10 Tips to Keep Your Backyard Pest-Free

Servicing a backyard in Georgia - Active Pest ControlSpring and summer in Georgia come with a lot to be excited about. However, the warm weather and sunshine following rainfall lead to all kinds of pest problems in our region. It’s important to be able to stop pests from finding food sources, shelter, and breeding grounds in your backyard, because without any effort put into pest prevention, your background will be overrun with pests for most of the year. If you’re wondering how you can pest-proof your backyard, read on for advice from our expert exterminators at Active Pest Control!

10 Tips to Make Your Backyard Pest-Free

Our climate allows for all kinds of pests to thrive throughout the year, so it’s important to have a pest prevention plan that accounts for all kinds of infestations. Here are our top 10 pest prevention tips for Georgia residents:

  1. Mow the lawn often: Mowing once a week can prevent overgrowth that creates excess standing water pooling and ample insect hiding places.
  2. Trim your plants: Make sure your trees, bushes, and shrubs aren’t overgrown. This can lead to shaded hiding places that are particularly attractive to mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and more.
  3. Get rid of yard waste: Piles of yard waste can provide shelters that lead to all kinds of pest infestations, from ants all the way up to rodents and wildlife.
  4. Clear out standing water: Mosquitoes breed in pools of standing water, no matter how small. Make sure to pour it out or cover it when you find rainwater pooling in gutters, planters, tarps, buckets, your lawn, or elsewhere.
  5. Use garden nets: Garden netting can protect the plants that would otherwise attract all kinds of insects and wildlife.
  6. Dethatch your lawn: A thin layer of thatch is helpful for your lawn’s temperature regulation, but too much of it can suffocate your lawn and lead to all kinds of pest problems. Dethatch your lawn and use a nitrogen fertilizer to prevent excess buildup.
  7. Water your lawn carefully: Overwatering and underwatering can both lead to different kinds of pest problems, so it’s important to know exactly how much water your lawn needs. Setting up an irrigation system or sprinkler system will regulate this quantity for you.
  8. Store firewood up and away: Firewood laying around by the side of your home can quickly lead to a devastating termite infestation. To prevent this from happening, store your firewood off of the ground, away from your home, and covered if possible.
  9. Keep bins closed: Pests as small as wasps and as big as raccoons love to forage in our trash cans for food. Seal them if possible, but definitely keep them as far away from your yard and home as possible.
  10. Hire an exterminator: A professional pest control technician can assess your yard for active vulnerabilities that could lead to pest infestations.

Pest Control for Your Backyard in Georgia

If you want to feel confident that your yard won’t fall victim to pest infestations this spring and summer, reach out to your local pest control company. At Active Pest Control, our highly trained technicians are well-versed in control and prevention strategies for the many insects, arachnids, and wild animals living in Georgia. We can set up a plan to keep your yard pest-free* year-round. Contact us today for a free quote!

Top Tips for Pest-Free Outdoor Living

Avoid mosquitoes in your Atlanta GA backyard with tips from Active Pest ControlWith summer winding down, you’re likely wanting to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Whether you are hosting a backyard barbecue or reading out on your patio at night, the last thing you want to deal with is a pest problem. Mosquitoes, ticks, flies, lawn pests, and wasps are just a few of the many pests that can become quite a nuisance. At Active Pest Control, we know you want to enjoy your time spent in your outdoor living spaces to be pest-free*, which is why we’re here to provide you with our top tips for pest-free* outdoor living in your Atlanta area home.

Common Pests in Your Yard

The time of year that provides nice enough weather for you to be outdoors is also the time of year when pests are most active! Whether you have a garden in your backyard or couches and tables on your deck, you will likely encounter some of the following pests:

How to Prevent Pests in Your Outdoor Living Space

To keep pests away when you’re in your yard, there are several things you can do. The best ways to keep pests away in your outdoor space are as follows.

