Controlling The Pests So They Don't Control You

After a winter of snow covering your yard and low temperatures, all the pests and insects that have been hibernating start to emerge from their places to take over your yard or ultimately get into your home. However, you can take some helpful steps to keep your personal space protected and reduce the occurrence of yard infestations. Here are some recommendations for great results with your yard pest control this spring.

Complete Spring Cleaning

Within your yard outside, there is going to be a collection of debris that has collected over the past fall and winter seasons. And as the homeowner, it is your responsibility to clean it up as best as you can to reduce the occurrence of pests making it their permanent home. You don't want a habitat in your yard where grasshoppers, ants, spiders, grubs, and other harmful insects will thrive and multiply to the eventual damage of your yard landscaping. And you also don't want your pile of wood, leaves, and other yard trash to create a house for rats or mice.

Make your spring cleaning routine part of your yard cleanup to remove piles of organic debris and waste. Clear away last year's ground cover growth and dispose of fallen leaves, twigs, and tree branches that can attract pests. If you do find a nest from mice or rats, be sure you protect yourself from disease with a respirator and gloves, then bag up the nest contents and throw it away. Contact your local pest control professional if you notice an abundance of spider or insect nests within your vegetation or along the perimeter of your home foundation. They will be able to treat the area with a safe pesticide to prevent a summer infestation.

Protect Your Lawn

If you did not mow your lawn shorter in the fall, you may end up with pest problems in your lawn come spring. Rodents can tunnel through long lawn growth and get quite a bit of protection from it, especially when it is covered by snow all winter. So during the spring and summer, you still want to keep up on the lawn's length to keep it from growing too long and falling over upon itself. Trim it weekly and watch for pest problems while you mow. Pests will emerge from your lawn when there is mowing activity, and it gives you a good chance to look over every square foot of its surface. 

If you notice any dead patches in your lawn, it can indicate a lawn grub problem. You can dig down below the thatch to see if the dead areas are because the roots of your lawn have been eaten or try pulling up on the dead lawn spots to see if it is loose from the soil. Treat your lawn and these areas immediately with a grub lawn pesticide, or contact your pest control specialist for a specialized treatment program. The sooner you see lawn damage and start a treatment, the more you can save your lawn.