Reliable Methods of Natural Pest Control
In Phoenix and Scottsdale, we have a massive amount of requests for natural pest control. People want safe, pet-friendly, and people-friendly options that actually work! Folks are always asking if a more responsible approach to pest control is the best way. You want to know if you can get rid of pests with little to no exposure to pesticides for you, your children, and your pets.
In the last article, we went over how we use pesticides that work in a more responsible way. In this one, I’ll give you some of the things that we do that don’t involve pesticides.
There are several different things that I do or recommend my customers do as part of the natural pest control approach. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Removal of spider webs
- Removal of wasp’s nests
- Sealing off entry points to your home
- Adjustments to landscaping
- Removal of debris or woodpiles
Removal of Spider Webs
On most regular services I will go around a home 2-3 times. on the first pass, I am looking for problem areas like spider webs. During the summer spider webs can get pretty out of control if you don’t stay on top of them. I use a Webber on an extension pole to remove the webs.
Removal of Wasp’s Nests
A wasp nest I removed from a customer’s property recently. I killed all of the Wasps and then came back and removed the nest in order to prevent it from being reoccupied.
Wasps nests can be repopulated over and over, even sometimes after they have been treated with the pesticide. Often times the best thing to do is just knock down the nest. Of course, this is usually after a pesticide has been used to kill the wasps. But if you ever find and unoccupied wasp’s nest on your property it is a good idea to get rid of it so it doesn’t provide a home for some new wasps.
Sealing Off Entry Points to Your Home
Many times I will have a customer ask how a certain pest got into their home even with all the different treatments that I do to prevent it. Usually, I will find an easy entry point for the pests to get through. Sometimes this is as simple as a backdoor or window that gets left open on a beautiful evening or it could be a gap in the weather stripping around their door. If you can see light through it, it is basically like an open door for any pest out there.
It should come as no surprise that nothing is 100%. Anyone that tells you you will NEVER see another pest is not being honest with you. So the aim is to massively reduce the pest population on your property and to make sure that the occasional pest that does show up dies or leaves as fast as possible. But before it dies or leaves we need to make sure that the home is not an open door welcoming them in.
Adjustments to Landscaping
Speaking of making a pest want to leave, these last two points are what does it. These are the most effective natural pest control methods!
Plants should be planted or trimmed away from your home at least a foot or two. Three feet is best! This makes treatments more effective but most importantly it doesn’t provide a hiding place for Spiders, Roaches, Crickets, and Scorpions right next to your house.
Ground cover plants are usually beautiful but they also provide a cool, moist, protected hiding and breeding place for all sorts of nasties! The area that these plants cover should be kept to a minimum and should be periodically trimmed and debris removed from under it to remove as much incentive as possible for bugs to live there.
Bushes should be trimmed up and away from the ground as much as possible. Once again, the more a bush or any plant is touching the ground, the nicer it is for bugs to live under. The bigger bushes with bigger footprints are providing a lot of real estate for the pests you want to keep out of and away from your home!
Removal of Debris and Wood Piles
This one is HUGE! So many times I have had customers say that they have still been seeing pest or are seeing them again. And almost as many times I find a woodpile or debris pile somewhere around their home.
Pest Control Expert Bill Stewart says: “The number one rule of natural pest control is to not invite pests onto your property. A big pile of raked up leaves or bush trimmings is a massive pest population just waiting to happen. Usually, you won’t have to wait long either. Bugs breed FAST when they find a place to live that they like.”
A woodpile can also be a big invitation for pests too. Especially for Scorpions! Remember, they don’t call them Bark Scorpions because they say “Woof”! If you have a woodpile that you need to keep, elevate it off of the ground and away from structures so that treatment can be done around and under it.
Next time I’ll tell you all about interior treatments. Do I need one? How often? What do you use? I’ll answer all of these questions and probably more.
If you’re having a problem with pests…or you simply have a question…call NaturZone Pest Control at 602-476-1088 and ask for me, Jeffrey. I’ll be happy to speak with you anytime.
Till then, thanks for reading!
Here’s to helping YOU live Pest Free,
Jeffrey
PS. Call 602-476-1088 today for a FREE Consultation and FREE 58 Point Pest Analysis of your home or office!
We do Termite, Bed Bug, and General pest control in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Queen Creek, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Ahwatukee, Avondale, Litchfield Park, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Mesa, Apache Junction, San Tan, Waddell, El Mirage, Carefree, Buckeye, Verrado, Tempe, Sun City, Sun Lakes, YoungTown Paradise Valley, Gold Canyon, Maricopa, Goodyear, Surprise and Anthem!