Halloween and fall pest prevention tips

It’s fall, which means we’re carving pumpkins, decorating with colorful leaves, enjoying Halloween candy and chopping firewood for the firepit or fireplace. It also means some Halloween pest control might be in order. Advanced Services Pest Control  offers a variety of plans to keep your home and yard pest-free all year long.

Here are a few simple fall pest prevention steps that you can take to reduce Halloween and fall pests.

Pumpkins produce pests

We’ve all seen it happen. You carve your pumpkin in the middle of October and put it out to be seen for a couple of weeks before Halloween. Then, you see bugs everywhere and it falls apart. Pumpkins and pests go hand in hand. We suggest you leave your pumpkin solid and carve it only a few days before Halloween. Then, immediately after Halloween, throw it away. Once you carve your pumpkin, it immediately starts to rot, which draws fruit flies and other insects. A few tips:

• Be sure to clean out all the guts.
• Spray the inside of the pumpkin daily with a mixture of 1 teaspoon bleach in a gallon of water.
• Contrary to popular advice, acrylic sprays and glue will not preserve your pumpkin. It just traps the moisture inside, leading to faster rotting.

Avoid Insect Breeding Grounds

Straw or hay bales and piles of leaves makes for some fun and creative fall decorations. They also provide fantastic breeding grounds for everything from cockroaches to mosquitoes. Use them sparingly, and do not use them close to your house. The same holds true for stacks of firewood. Never stack firewood against an exterior wall of your home or on your porch, unless you want to see some common porch pests like spiders, mice, snakes and cockroaches.

Don’t Leave Food Out

Whether inside or outside, never leave food out. Sometimes, after a party, it’s late and we’re tired, so we leave things out to put up the next day. Even if you leave other things out, take time to throw away or pack up food as quickly as possible. The same goes for that Halloween candy. Sweet foods and candy also are treats for insects such as ants and roaches, so be sure to keep candy in tightly sealed containers.

Call the Fall Pest Control Experts

Whether you’re concerned specifically about Halloween pest control or fall pest prevention in general, contact Team Bugstopper at Advanced Services Pest Control. We offer a variety of plans for pest control in your home and around your yard, including services for termites, wildlife and mosquitoes.