How to Handle Pests and Wildlife Around Summer Houses
Summer houses or sunrooms provide well-lit areas to relax in, seamlessly connecting outdoors with indoors. Unfortunately, they also serve as magnets for pests which can infest and harm both structures, plants and food within its boundaries.
However, certain pests become especially active during the summer season and should be followed to help avoid infestation and protect your summer house from these potential dangers. Here are a few steps you can use to help avoid future issues with these nuisance animals!
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers can be among the most devastating insects for gardens, as their sharp mandibles can chew through nearly anything and are therefore an ever-present menace to gardeners. Luckily, there are ways homeowners can control grasshopper populations effectively.
One way to help prevent grasshoppers from interfering with your vegetables and flowers is to plant plants in your garden that repel them, such as aromatic herbs like basil or rosemary, marigolds or calendula – which all work as excellent deterrents against grasshoppers. Also incorporating beneficial insects can be useful in keeping pests away from your crops.
Weather plays a key role in grasshopper development. Extreme cold and moisture conditions can impede egg hatches, while dry winter and spring weather limits their sustenance of new tender growth that they need for survival. Furthermore, grasshoppers are susceptible to disease-causing insects which reduce their attractiveness for predators.
Some people turn to insecticides in order to control grasshoppers; however, insects have developed immunity against these chemicals. If applied directly on crops such as vegetables or flowers they could also prove hazardous for those crops.
Due to these concerns, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an integral component of gardening success. IPM strategies such as using cover crops such as soybeans or rye to suppress pest populations. Row covers made of plastic or fabric may provide protection from insects as well as moisture loss from crop plants.
Grasshoppers are easily identified due to their large size. By handpicking and catching young nymphs before they mature into adults, you can drastically decrease future damage caused by grasshoppers. Garlic and chili pepper sprays may also prove helpful; their smell repellents insects.
Another effective method for controlling grasshoppers is the use of trap crops. Simply plant some nasturtiums or sunflowers near vulnerable plants in order to draw grasshoppers away from those you wish to protect and keep alive.
Flies
Flies can be an annoying pest for both vacationers and homeowners alike, carrying pathogens that taint food as well as making noise while buzzing nonstop. To stop an infestation from taking place, the key lies in eliminating its attractions: food scraps, spills and crumbs are prime attractants; outdoor dining areas in particular must store food in airtight containers to limit any messiness; compost piles attract them as do rotting vegetation, so keeping these covered and turning the compost regularly will speed its decomposition process.
Flies thrive in moist places that contain organic material such as dung and animal carcasses, where their maggot-producing eggs lay eggs among decaying matter before hatching maggots to spoil food and contaminate surfaces. Scavenger flies like blow flies and fruit flies lay their eggs among this decayed matter before producing maggots that hatch maggots that spoil food or contaminate surfaces; Blow flies may even breed on rodent carcasses, leading to their numbers increasing during late fall/early spring – housekeeping programs can prevent their emergence while pest control applications of synethrins/synthroids can help control them to keep populations under control.
An increase of these flies often indicates a dead animal nearby that needs to be addressed immediately. Carpenter bees, hornets and yellow jackets can also become common summer nuisances; their painful stings may damage wood structures. Repair costs associated with termite infestation or these other carpenter bees could become significant as well.
Signs of termite activity include pencil-sized mud tubes on foundation walls or floor joists, as well as discarded wings, crawl space mud tubes, frass, chewed wood pieces and insect waste that has been chewed up into chewed pieces, or any sign of tunneled wood or insect remains in crawl spaces. A professional pest management service should inspect and treat this area accordingly.
Flies often enter homes through cracks and gaps around doors and windows, making a home less than secure for residents. Sealing the entry points with silicone caulk is one way to stop their infiltration into the home; installing screens further enhances this barrier. Flies can also be deterred with baits made with apple cider vinegar that lure them away.
Ticks
Ticks are small spider-like insects most active from spring through fall. They live in shaded environments like wooded edges, tall grasses and leaf piles where there are trees or vegetation nearby; when people or animals pass near by they crawl toward them and latch onto them to take blood samples for testing; some tick species, like deer ticks can spread Lyme disease while others like the Lone Star tick can transmit ehrlichiosis or Babesiosis respectively.
Avoiding ticks by clearing away tall grasses and brush around the home, particularly where children and pets play. Deprive rodents of their food sources so as to discourage their tick-carrying habit; and reduce hiding places for mice and squirrels by clearing sheds, log piles, stone walls and other structures of any material that could provide cover from them.
Repellents containing DEET or permethrin will help keep ticks at bay when outdoors; apply as directed on label. Make frequent checks of clothing and exposed skin while outdoors, particularly around joints of arms/legs/shoe tops to detect and remove ticks quickly – including any that are flat-seed-shaped (nymph tick). Showering soon after being outdoors will wash off loose ticks easier to spot and remove.
If you need assistance safely extracting a tick, consult with a physician or nurse. Use pointed-tip tweezers to grasp it near the skin’s surface (this should be close enough so as to allow you to grasp its mouth parts) and pull up with steady, even pressure without twisting or jerking; twisting or jerking could cause its mouth parts to break off, increasing risk of infection; should they fall off, place in alcohol or an airtight container for disposal.
Ticks may be harder to control than mosquitoes, but taking some simple precautions can dramatically decrease your risk of infection. Consult with a certified pesticide applicator who will create an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy involving physical or cultural controls as well as less toxic treatments when necessary.
Termites
Summer brings warm temperatures and barbecues, but it also presents the possibility for termite damage to your summer house. Winged termites are attracted by warmth, moisture and the wood foundation of summer houses; once settled they tunnel underground undetected for years before needing treatment to protect their investment. Preventative treatment can protect both you and your investment!
Though DIY solutions might seem attractive, hiring professional pest control services is the surest way to protect your investment and stay within your budget. Regular inspections by professional services will spot signs of infestation early and take action before it worsens into full-scale infestation.
Preventing termites requires minimizing soil near your home and selecting suitable landscaping materials. Wood mulch attracts termites as food source; to avoid this scenario, opt for gravel or recycled rubber mulch instead. Avoid planting shrubs or trees too close to the house, keeping them trimmed so as to not cover foundation or provide overhanging shade; some plants and grasses naturally repel termites and should be integrated into landscaping plans accordingly.
Additionally, make sure that gutters are regularly cleaned so water runs away from your house and fill any cracks or crevices that might invite termites in. Caulk windows, doors and vents properly to seal them. Keep firewood away from structures; stack it instead on its own racks if possible; inspect wood piles regularly for signs of termites; consider setting up an insecticide-containing termite barrier around its foundation to kill any that crawl under its protective shield – an effective and affordable solution to keep pests out – to protect it all year-round!
Termite baiting involves placing plastic tubes at 10-foot intervals encasing your home, each filled with wood or bait material that termites will find while foraging near it and carry back to their colonies, where it will disrupt their digestive systems, killing them within months. Consult a professional about which treatments would best fit your situation.