Although I’m in denial, fall is approaching and pests will soon be to trying to enter our homes for the winter. Now is the time to do an exterior inspection and make sure your building isn’t welcoming to pests. One pest that is annoying Northeastern homeowners and devastating farmers—the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is expected to invade homes again this fall. To learn more about BMSB and other fall invaders, check out last fall’s post "Stink bugs and other fall invaders." And for a peek into the science going into solving the BMSB puzzle, read the Northeastern IPM Center’s latest article on how entomologists are trying to figure out where the BMSB overwinters…other than our homes.
For guidance on maintenance repairs to pest-proof your homes, see our suggestions at stoppests.org.
Recruit residents to help ward-off pests with this sample newsletter:
------------------Sample Newsletter-----------------------
Stop Pests from Getting in Your Home
Pests are like us—they don’t like to be hot or cold. Rats, mice, palmetto bugs, and other pests that can live outside will try to come in your home to escape extreme weather. Some pests, like mosquitoes, try to get to us for our blood!
Keep pests out or your home and help conserve energy with these simple tips:
- Make sure there are no gaps around AC Units. Take portable AC units out as soon as the weather changes.
- Trim plants so no branches or leaves touching your home.
- Make sure there are no holes in your window screens.
- Keep your door closed as much as possible and use a screen door when it’s open.
If there are gaps under doors without door sweeps or you see a hole in the side of a building where pests could get in, call in a work order: ###-####. Don’t wait—we want to prevent the pests!
http://www.stopbmsb.org/ has a good video from University of MD on how to keep BMSB out of your home. Direct link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wp8cd_VQBA&noredirect=1
Posted by: Allie | 10/01/2012 at 12:13 PM