SAN ANTONIO – Summer is the perfect season for bugs to come out and invade your home. It’s hot and humid, and pests are in survival mode.
KSAT spoke with a San Antonio technician who said bugs want to be inside just as much as we do.
“If [bugs] are crawling along your house and they feel that cool air from a crack, they are going to turn and want to come inside,” said Russell Childres, a technician at A-Bear Pest Control.
Bugs typically come towards homes because it’s cooler, and they feel protected.
“We need food, water, shelter. That’s what they want,” Childres said. “They’re going to move in and set up where they can get a good meal quickly and easy for them. It’s all a matter of nature and how it flows.”
While it may be easier to call a pest company for help, Childres recommended a few steps for homeowners to keep their homes pest-free.
“Sealing any cracks and crevices or gaps around the door is great,” Childres said.
Some brick houses have weep holes, which are put there for the house to “breathe.” Childres said you want to dust these types of holes, not seal them. Weep holes help the house circulate airflow. If they are blocked, the house can grow mold.
“[Pests] are just going where the food source goes. They’re going to follow it,” Childres said.
He also recommended that homeowners create a one or two-foot gap around the house’s perimeter.
This may be harder to do, but pests know if they cross an open area, they will be seen by birds or other insects and will get eaten, Childres said.
“Raking leaves is another thing. They hold a ton of moisture and hold a lot of thatch. You can get all the small bugs and scorpions, spiders and roaches. They all live in that patch,” Childres said.
General yard maintenance is always a plus. Keeping your grass cut short will help alleviate pests during hot summer days.
