Midwestern Pest Blog

Summer is right around the corner, and with the warmer temperatures come the pests. Any homeowner can tell you that summer is a particularly difficult time when it comes to pest control. The warmer climate, coupled with rainy weather, makes most yards a breeding ground for all types of creepy-crawlies, and many of them will be very interested in getting inside your house. So, how can you keep them out? Here are some tips to keep your house free of pests this summer. Clean up the Yard Because pest infestations start from the outside, it only makes sense to pay attention to the yard. The summer months mean that everything outside is growing, and this can make it easy for pests to find places to live. In addition, summer thunderstorms can often leave standing pools of water in things like flower pots -- pools that insects like mosquitoes love to use......

While you may not see any bugs living in your home in your daily life, it doesn’t mean they aren’t hiding. Check the following places to find out for sure if you have uninvited guests. Basements It doesn’t matter if your underground level is finished or unfinished, bugs will treat it like home. These critters enjoy damp, dark and undisturbed places. They instinctively know it’s safe there. Check behind furniture and boxes to see if any unwelcome guests are around. Use a shop vac to get rid of any visible cobwebs or insects. Run a dehumidifier to keep that space dry, and plug any holes where bugs can enter. Keep the clutter to a minimum down there, as it will give bugs less space to hide. Attics Again, any place where clutter forms is a hotbed for bugs. Despite extreme cold and heat in your attic, bugs have all the shelter they ne......

Ants are a common household issue, and a persistent one at that. Thankfully, there are some fairly easy steps you can take to avoid ants trying to make your home theirs. Preventative Measures The first step in ant pest control is making sure your house isn’t an attraction to them. Ants look for warm spaces that have plentiful food sources, so you need to ensure they won’t find easy targets at your house. This includes common sense steps like not leaving uncovered food out and cleaning up food-related messes promptly. Store food in plastic and glass containers. Caulk and seal cracks in windows and doors that can act as entry points and keep these areas clean. Know Your Ants If you do see ants in or around your home, do your homework and determine what kind you have. First, make sure that you aren’t actually dealing with termites, as the two are s......

Midwestern Termite and Pest Control, with service areas in the greater St. Louis, Missouri and Franklin County, Illinois areas, knows that in our areas, ants are a big problem. While these small pests might seem like little more than an annoyance, they can really hamper your ability to enjoy your home both inside and out. To understand why ants are one of the hardest pests to remove from your property, you have to understand how an ant colony works. Unlike other pests, ants are highly social creatures and work together-even from colony to colony. That’s not to say that they aren’t territorial, because some ants have been documented to fight for space. The issue is their small size makes numerous ‘beds’ feasible for coexisting on one area of land, or home. The Social Structure of Ants Ants showcase a highly evolved social hierarchy. The queen of the colony stays hidden deep in the ......

No matter how secure your house is from burglars and natural disasters, the one thing that may still be able to break through its defenses is a tiny ant or mouse. You may be surprised to learn how many openings your seemingly airtight house may have for pests to sneak through, and once they’re inside, the problems they can make for you are innumerable. Fortunately, with just a little ingenuity, they are ways to make your house as pest-proof as possible. Here are some ways to seal your home off from pests. Getting Prepared Before you start, there are a few things you are going to need. First, get into some old clothes and put on gloves. Because you’re going to be crawling around in the dirt, around bushes and atop of ladders, old clothes (preferably long jeans and a long sleeve shirt) and gloves are going to be very useful. Als......