  1. Get rid of standing water. Mosquitoes only need a half inch of standing water to breed.
  2. Keep your lawn and shrubs trimmed. Overgrown grass or vegetation provides mosquitoes and ticks with shelter.
  3. Know how to look for ant hills. Even a tiny mound can contain thousands of ants inside.
  4. Check wood structures. Termites and carpenter bees will damage your wooden decks or porches.
  5. Use an insect repellent. Insect repellent containing DEET will help repel mosquitoes and ticks.
  6. Clean your patio or space regularly. Crumbs or spilled liquids will attract ants and other insects.

Year-Long Pest-Free Living

Pests are just a fact of life outside. However, you don’t have to let them ruin your time spent in your own backyard! For help implementing pest-free* outdoor living tips, the experts at Active Pest Control can help. Contact our residential exterminators to learn more.

Can Insects Transmit Coronavirus?

Coronavirus is not spread by mosquito bites. Learn more from Active Pest Control in Atlanta GA.Here at Active Pest Control, we are closely monitoring the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation and continue to focus on our commitment to protecting our communities. In the midst of this pandemic, there are endless questions surrounding the nature of the virus, including how it is spread. Data and information is changing daily, but to date, there is no evidence or proof to suggest that mosquitoes and ticks transmit COVID-19. These vector pests are infamous for transmitting diseases worldwide, but coronaviruses are not one of them.

With information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC), we’ll explore the differences between vector-borne diseases and COVID-19 to help dispel myths about transmission in these uncertain times.

What are Vector-Borne Diseases?

Ticks and mosquitoes are vector pests, AKA organisms that transmit diseases to humans. These two insects in particular are infamous for their roles in the transmission of many critical diseases around the globe. Mosquitoes are tied to some of the world’s most dangerous diseases including malaria, Zika virus, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, and more. Ticks are responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease, which is the most common vector-borne disease in our nation.

Can Mosquitoes and Ticks Carry Coronavirus?

Coronavirus is not a disease spread by vector pests. It is important to keep the following facts in mind:

  • The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus that, to date, is spread through person-to-person contact. 
  • COVID-19 spreads through droplets from saliva or nasal discharge, often generated when an infected person sneezes or coughs. It can also be transmitted via contact with a contaminated surface.
  • SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and now COVID-19 are zoonotic coronaviruses – viruses that have jumped the species barrier from their normal animal hosts to humans.

What to Remember

With the weather warming up, it’s understandable that people are concerned about disease transmission from insects, mosquitoes especially. However, there is currently no scientific reason to believe these vector pests can transmit coronaviruses. As always, it’s important to take caution in the presence of pests and to always enlist the help of a professional exterminator to take care of the situation for you. The Active Pest Control team is here for you during these uncertain times.

With the safety of our communities in mind, we encourage our customers to seek more information and follow guidelines released by the WHO, CDC, as well as your state and local public health agencies.

Prominent Pests in 2020

Prominent pests in 2020 in the Atlanta area - Active Pest Control When it comes to protecting your family and home against pests, hindsight doesn’t have to be 20/20 this year. Active Pest Control is helping homeowners prepare for the upcoming pest season by offering insights into anticipated pest activity. 

The experts at Active Pest Control have used their field experiences and examined trends and company data to determine these six pest predictions. Along with the predictions, we are offering quick tips for homeowners to help keep their homes pest-free* in 2020.

Mice

Warmer than usual winters over the past several years may be to blame for increased mouse populations. With warmer weather predicted for the winter of 2020, mice will continue to reproduce at an alarming rate, which is bad news for homeowners. Mice are year-round pests that invade homes looking for food and shelter to nest. 

Homeowner Tips:  Mice can squeeze through openings the size of a dime. Gaps under garage doors, door frames, windows, or pipes and cables that penetrate your house are large enough for mice to gain entry. Rodent-proof your home by sealing small cracks and crevices with a silicone-based caulk. Exterior gaps of ¼-inch or larger can be repaired with copper mesh, hardware cloth or metal flashing. 

Stinging Pests

Alternating climates cause rippling effects in the pest world, and with mild weather, experts are seeing more yellow jacket and hornet nests. Female yellow jackets and hornets can successfully overwinter in freezing temperatures and will invade structures and manmade or natural voids. When the weather warms up in spring, stinging insects will emerge from their hiding places, ready to start populations earlier in the year.

