Prevent the Pests

Plan Now to Prevent Ant & Termite Infestations

It’s spring cleanup time again, and that means raking leaves, gardening and working on your home’s curb appeal. Did you know that it’s also an ideal time to complete an annual pest inspection? Making a pest inspection part of your outdoor spring cleanup every year will keep your home safe from pests before they invade from the outside in. It’s also a great time for the Mother Nature’s Pest Control team to give you some pointers, such as where you may need to trim your trees or move your firewood piles, because these environmental factors are a huge part of prevention.
“We can give an estimate based on square footage right over the phone, but we like to do the free inspections,” said Justin Buckmaster, General Manager, Mother Nature’s Pest Control. “It only takes 30-45 minutes of your time, and it gives us a chance to see any problems that are going on.”
In March and April, Mother Nature’s Pest Control tends to get calls about ants that turn out to be termite infestations and vice versa. The two are easily mistaken for each other, but treatments for termite and ant infestations are very different.
Ant infestations are usually treated with spray treatments that occur 4 times per year. The great thing about Mother Nature’s ant treatment is that it also covers several kinds of insects, so if your home is getting this treatment, you won’t have to worry about most other general pests either.
Termite colonies are treated with a bait system, and it only needs to be serviced once per year. Termite treatment begins with an initial inspection and installation, and the bait stays active all year. They monitor the system for you, and if you have any concerns about its effectiveness you can give them a call anytime.
The reason people often confuse flying ants and termites is because they are both winged insects, and another thing these two pests have in common is that they will both keep coming back if you don’t stop them. Justin explains, “You’re never going to get rid of them all, and you’re going to see them every year. We can protect the home and treat the yard, but you’ll never get rid of them 100%.” His advice is to face it head-on every year with a preventative maintenance plan so that you don’t ever have to worry about infestations.
When you begin any kind of pest treatment, Mother Nature’s will come out and do a ‘cleanout service’, which is a thorough treatment of both the inside and outside of your home. Then, the preventative maintenance plan addresses your specific needs, whether you’re dealing with general pests, bed bugs, rodents, or anything else. Mother Nature’s also takes your safety concerns very seriously.
“Our technicians are taking precautions to apply these pesticides in an area that will be safe,” said Justin. “The manufacturing of sprayed pesticides has really changed since the ‘90s, it’s so much safer. As long as they’re fully dry they’re perfectly safe. We take all the possible risk factors into consideration, from pets to children to any health or safety concerns you may have.”
Their careful consideration of your family’s safety begins with the decisions they make about which pesticide products to purchase and use. For example, their rodenticides were chosen partially because they have a bittering agent that acts as a strong deterrent for curious children and pets. If any bait makes it into their mouths, the bitter taste means their natural reaction will be to spit it out rather than swallow it, potentially saving a life without sacrificing effectiveness. They also use tamper-proof boxes, carefully chosen pesticide products and they keep your safety in mind at all times. Mother Nature’s also offers additional pest control solutions ranging from lawn care, insulation, wildlife trapping and removal and even mold and fungus treatments. They also offer an insect control device called the Bug Hug’r Trap, which is a small, discreet box with a glue strip inside that safely attracts and traps insects. It lasts an entire year or until it is full. The glue is not exposed, so there’s no danger of getting stuck in it yourself. Once it’s used, all you have to do is throw it away and put a new one in it’s place.
Stop by Mother Nature’s Pest Control to pick up your Bug Hug’r Trap or call to set up your free spring inspection today to protect your home from all kinds of pesky pests.