Protect Your Home From Insect Invasions
By Charles Kassotis
Do you share your home with ants? How about bees or wasps? Perhaps you don’t want to admit to hosting roaches. You are in good company. Millions of homeowners struggle with evicting unwanted insects and bugs that invade their homes and take up residence, establishing colonies that can number in the thousands. Some bugs, like spiders, are relatively clean and do their share of chores by eating other insects, such as flies. But there are those that harbor bacteria or leave feces lying around that can stir up allergies or contaminate food left sitting out. Some flying insects can be downright lethal for those who are allergic to bee or wasp venom, should they be stung.
To keep your home pest-free as much as possible, follow a few simple tips like these to discourage bugs from moving in with you.

1.Keep food and beverages covered. While a bowl of apples and oranges sitting on the dining room table might prove harmless, don’t let kids toss peels on the floor or leave cores lying on tables. Their sweet scent can attract bugs from quite a distance if the windows or doors are open, albeit covered by screens. Keep lids on the butter dish and cookie jar, and put away any food that will not be eaten soon.

2.Clean up promptly. Don’t let sugar granules sit on the kitchen counter. Pop stains need to be blotted and then cleaned with soapy water. Empty pop cans or dirty dishes should be put in their respective receptacles immediately. Chip bags or cookie pouches need to be tightly closed and clipped or folded. Remember that the scent of food, though almost indiscernible to humans in these amounts just described, may prove irresistible to lurking ants, bees, or other types of bugs who are hungrily sniffing the air.

3.Eliminate standing water. Fix leaky faucets, unclog drains, and clean up yard puddles. Check under the sinks or in the tubs as well as around hoses or water tanks to patch leaks. Many types of insects are drawn to damp or moist areas, especially those that are located in the dark. Get rid of these watering holes to keep bugs at bay.

4.Seal cracks, holes, and openings. Inspect your home’s foundation outside and patch any openings where insects could get inside your home. Do the same indoors by checking around window and door frames, as well as baseboards and cupboards. Look through the basement and attic to see if you can find areas where bugs might be able to find an entrance.

5.Don’t let pet food or snacks sit out in the open. Give your dog or cat just enough to eat for each meal, if possible. Certain insects, like flies, love pet food and will make every effort to reach it, attracted by the strong scent, in your garage or inside your home.

6.Keep the yard clean. Pick up fallen fruit from apple trees or other

FREE Shipping on Tennis Gear - Sponsored Link
Ad - www.TennisExpress.com Jan 5 2009 9:39PM GMT
Book review: Sixteen master writers spotlight the AIDS crisis in India
Ein News Jan 5 2009 9:39PM GMT
Book Review: The Pixar Touch
Sys-Con Media Jan 5 2009 2:59PM GMT
Books: Book review: 'Graham Greene: A Life in Letters'
International Herald Tribune Jan 5 2009 11:51AM GMT
Book Review: Muslim heritage
Muslim News Jan 5 2009 11:48AM GMT
Book review: 'Graham Greene: A Life in Letters'
International Herald Tribune Jan 5 2009 11:38AM GMT
Puttin Off the Ritz: The New Austerity in Publishing
New York Times Jan 5 2009 9:25AM GMT
They Vacuum Maggots, Dont They? Novel Delves Into the Trauma Cleaning Trade
New York Times Jan 5 2009 9:25AM GMT
Children's Book Reviews
PublishersWeekly.com Jan 5 2009 7:28AM GMT
Book Review: DK Eyewitness Travel Guides
About Jan 5 2009 5:29AM GMT
How to live what Michael Pollan preaches
Salon Jan 5 2009 2:21AM GMT
Book review: The War Behind Me
The Scotsman Jan 5 2009 12:23AM GMT
Classic review: Arab and Jew, Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
Christian Science Monitor Jan 4 2009 7:28PM GMT
Books: Book review: 'Things I've Been Silent About'
International Herald Tribune Jan 4 2009 2:33PM GMT
Book review: 'Things I've Been Silent About'
International Herald Tribune Jan 4 2009 2:07PM GMT
The Turnpike Road System in England 1663-1840
Danny Reviews Jan 4 2009 11:22AM GMT
The Lecture
Danny Reviews Jan 4 2009 11:22AM GMT
Book Review : Book Review: Food Bites: The Science of the Foods We Eat by Richard W. Hartel and AnnaKate Hartel
Science News Online Jan 4 2009 6:27AM GMT
Book Review : Book Review: Don?t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett
Science News Online Jan 4 2009 6:27AM GMT
Book Review : Planet Earth: An Illustrated History
Science News Online Jan 4 2009 6:27AM GMT
Book Review : Genomes and What to Make of Them by Barry Barnes and John Dupr?
Science News Online Jan 4 2009 6:27AM GMT
Book Review : Hanging with Bats: Ecobats, Vampires, and Movie Stars by Karen Taschek
Science News Online Jan 4 2009 6:27AM GMT
Book Review : Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science by Robert L. Park
Science News Online Jan 4 2009 6:27AM GMT
Book Review : The Jinn from Hyperspace and Other Scriblings ?oth Serious and Whimsical by Martin Gardner
Science News Online Jan 4 2009 6:27AM GMT
Book Review: Musicians: from servants to superstars
Taipei Times Online Jan 4 2009 5:43AM GMT
Book Review: Theres no more to Holden Caulfield
Taipei Times Online Jan 4 2009 5:43AM GMT
Book Review: Nobodys serious when theyre 15
Taipei Times Online Jan 4 2009 5:43AM GMT
Sontag Book Review: Unlazy Susan
Time Jan 4 2009 2:44AM GMT
Book Review: The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Ein News Jan 4 2009 2:11AM GMT
Book review: India's maritime troubles -by Khaled Ahmed
Daily Times Jan 4 2009 1:28AM GMT
Book Review: The Joy of Spooking - Book One: Fiendish Deeds
The Trades Jan 4 2009 1:04AM GMT

fruit-bearing plants, especially those located near your home. Keep garbage cans tightly closed and clean outside as well as inside, as much as possible.

Lacking food, water, and a welcome, most bugs won’t hang around very long. If they do, you can always resort to natural pesticides or bug traps.

Article Source: http://www.articleblender.com

To find out more about many kinds of insects, visit Insects and Bugs.com at www.insectsandbugs.com