How To Get Rid Of The Stink Bug Smell - Spectrum Pest Control

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You Want To Know More About Ticks

DIY Tick Treatment

Should you find a tick on a person or animal, the most effective way to remove it is by using pointy tweezers. Using the tweezers, grab the tick’s head as close as possible to the host’s skin and pull. This will lessen the potential for harmful germs to be forced into the host. Wash the affected area with soap and water or alcohol and apply an antibiotic cream. If you or your pet develops any unusual symptoms, visit a doctor or veterinarian. A professional tick treatment is a powerful option for tick control.

Tick Prevention Tips

Unless you spend all your time indoors, you are likely to encounter an area in which ticks live. The following guidelines can help protect you from becoming a host to these parasites:

• Have your yard professionally treated for ticks.
• Apply a tick repellent that contains 25%-50% DEET.
• Wear clothes treated with permethrin.
• Tuck in loose clothing, like pant legs or oversized shirts.
• Run clothes worn outside through a dryer cycle.
• After being outside, check your body and hair thoroughly for ticks.
• You should also regularly check pets, whether they live inside or out, for ticks.

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Spiders

DIY methods

Do-it-yourself spider treatments can be ineffective and potentially toxic to people and pets if not administered correctly. With so many varieties, it can be difficult to determine whether a spider is potentially harmful or helpful. The best way to prevent or address a spider infestation is to contact a pest control professional who can identify the type of spider and the most effective approach to treat them.

Spider prevention

Spiders are ubiquitous and hard to eliminate completely. However, preventative measures can be taken to minimize spiders in and around your home:

• Eliminate or reduce clutter.
• Exterminate insects that might attract spiders.
• Seal off possible points of entry.
• Turn off outdoor lights.
• Minimize outdoor debris and other potential hiding areas.
• Use natural spider-repellent oils like peppermint, citrus, eucalyptus, cinnamon, cloves, or tea-tree.
• Plant herbs – including basil, lemongrass, mint, rosemary, and lavender – that keep spiders away.

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Silverfish

DIY Silverfish Treatments

Should you identify the presence of silverfish in your home, these do-it-yourself solutions may give you some relief:

• Trap silverfish using a glass jar. Place a starchy food like bread inside the jar to attract the silverfish. Wrap the outside of the jar with masking tape to give the pest traction to climb. Once inside, the silverfish cannot climb back out of the slick glass walls. This approach will remove silverfish, but not their eggs or those insects who don’t climb into the jar.
• Use purchased baits. Baits attract silverfish to a sticky surface which prevents them from moving. Like traps, baits do not treat the cause of a silverfish infestation.
• Apply diatomaceous earth. This desiccant removes moisture, ultimately drying up the silverfish. While not toxic, diatomaceous earth is a lung irritant and should be handled very carefully.
• Use chemical treatments. Powders and sprays containing boric acid, pyrethrins, or pyrethroids are effective at repelling silverfish. However, these compounds should not be used in areas where pets or children are likely to come into contact with them.

Often, destruction done by silverfish is attributed to moths or other insects, allowing the real culprit to continue to reproduce until discovered. A professional pest control service can discern the source of damage and treat appropriately and effectively.

How to Prevent Silverfish

Like most insects, silverfish seek out a comfortable environment with plentiful food sources. The following measures can help to decrease the likelihood of a silverfish infestation:

• Reduce the humidity in your home by repairing water leaks, ventilating moist areas, or using a dehumidifier.
• Clean, vacuum, and mop regularly to remove food scraps, mold, paper, and silverfish eggs. Don’t overlook the interiors of cabinets, baseboards, and areas behind the stove and refrigerator.
• Store food in airtight containers.
• Avoid leaving out uneaten pet food.
• Fill cracks that could serve as potential entry points with caulk or sealant.
• Repair wallpaper that has pulled away from the wall.
• Place important papers and photographs in sealed containers.
• Avoid creating stacks of newspapers or magazines.

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Roaches

Tips for DIY methods of roach control

While there are many do-it-yourself treatments sold – like foggers, bombs, or powder containing boric acid – they can be ineffective if not administered correctly. These DIY treatments may disperse rather than kill roaches, driving them into areas they might not have previously been. Their contents can also be highly toxic and harmful to other humans and pets in your home. The best way to address a roach infestation is to contact a pest control professional who can identify the type of roach and the most effective approach to exterminate them.

What can you do to prevent roaches?

Roaches are constantly on the hunt for food, water, warmth, and shelter. When you see one cockroach, you can be sure there are many more lurking. While it may be impossible to eliminate all roaches from your property, following some basic guidelines will help make it less attractive to them:

• Keep your home clean. Roaches thrive in unsanitary conditions.
• Repair water leaks and dry wet items and areas.
• Seal cracks, holes, and crevices where roaches can enter and hide.
• Store food in airtight containers and clean food preparation areas.
• Clear clutter and dispose of old newspapers and boxes.
• Avoid leaving clothes in piles.
• Remove debris from around your home.
• Keep crawl spaces, basements, and areas under porches dry and well-ventilated.
• Change exterior lights to yellow bug lights, which are designed to not attract pests.

