Why Are Pests More Active In Summer?
Reasons Why Pest Control Increases During Warmer Months
If you own a property you notice more pests coming out in summer time. Pest control companies are always at their busiest during the warmer months. But why does that happen? We recently had a chat Scott Dixon with from Pest Control Gold Coast to find out his opinion on the matter. “Summer is always our busiest time, home owners notice more and more cockroaches and ants so we get allot of calls” Scott mentioned. “It’s the change in temperature and they are more active in finding a food source and breeding”, he added. Scott has been in the pest control industry for over 15 years and is well respected in the industry throughout South East Queensland.
According to the Smithsonian Institute, a federal trust established by the U.S. government in 1864, there is an astounding 10 Quintillion (that’s a 10 followed by 18 zeros!) bugs in the world. If you are an active homeowner with a growing family, you may feel at times as if you have more than your fair share of those 10 quintillion living in your house.
In this article, well describe pest control factors you can employ in your home to minimize invasion of the little critters. We’ll also cover how often to employ pest control and how to do it?
Are you ready? If you’re already being invaded, perhaps this short blog comes none too soon.
A few words that exterminators would like you to know
According to an article in Woman’s Day Magazine entitled “10 Things Your Exterminator Wants to Tell You,” the three most important tips are:
- 1. A tidy kitchen alone won’t make your home immune to infestations
- 2. There’s almost nothing you can do to keep certain bugs away
- 3. Even if you don’t see pests in your home, you’re not necessarily in the clear
There’s a real difference between extermination and pest control
The vast majority of pest control companies would also like to remind you that in actuality, there is a fundamental difference between “exterminators.” and “pest control” companies.
Exterminators are really a 1950s term, in which if a home was invaded by cockroaches or ants, then a homeowner hired them expecting they would use “nuclear blast” chemicals that would kill every living thing except the children and the pets.
After the exterminator did their thing, homeowners expected to sweep away the bodies of hundreds of dead bugs as proof the home was “exterminated.” Modern pest control companies today, use as gentle an application of pesticides as possible, yet still, protect the home. And they will blast your home with a pesticide “fog” only in the most extreme cases.
Modern pest control companies focus on why you have bugs in your house in the first place, and in addition to applying mild pesticides, look for leaks around toilets or pipes in which water pools, and attracts insects, poor or decayed weatherstripping, and clogged gutters that allow pests to enter the home.
The bottom line is that it’s not about the “thrill of the kill” but rather in finding long-term solutions that at the same time, are as environmentally safe as possible.
What does the government say about pest control
The Australian Department of Health has an extensive pest control guideline (you can read it here running across multiple pages.
The pest control guideline runs the gamut from:
- What are pests
- Ways to control pests through hygiene
- What are the different pesticides to control pests
- What are some of the health danger to pesticides
- Ways to apply pesticides
- Concentration of pesticides
Should you do your own pest control?
Most experts say, and the vast majority of homeowners agree, that pest control is a job for experts. Many people who DIY their own pest control, use far too many and even combine chemicals to enhance the “kill ratio.
The problem with DIY applications is that they are a short-term solution, and a homeowner may never put two and two together that in an infestation of bugs is due to a leaky pipe, or poor weatherstripping.
How often should you treat for pests
Most pest control companies suggest either a bi-annual or yearly treatment for most homes. Commercial restaurants and larger properties should treat their properties every month or quarterly an every other month routine to keep pests at bay.
Although if you have a sudden infestation, particularly of fleas, you may want to jump-start it immediately.
And for those living in apartments, if you notice an infestation of fleas, ants or cockroaches, notify the tenants of the apartments next to you and below you about your problem, and suggest they also do an inspection or consult a professional to inspect their apartment for pests.
Above all, hire an expert
If you do need a pest control agency, be sure and question them about not only how long they have been in business and their suggested references, but ask them exactly what their approach both to the use of pesticides and long-term pest control are.
