Getting
The Best Of Pests:
When summer arrives in most areas, the pest
parade usually begins. The ones we're talking
about don't honk the horn in the driveway, they
march across your kitchen counters, ride in on
the dog, or go swimming in your gutters.
Once you've tightened and mended all the screens
and filled the obvious cracks and holes with
caulking, here is your second line of defense.
(Screens with 16 meshes per inch are best for
keeping out small insects.)
Carpenter Bees:
These large bees are usually harmless to humans
but bore holes into wood siding and trim to make
their nests. A short term partial preventative
is to brush apply a wood preservative over
popular areas like fascia boards behind gutters
and rake boards along the gable ends of a house.
Inject sevin into the holes and putty them
over.
Ants:
You will notice ants marching to and from a food
source. They are taking food to their nesting
area. Observe their line of march and try to
locate their nest which may be inside or outside
the house or in a wall or floor. If you see them
entering from a wall or floor area try to pick
up their line of march on the opposite side.
Effective treatments require treatment of the
nest area itself. Be patient and try hard to
find it. Spray apply a liquid insecticide
containing diazanon or malathion (malathion has
a strong odor) to general open areas but
consider applying liquids with a small paint
brush in kitchen areas. Once this is done, caulk
any overlooked cracks or holes along their line
of march.
Fleas and Ticks:
Early in the summer, the grasses around our
homes abound with fleas and ticks which may then
jump on our pets and ride inside our homes. Here
they drop off, lay eggs and again attack the
dog. The best prevention is to keep the grass
cut short and to dip pets in a mild insecticide.
The most effective insecticide dips are
obtainable via veterinarians and last about a
month. Budget $12 to $15 per summer for a
midsized dog, half of this for a cat. Thoroughly
vacuum, then disinfect the house with a chemical
like "RidABug" (contains Durasban) or "PreCor"
(with the growth regulator chemical, methoprene)
sprayed into cracks around the floors and on
rugs and upholstered furniture and particularly
where the dog sleeps. Folk wisdom has it that
feeding brewers yeast mixed with the pet's food
will make them considerably less attractive to
fleas and ticks. It also has it that a dilute
solution of "Penny Royal" available from health
food stores is an effective repellant when
sprayed on pets and humans too. It is said to
smell like cloves and apparently will even keep
the gnats at bay. Cocoa butter also is said to
keep gnats at bay.
Flies:
House flies are filthy and breed in our garbage.
Make sure your trash cans have very tight
fitting lids or keep your plastic liners tied.
Don't allow food to stand out and immediately
clean up after pets. If you want to use an
insecticide make sure it is for "flying insects"
and be sure to follow the directions.
Centipedes and Millipedes:
These multi-legged crawlers invade our homes by
accident, usually when the leaves and mulch
around the house begins to dry with the summer
heat. They don't cause damage but may be
annoying. Spray a diazanon and sevin solution
directly on them and brush or vacuum them up.
Spiders:
Remove any loose materials laying around the
house perimeter and clean up any trash. Broom
down any webs or egg sacs and crush the sacs
under foot. Use pyrethrum aerosols on spider
infested areas.
Wasps:
If the nest isn't in a contact area leave it
alone. ALLERGY SUFFERERS SHOULD AVOID ALL
CONTACT WITH WASPS. Wasps are best killed inside
their nest at night. (Avoid using a flashlight.)
A liquid spray directed into the hole of the
nest is effective. Dust or surface spray
underground nests at night and then cover the
openings with a shovel full of moist dirt to
prevent them getting out.
Bats:
Bats usually roost in attics or unused parts of
the house. They must be screened out of the
house. Use 1/4 inch hardware cloth. Clean up any
feces as the odor seems to be an attraction to
them. Steel wool stuffed into cracks is often
effective. If fumigation becomes necessary,
leave this to professionals. Wear gloves if you
have to pick up a dead bat. DON'T HANDLE LIVE
BATS.
Mosquitos:
Destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitos by
draining any water sources. Don't overlook
blocked or clogged gutters and downspouts and
drop some oil in puddles that may collect on
flat roofing. Don't forget the saucers under
potted plants either. Use a "flying insect"
insecticide inside your home.
Squirrels, Raccoons, and Nesting Birds:
Secure 1/4 to 1/2 inch 16 gauge hardware cloth
over any attic or overhanging soffit louvers and
across chimney tops. Encourage existing tenants
to leave by placing moth crystals or ammonia in
pie tins in attics or within fireplaces prior to
screening.
Crickets:
Crickets usually come into houses late in the
summer and can chew on clothing or fabrics but
mostly they make noise and can be generally
annoying. The best bet is to seal all cracks
around basement windows and doors and use a
diazanon spray around baseboards, in closets, or
any cracks where they might hide. Use dusts on
bare concrete floors of basements or other
non-traffic areas.
Be especially careful using insecticides; read
the directions carefully for both use and
disposal.