Experts Share Eco-friendly Tips to Protect Homes from Pesky Fall Bugs

Fall’s cool, crisp weather is an ideal time to plant and prepare the home and landscape for next spring. While tending chores outdoors, pesky insects are heading indoors ahead of Old Man Winter, seeking food sources and warm, safe places to hibernate.
 
Home Invaders. Unwelcome invasive pests like silverfish, spiders, earwigs, flies and ants are typical party crashers once temperatures fall.

To protect a home from unwanted fall pests, industry experts share these simple eco-friendly tips to keep pesky insects at bay:.

1. Clean up brush and keep mulch and firewood piles and move them away from the house to avoid creating habitats for critters and insects

2. Seal up cracks, crevices and holes with caulk or weather stripping around potential entry points and seal around pipes and utilities. Repair loose roof tiles and screens. Inspect windows and basement foundations and repair loose and crumbling mortar.

3. Clean cupboard shelves from loose grain, starch-based and sugary food and place food in sealed containers or plastic bags.

4. Check where stink bugs hide in warm, dark spaces like baseboards, exhaust fans, ceiling tiles and drapes. Pick stink bugs off by hand with a tissue and flush them down a toilet or drop into a bucket of soapy water. If you vacuum, be warned. When threatened, stink bugs emit a foul odor so dispose the bags immediately.

New traps help battle stink bugs without the need to touch them. Zhang explains, “Once you see the bugs clinging to the side of the house or screens, this is a signal that they are ready to get indoors to hibernate and more may be coming towards the home. The RESCUE!® Stink Bug trap uses non-toxic pheromone attractants that lures stink bugs from a radius of 30 feet, intercepting them before they reach the house.”

The RESCUE!® Stink Bug Trap can also be used indoors with an LED light attachment. It works best when stink bugs start waking up from hibernation – usually January through April.

5. If ants are your problem, try herbs. Briscoe White, herb expert and owner of The Growers Exchange, says bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves repel ants outdoors and indoors. Sprinkle dry crushed herbs around points of entry, cabinets and windowsills to create a natural barrier. Plus, peppermint and spearmint are excellent deterrents against both ants and moths.

 -Katie @KatieGMG