1127 Reviews
Tim: You'd think a company who eliminates pests would say that all bugs are bad, but that's simply not the case.
Here at All-American Pest Control, we realize insects have value in their natural environment. Our beef with pests, and this includes insects and rodents, is when they sneak through a crack or weasel under a doorway and start making themselves comfortable in your home. With that in mind, our team here at All-American Pest Control has put together a list of our top seven tips to help homeowners keep pests out in middle Tennessee.
No. 1: Seal Off All Gaps and Holes Around Your Home
Lexus: Did you know it only takes a mouse a quarter of an inch to get in your home? That's about the size of this part of your pinkie. It's true that mice can flatten themselves just enough to squeeze that small hole and get inside your home. Just think, if a mouse can get in something that small, what else could?
You're going to want to go around the perimeter of your home and seal off any gaps or holes that anything can kind of sneak in. Set up a good defense by sealing all entry points, replacing any window screens that are ripped or torn and weather stripping underneath doors.
No. 2: Keep Gutters Clear and Downspouts Aimed in the Right Direction
John: It's important to keep your gutters clear because we don't want standing water, leaf debris, trash to just build up in all of our gutters. It will help mosquitoes breed in standing water in your gutters. Insects will seek harborage in any debris that's in your gutters, and along with that, moisture will just draw insects up there.
Down around your downspouts, we want them pointing away from your home because we don't want water to pool around the foundation of our homes. Once again, it's a breeding area for mosquitoes and then any insect will come in search of that moisture around the foundation of your home, including termites.
Then, any leaf clutter that is around your home, we want to get that away. That's harborage for any insect that wants to come and seek shelter around your home.
No. 3: Keep the Tree Limbs and the Shrubs Away from the House
Aaron: Trim them back. If you don't and they're touching, they can make a bridge, so to speak, for the ants and other pests to get across to.
No 4: Feed Your Pets Inside
Anna: It's really important to not feed your pets on the exterior of your home, because when you have that food source sitting out all day, you're attracting other pests, animals, mice, anything like that that you really don't want at your home.
When feeding your pets, it's really important to put the food inside at a specific time, feed them, and take it back up.
No. 5: Stack Firewood Away from the House
Jim: These days, a lot of people have either fireplaces in their home or have a fire pit on their back porch, and inevitably, we find firewood stacked right against the home. A lot of times it's done to keep it dry. This is a problem, though. It's an attractant for numerous insects. Ants, spiders, crickets, even beetles and termites, so it's important to keep that firewood away from your home and that when you bring firewood in, only bring in the amount that you're going to burn, because we don't want to bring pests into our house and leave them a good place to live.
No 6: Manage Your Trash
Steve: It is essential, it's an open buffet. It's an open chow line. I would recommend and any pest professional who's been doing this for a long time, clean out your trash. Sealed containers. Don't leave it open. Keep them sealed. They will smell it and they will go to it and you will, by cleaning out your trash, effectively cut down your activity with pests. Not just ants. Roaches, all kinds of insects.
No. 7: Address Moisture Issues in Your Home
Jim: It's important to address moisture issues because moisture is not only something that insects want, or it's something they need, so if we can create moisture issues, we got a good chance of blocking the insects from coming in or at least not making it where they want to be and breed.
Tim: Now, Benjamin Franklin was a smart fellow. He was not only a scientist, an inventor and a writer, he also saw the benefits of being proactive. He's the one that's credited with saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Now, we realize Mr. Franklin wasn't speaking of pests, but it holds true just the same.
In order to prevent pests, remember, it is essential to eliminate their food, water and shelter. When you do that and you think preventatively, you have a much better chance of having a pest free home. If you have problems, you can always give us a call.