Warm weather starts early and stays late in the southern states.  This combination can create the perfect breeding ground for many common pests.  Don’t let these household annoyances ruin your summer.  Put an effective pest control management plan into action early, before bugs become a problem.

There are a few types of insects that seem to go hand in hand with summer like flies, mosquitos, ticks and a few species of ants.  Besides having regular treatments from a qualified pest exterminator, here are a few ways you can control the backyard nuisances.

Ants
Ant hills are unsightly and their bites can be painful or even cause a serious allergic reaction.  There are a few types of ants that may become problematic pests.

• Sugar Ants
• Carpenter Ants
• Fire Ants

Sugar ants (Odorous House Ants) are pretty harmless, as ants go.  They don’t typically deliver a stinging bite or destroy wood like their cousins.  However, if you see one then many more will soon follow.  Small and brown or black, they march long lines to any food source like a pet’s food bowl or dropped candy.  They are nature’s clean-up crew but can also foul your food stores.

Carpenter ants are much larger and more destructive.  The tunnel through wood, especially damp wood like the spot where your deck meets the earth.  They can reduce a once-strong timber to a rotting husk in only a season or so.

Fire ants will attack en mass with many painful stings if they feel threatened.  Their venom usually just hurts but it can also cause allergic reactions ranging from an itchy rash to anaphylactic shock or even death.

Control ants with baits and visits from a professional exterminator.  Eliminate standing water and any food sources.  Caulk foundation cracks and replace worn weather stripping around doors.

Flies
Flies walk and lay their eggs on manure so you surely don’t want them landing on your counters or food.  Check your window screens for holes and make sure your windows doors have good weather stripping.

Outside, store your household trash in a tightly lidded waste container.  Keep animal waste to a minimum by frequently policing the yard.

Mosquitos
Mosquitos can carry diseases that affect pets and people in addition to delivering an itchy bite.  They can make an outdoor gathering miserable.  The hot, damp conditions often found in the southern US are an ideal breeding ground for these pesky bugs.

Eliminating standing water is the key to curbing the mosquito population on your property.  This is where they breed and develop.  Dump out anything that holds even a few ounces of water for more than a day after a rain.  Turn containers upside down and don’t let tires or other water-holding objects accumulate.  A pest control agent can help reduce the number of mosquitos already hatched and feeding in your yard.

Ticks
Ticks are another disease-bearing bug.  They can affect you, your family and your pets alike.  They can transmit Lyme disease to humans, which can have long-lasting symptoms and few treatment options.

Control ticks by keeping grass mowed and shrubby areas trimmed back.  A neatly cut yard isn’t very inviting for ticks.  Check your pets each time they come in from outside and don’t forget to search your children, too.  If you’ve been in the woods, have someone give you a good search as well.

Remove ticks with pointed tweezers, gently pulling straight up.  Never squeeze or smash an attached tick.  Whatever is in them will be shot directly into the host.

Take some time to consult with a qualified pest exterminator at Hopper Environmental Services about summer pest control and lawn care.  He can help you cut back on bothersome bugs so your summer will be much more enjoyable.

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