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Flies

How To Treat Flies

Many off-the-shelf DIY products are designed to target the variety of fly species. Use these remedies with caution, as they can be harmful to your family and pets if applied incorrectly. Do-it-yourself solutions often only treat adult populations; therefore, you should plan on re-treating as eggs hatch and larvae develop. If you experience a problem with flying insects, a pest control professional can identify the type of fly and treat it appropriately at all stages of its lifecycle.

How to Prevent Flies

Flies are everywhere! While it will be difficult to avoid them entirely, these guidelines can help reduce your interaction with these pests:

• Install fine mesh screens on windows and doors or keep doors and windows shut.
• Clean up food particles, pet waste, and spilled or spoiled food and beverages immediately.
• Secure lids on trash bins and clean up trash overflow.
• Maintain a clean home.
• Cover food being prepared or eaten outdoors.

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Fleas

DIY Flea Treatment

Once you’ve spotted a flea, act quickly! The presence of a live flea means there are likely eggs and pupae nearby. Most do-it-yourself solutions target adult fleas but do not prevent those in earlier stages from developing. To minimize the spread of fleas, follow the preventative steps we’ve outlined. However, a flea problem can be difficult to control, so your best bet is to hire a professional exterminator.

Flea Prevention Tips

Fleas multiply quickly, so the best way to manage an infestation is to stop it before it happens. These guidelines can help keep your family, pets, and home free of fleas:

• Apply a monthly topical flea-repelling treatment to your pet, as prescribed by a veterinarian.
• Regularly vacuum your home, especially areas where fleas may be hiding.
• Wash pet bedding in hot water.
• Keep animals away from areas suspected or known to be flea-infested.
• Bathe pets as directed by your veterinarian.
• Treat your yard with insecticides designed to kill fleas. (Better yet, hire a pest control professional to do this for you!)

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Earwigs

DIY Earwig Treatment

Earwigs found indoors can be swept up and thrown away. While this resolves the immediate issue, it does not address hidden eggs and nymphs. Do-it-yourself insecticide treatments can be used both inside and out, but if not administered properly, they have the potential to drive earwigs into untreated areas in your home. The most effective and safe way to eliminate earwigs is to work with a pest control professional.

Earwig Prevention Tips

Earwigs are nuisance pests that can invade your home and yard. These preventative techniques may help avoid or reduce the presence of earwigs:

• Keep debris, piles of leaves, grass cuttings, compost, and other vegetation away from your house.
• Seal cracks that may provide entry points into your home.
• Replace white light bulbs with yellow ones that don’t attract insects.
• Address pooling water and moisture issues in and around your home.
• Install bird feeders to attract birds that feed on earwigs.
• Treat your home with insecticides designed to prevent or kill earwigs.

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Crickets

DIY Cricket Treatment

Once crickets find their way into your home they can be difficult to eliminate. While you may be able to stop adults or nymphs with do-it-yourself treatments, they don’t address any eggs that are hiding. The best approach to preventing or treating a cricket problem is to work with professional exterminators who are experts at keeping these insects outside where they belong.

Cricket Prevention Tips

Crickets become problematic when they enter your home. These preventive measures will help keep them outdoors:

• Seal cracks in doors, windows, baseboards, and other potential entry points.
• Repair or add screens to windows and vents.
• Keep yard debris, leaves, dead grass, and other organic materials away from your home’s foundation.
• Address moisture problems or leaky pipes around your home.
• Replace outdoor lights with yellow insect-repelling lights.
• Use insecticides to create an exterior barrier around your house.

Pest Concern

You Want To Know More About Ants

DIY methods of ant control

While the most effective way to prevent or address an ant infestation is to call in pest control professionals, you can also try these do-it-yourself methods:

• Place natural repellents like coffee grounds, peppermint oil, and lemon in areas where ants are likely to enter. This will keep ants at bay, but will likely not resolve the source of an ant problem.
• Clean with a solution of equal parts water and distilled white vinegar, which ants dislike.
• Poison ants with bait stations or topical solutions from a home supply store. Ideally, the worker ants will take the poison back to the queen and eradicate the colony. However, in many cases, the workers die before they ever get back to the nest, so the poison doesn’t make it to the source of the problem.

What can you do to prevent ants from settling in your home?

Ants are driven by a search for food, water, and shelter. While it may be impossible to stop every ant, following some basic guidelines can help prevent an invasion:

• Avoid leaving food, dirty dishes, or food particles where ants can get to them. Though they aren’t very selective, most ants are drawn to sugary, fatty, or greasy foods.
• Use gap sealant or caulk to seal cracks and openings around windows, doors, and pipes so ants can’t enter your home.
• Remove debris, rotting logs, and lumber from your yard.
• Repair leaks and dry out moist areas in your home.