress that the gaps and cracks provide. It can be a gap in the siding, missing door sweeps, tiny cracks in the fountain, etc.
However, sealing the gaps and cracks is essential because they offer access to pests and because these places act as their hiding and breeding grounds. Mites, ticks, etc., make for some excellent examples of how a single bug can cause a full-blown infestation if left unattended in a crack.
Indoor-Outdoor Pets
Pets are undoubtedly adorable and inviting, but humans are not alone in thinking that. Insects, ticks, mites, and other bugs attach themselves to your pets, which are eventually brought back into the house. But that’s only one way.
Besides your pets, their food and waste also attract critters equally well. Therefore, to take care of their food storage setup, waste disposal, and of course, overall grooming and care become of utmost importance to avoid unwanted guests at all times.
High Humidity
Moisture attracts many pest types, considering how it is not just humans who have daily water requirements. However, high humidity here does not only indicate moisture in the atmosphere that attracts pests from cockroaches to ants, springtails, etc., rather quite a few other sources around the house as well, including:
- Gutters, downspouts, or anywhere with standing water makes for a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
- Wasps that are hunting for water may find the water dripping from your air conditioner attractive as well.
- Termites are usually drawn towards the water-soaked wood, besides just regular wood, cardboards, etc.
- Unused drains and faucets with dripping water may attract several types of pests, from rodents to flies.
Bird Seeds
To feed birds is a good thing, but are you also providing other bugs with food. Birdseed is not merely popular among birds but also bugs like moths, especially the Indian meal moth, that typically loves to feed on the grains.
Not storing bird seeds properly, buying a bag of already infested birdseed, leaving it out in the open without proper attention, or leaving tiny grains around the house are a few ways insects find their way into your home.
