With warm weather on the horizon, you only have a few weeks left to get the jump on spring bugs. The steps you take in the following days will determine whether you’re drowning in bugs and bites by April or breathing a sigh of relief as your neighbors struggle with the incoming swarm.
Below we’ll show you exactly how to keep bugs out of your lawn and home, and away from your family and pets. With the following step-by-step tips you’ll be able to avoid the expense, time, and effort of getting rid of spring bugs once they arrive by preventing them instead. No pest control services or poisonous pesticides required.
1. PREP YOUR YARD EARLY
Safeguarding your lawn from bugs in the months leading up to spring is something you’ll never regret. It will mean fewer bugs in your lawn, fewer bugs inside your home, and fewer bugs to bother you, your family, and pets once spring rolls around.
The first step to protecting your lawn from spring bugs is to organize, declutter, and trim it. Cluttered overgrown lawns are simply far more attractive to pests, as they provide plenty of spots to hide, breed, and collect moisture.
Any source of unnecessary clutter or moisture in your lawn needs to go, whether that’s unused equipment, pet toys, planters, tools, furniture, leaky hoses or pipes, or piles of mulch, wood, or leaves. Pay special attention to items that could potentially collect rainwater, or you could really struggle with mosquitoes once it’s warm out again. Don’t forget to clean and declutter your gutters, too.
Once your lawn is organized, it’s time to trim. Begin by trimming overgrown trees, bushes, and other dense shrubbery. If your lawn has started to grow already, simply mow, weed-eat, and edge as usual. However, avoid applying synthetic fertilizers or pest control products, as these tend to decrease the health of your lawn over time, which ultimately leads to more bug problems.
Now that your lawn is in tip-top shape, it’s time to treat it for bugs. We know what you’re thinking: “isn’t it a bit early?” The truth is, unless your region is still experiencing freezing weather several days of the week, now’s the time to start treating. The earlier the better. Once bugs begin to enter your lawn and take hold, they become much harder to remove, so we’re going to make sure they never arrive in the first place.
All you need to do is thoroughly spray your entire lawn, front and back, with family-safe Outdoor Bug Control (aka PCO Choice). Don’t forget to spray shrubbery and the bases of larger trees, too. If the weather is starting to warm up in your area, apply again in two weeks and then move on to monthly treatments moving forward. If it’s still cold out, you won’t need to spray again until next month.
For additional bug prevention, broadcast Pest-Repelling Cedar Granules throughout your yard, garden, and along your home’s foundation.
Outdoor Bug Control and Cedar Granules are both made from plant-based, non-toxic ingredients, so you, your family and pets can enjoy your lawn as soon as you’re done spraying. No downtime required.
2. SEAL & DECLUTTER
Just as outdoor clutter can lead to bug problems in your lawn, inside clutter and mess can lead to more bugs in your home, from roaches, moths, ants, and fleas to predatory bugs like scorpions and spiders. Decluttering and deep-cleaning now, will save you a ton of trouble once the bugs return.
Stacks of papers, boxes, disorganized storage spaces, cluttered laundry, dirty dishes, poorly stored food, messy appliances, etc—are all big bug attractants. As a rule of thumb, clean and declutter indoors like you’re trying to prep your home for an open house.
It’s the season for deep-cleaning, so just include a little extra organizing and minimizing along with your annual cleaning tradition, recycling or donating anything you no longer need. Think of it this way, every unnecessary thing in your home is just another potential hiding spot for spring bugs.
After that, just make sure to maintain your organization and cleanliness as best you can. Every crumb, drink spill, poorly stored food item, dirty dish or appliance needs to be addressed immediately if you’d like to avoid inviting hungry bugs indoors.
Now that you’ve removed attractants like food, water and clutter, bugs are going to be substantially less likely to enter your home. But there’s one more essential step we need to take: sealing your home.
Start by doing a slow, careful check both inside and outside your home for potential entry points. These could be cracks in foundations, walls, baseboards, countertops or flooring, or unprotected access points near plumbing, pipes, fixtures, outlets, or in your attic or garage. Now’s also a good time to check the screens and seals on your doors and windows to ensure everything’s in good working order. Replace any broken items you find and seal up potential entry points with caulk, mesh, or another sealant.
3. PROTECT YOUR HOME, FAMILY, & PETS
Protecting your loved ones from bugs isn’t just about avoiding bites, it will help you prevent future bug problems in your home and lawn. After all, bugs commonly use people and pets to hitchhike into our yards and houses.
Protecting your family and pets from bug bites is worry-free and easy with Cedarcide Original. Just lightly spray your dog or cat all over every 3-4 days or more often as needed to kill and prevent fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, the mites that cause mange, and other biting bugs. Make sure to apply before visiting the dog park and walks outdoors, too.
Before lawn work, walks through tall grass, and outdoor entertainment, apply Cedarcide Original to all members of your family to repel bugs and prevent painful bites. Simply apply all over with a light mist, including clothing and shoes. For your face and neck, apply using your hands or a cloth.
To keep your home bug-free this spring, start spraying select locations in your home monthly with Cedarcide Original. Pay special attention to those areas where bugs seem to frequently return—maybe it’s a certain part of your countertops or cabinets, your pet’s bedding, or a dark corner of your garage or attic. If you know bugs use certain windows or doors to move inside each year, spray those entry points monthly as well.
Cedarcide Original not only repels, it kills on contact without exposing your family and pets to poisonous chemicals. So if you spot any bugs indoors, just give them a quick spray. It’s that simple.
