Are You Bugged?

Steps you can take to keep your home safe

		There are several simple things you can do to help keep your home safe from insects. .

At a recent meeting of Knox Heritage's Preservation Network, Wes Boles of Russell's Pest Control gave the following tips to reduce your chances of having pests invade your home:

1. Make sure soil slopes away from your home. This will help keep your home dry that will discourage ants. 
2. Remove sources of stagnant water like tires and containers to reduce mosquitoes, ants, and silverfish.
3. Use plastic containers that close tightly for storage in your home. Silverfish eat cardboard so are drawn to homes where cardboard and newspaper are plentiful. 
   Silverfish are unsightly but don't cause damage to homes.
4. Keep your gutters clean. Decaying leaves and plant matter give squirrels a place to hide nuts possibly damaging gutters and siding. Carpenter bees are drawn to poorly maintained gutters where they find water for drinking. 
5. Reduce exterior vegetation, particularly anything that touches the house. Plants that touch the house provide shelter and food for pests as well as providing moisture for bugs. 
6. Keep wood siding at least six inches above the soil line. This helps keep siding dry and reduces the chances of termites. 
7. Spiders are attracted to exterior lighting because it draws bugs and provides warmth. Reduce exterior lighting, particularly lights that attach to your home to reduce spiders coming to live in the warmth of the lights. If you want ornamental lighting, use it further out in the yard and focus the light beam onto the house. 
8. Fall & winter are prime times for mice and rats. Cover pet food & water. Use steel wool to fill holes in the exterior of your home. Rodents don't like to bite into steel wool so they will look for somewhere else to go. 

Wes was quick to point out that older homes generally have fewer problems with pest damage to their wood exterior. This is due to the higher-density woods used to construct homes in the past. He believes that an integrated pest management approach is best; remove standing water sources, reduce exterior vegetation, keep gutters clean, and keep wood off the ground to protect your home and possessions. 

[Editor's note: The Preservation Network meets the second Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m. at The Time Warp Tea Room, 1209 Central St.]

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