The Problems Clogged Gutters Can Cause

No matter where you live in the country, clogged gutters can cause issues. But, if you live here in Macon, Georgia, where rain can happen any time of year, it is even more important to have gutters that work.

When gutters clog, they can cause water to run down the side of your home and create conditions that will allow spores to attach, and wood damage to begin. If you have a home that isn’t protected by vinyl or fiber siding, this wood damage can happen quickly. And, even with the protection that synthetic siding material can provide, water has a way of finding its way in. But, keeping large amounts of water from flowing down the side of your home isn’t the only reason to have a working gutter system. Obstructed gutters can:

  • Create overflow that will moisten the soil near your foundation, and attract subterranean termites. These are destructive insects. The fewer reasons you give these pests to target your home, the better. This dampness will also attract other moisture pests like silverfish, earwigs, centipedes, springtails, millipedes, cockroaches, and more.
  • Allow pest birds a bird bath on the roofline of your home. This will increase the odds that birds will create nests on your roof, and increase the amount of droppings left on your roof and on the side of your home.
  • Give mice and rats an incentive to build their nest near, or inside, your home. Rodents prefer to live near food and water resources. By giving them a drinking hole, you are increasing the likelihood that they will explore your exterior walls, roofline, and soffits.
  • Create a place for mosquitoes and other insects to breed within the debris collected, and makes your gutters more attractive to pests.

Protect Your Gutters

It can seem strange that a company like Active Pest Control, a leader in the pest control industry, would be an installer of guards for your gutters. But, when you’re aware of the above problems, it just makes sense. Protecting gutters is one more way that we use natural measures to protect homes from pest invasion. And, while our system is keeping you safer from bugs and wildlife issues, it will also be making your life easier. No more climbing ladders to clean those gutters out. When you have gutter guards, your gutters do what they’re supposed to do, without any assistance from you.

If you would like to learn more about gutter guards, or set up an appointment to have your roofline surveyed for installation, reach out to us today. Here in Macon, guarding gutters just makes sense. Let Active Pest Control help you get your new gutter system in place.

Overwintering Stink Bugs On Their Way

Do you remember stink bugs? They are easy to forget during the summer months; but you suffered terribly from them last winter when they invaded your Macon, Georgia, home and filled it with that noxious odor. If you really do not want to wait for them to drive you crazy again this year then now is the time to act. As you know, once they get in your home, there isn’t much you can do. Get ahead of your stink bug problem by acting now before it is too late!

The brown marmorated stink bugs will search for warm places in the fall that they can call home for the winter. Your home is the perfect place. They will get into homes and buildings through cracks and crevices as well as vents and soffits. What you need to do is seal off all of those points of entry.

So, where do you start to prevent stink bugs from entering your home?

A good place to start is in the attic because this is the most likely way these pests get in. Nylon mesh and filter material in attic vents gets old and worn without you knowing and creates a perfect entry point for these bugs. Experts say that even though it is more expensive, copper and stainless steel mesh is better for ridge vents, and aluminum soffit vents are a more permanent solution in preventing the entry of bugs.

Attics are not the only weaknesses that these bugs exploit to gain entry into your home, and there are practical solutions for you to implement such as:

  • Fix or replace door and window frames with weather stripping or seals.
  • Repair or replace screens in windows, doors, and vents.
  • Remove air conditioners that are mounted in windows and fill gaps around windows with caulk or foam.
  • Seal all spaces where wires and pipes go from the outside into your home
  • Place cotton into spaces around windows that leak.

Stink bugs will gather on south sides of outside walls so take a good look at horizontal surfaces that meet vertical ones especially on your south side. The stink bugs crawl upward in the sun’s warmth until they reach a surface like a soffit or overhang and that is where they are most likely to gain entry to your home. While it is impossible to find every single crack in your exterior, filling as many as possible will help; and when you couple that with professional services that use small amounts of insecticides, you can be assured that stink bugs will think twice about making your home, their winter retreat.

Here at Active Pest Control, we have more than 4 decades of practical experience with local pest pressures. Our highly trained specialists can help you to keep stink bugs from choosing your home to winter in. We have the training, equipment, materials, and safety protocols to keep your home and your family safe from these nuisance pests. Give us a call or a click today to discuss the details and keep your home yours this winter.

Fall Decorating Tips

Fall season represents one of the more exciting times of the year. The seasonal change of climate begins ushering in cooler, more pleasant temperatures. The weather change also introduces bright colored leaves as Jack Frost brings us the beauty of foliage. Harvest season also means corn stalks, straw bales, and pumpkins. This allows many decorating opportunities as homeowners begin adorning their home with fall colors.

The varieties of ideas are endless with people using corn stalks, corncobs, pumpkins, and gourds to prepare for Halloween and fall decorations. Golden yellow corn on the cob, bright orange pumpkins along with green, white, and yellow gourds suddenly grace our homes and tables with a plethora of colorful arrangements.

Front porches are beautifully adorned with bales of straw and bundles of corn stalks surrounded with bright orange pumpkins of all sizes. Fall has arrived and Halloween is on the way as kids begin celebrating the season by carving faces in the sides of those pumpkins. There is also a degree of satisfaction in knowing you have created your own arrangements and decorated your home inside and out with minimal expense.

However, it is prudent to know that anytime we bring nature inside, we also bring the risk of attracting unwanted pests and other potential problems, some of which could compromise the health of family members and pets. One of those health risks can come from pumpkins – especially those carved pumpkins. Fungus will quickly begin to grow in that freshly cut pumpkin. You will then see black specks appear as mold and suddenly discolor that beautiful orange decoration.

Minimize the risk of mold or fungus on your pumpkins with careful selection at time of purchase. Look for the brightest orange pumpkins with strong stems that are still somewhat green in color. This is a good indication that the pumpkin is relatively fresh and came from a healthy vine. Also look for any soft spots or discolored areas. This is a probable fungus area and that pumpkin should be avoided. Be sure to inspect the bottom of the pumpkin and any other areas that have had a long-term exposure to the moist dirt.

Inspect your decorations on a regular basis for worms or larvae. Turn the gourds over to see if there is a soft or damp spot. This is a probable location for tiny larvae to begin eating into what was once a beautiful decoration. Also check those ears of corn and corn stalks for cutworms or other pests that may have been transported inside with your decorations. Enjoy the fall season and have fun with your decorations but inspect regularly and discard before those pumpkins begin turning soft and rotting. And, remember, the experts here at Active Pest Control are trained in the latest technology and product uses and can tackle any of your pest control issues, contact us today if you have unwanted fall visitors.