How to Prevent Bugs in House

A common question I hear is, how do I prevent bugs from being in my yard, and my house? What am I doing wrong?

First bugs were here before us and odds are, bugs will be here after us but there are steps we can take to get them under control.

 

Preventing Bugs in the Yard

• Bugs, like humans, need a few of the same things. First is water. Check to see if the drip system is watering correctly or overwatering. Check if the drip system has the drip on the plant or away from the plant. Also yard debris such as leaf and grass clippings can hide bugs. Clean those up as well.

 

• Grass, I cannot tell how many ants people get from grass. From an ant’s perspective the grass in your yard is bigger than central park and full of luscious water for them, and it keeps coming. Do not overwater your grass or if possible, switch to turf.

 

• The a/c has a pipe, called a condenser pipe, then usually comes out of your house, and drops water right next to your house. Add some extra PVC and get the water away from your house.

 

• Food! We love it and so do bugs. Cooking on the BBQ grill and accidentally drop a burger and there is some grease now on the ground. Give it a few minutes and you will see ants. Also, crumbs are a huge factor and what people fail to realize is you have to see it from a bug’s point of view. Which means if you were to get on the ground and see it eye level you might see all the droppings on the ground. We want to pick up those crumbs (trust me I still ask my kids every time they go outside knowing it will never happen).

 

• Drinks are great unless they are full of sugar and get spilled. Now I am not here to lecture you about your diet or choice of beverage, but I have personally seen first-hand drinks getting knocked over and ants come out very fast looking for the good stuff, named sugar. Help prevent bugs by putting drinks in a cup that cannot spill or clean up spilled drinks right away. Throw out paper towels used to clean up drinks in a bag and tie that bag.

 

Preventing Bugs from Entering the House

That covers the yard, now let’s talk about the house. When it comes to preventing bugs from entering the house, this can be done, except for ants. Because ants are very tiny and can dig under your house I will not lie and inform you that you can be ant free or seal out ants.

If there is a gap it can be sealed. I personally recommend caulk more than anything else. Look for bird block (the mesh under your roof line) look around that to see if there are gaps, check hose bib, light fixtures, windows, electrical box, garage door frame, etc.

The biggest entry point for most homes is what they call the J trim. It is for all stucco homes and it is where the walls meet the foundation. Simply take a mirror and look at it, you will find large, massive gaps where any and all bugs can crawl through. Again, I highly recommend using caulk because there are not air gaps like in foam. Caulk can also last many several years. Also, if you are thinking about doing this yourself don’t forget to seal off the pillars, either by your front door or backyard patio area. Often overlooked but bugs can enter through those too. Also, if you do it yourself please go slow and thorough. You need the seal to be perfect because any gaps will allow bugs to enter.