Homeowner Tips: Since stinging insects can overwinter, they may be out and about at the first sign of warmer weather. Stay alert and look for stinging pests, utilizing a professional pest control service as soon as you spot activity. 

Ticks

With outdoor activities, like hiking and camping on the rise, and years of warming winters, humans and their pets may come into contact with ticks more frequently in 2020. The deer tick or black-legged tick, the Lone Star tick, and the American dog tick are ticks of special concern. Nearly 50,000 cases of human tick-borne diseases such as Lyme Disease,  Ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever were reported in 2018. Pets are also at risk for some of these diseases. 

Homeowner Tips:  When spending time outdoors, wear an EPA-approved insect repellent. It’s also a good idea to wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks, in areas where ticks may be active. Perform tick checks on yourself and any family members, including pets, after spending time outdoors.

Mosquitoes

If you noticed more mosquitoes this past year, it wasn’t your imagination. If we have another relatively warm, wet winter and spring, mosquito populations could increase by late spring and early summer.  Areas of the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest are predicted to have above-average rainfall, while most of the U.S. is predicted to be warmer than average this winter. 

Homeowner Tips: With an increase in mosquitoes comes the risk of mosquito-borne diseases, such as the  Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) reported in 2019. To protect yourself and your family, eliminate standing water from your property and always wear an EPA-approved insect repellent when spending time outdoors. 

Termites

Termites cause over $6 billion in damage every year in the United States.  According to experts, the two main weather factors that affect termite populations are temperature and rainfall. With wetter and warmer weather predicted for spring, the termite swarming season will be ramping up soon. 

Homeowner Tips:  To deter termites, eliminate earth to wood contact and avoid moisture accumulation near your home or structures’ foundation. Since termites can cause such extensive damage, raising homeowner awareness around the need for proactive protection for their homes is critical to prevent costly repairs.

At Active Pest Control, our experts agree that the first step any homeowner can take to prevent pest issues is to have a proactive approach to pest control.  With these 2020 pest predictions in mind, utilize the new year to evaluate your current pest control plan and ensure that you have the coverage you need to protect yourself and your family from pests in 2020.

 

Lets Talk About Ticks

Have you ever wondered what a tick really looks like? Perhaps you already know that they are a parasite, meaning they need a host to survive. In all actuality, they will take you or another human or pet as a host and feed on your blood. But don’t let that fact cause you to envision a huge vampire attacking you. The truth is they are various sizes depending on the level of maturity.

Ticks vary in color and size due to the different life cycles but are still easy to recognize. The adult has 8 legs and is wingless. Normally they are brown to reddish brown in color but the color can change to more of a greenish blue immediately after a blood meal. An adult tick is flat and oval shaped and about the size of an apple seed. Again, the size and shape changes after feeding on its host and becomes more like a balloon from gorging on blood.

Ticks in nymph stage are only about one-half the size of an adult but this only means they are harder to see. They will still attach to a host just as quickly. Newly hatched larvae are about the size of a grain of sand and almost impossible to see them on your body. However, do not let their size fool you. A tick in any life stage can still infect you with various diseases including the dreaded Lyme disease.

A tick bite should never be ignored. While most bites do not result in the transmission of diseases, the ones that do pose serious problems. A few of the diseases that can be transmitted from a tick bite includes Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.

It is not possible to completely eradicate ticks from your property. This is because they usually arrive unannounced, riding on the body of wild animals or dogs that may be passing by. Yet there are some things you can do to reduce the probability of high infestations. Ticks like areas of high humidity and normally will migrate to areas of dense vegetation and tall grass. They are also found along the edge of wooded areas. It is recommended that you trim back the branches in wooded areas and keep weeds cut down and grass mowed short.

Treat your pets with tick preventatives obtained from your veterinarian. In addition to taking all precautionary measures, contact Active Pest Control for information on how we can limit the tick population on your property. With your preventive techniques and our expert treatment, you can still enjoy your outdoor activities!