How to Help Deter and Prevent Bugs from Coming Inside

Able to fit through various entry points, bugs are elusive invaders. But that doesn’t mean you have to continually douse your home in store-bought spray to finally get some peace.

Here’s how to keep bugs out of the house before you have an infestation on your hands.

5 of the Best Ways to Help Keep Bugs out of Your House

The first key to keeping bugs outside is to assess how they get in, what makes them stay, and how you can get rid of them.

Here are five tips to prevent them from entering your space:

1. Guard Your Doors and Windows

Breezy days are perfect for airing out the house, but open doors and windows are the main way many insects make it into your home. While you can minimize how often you open them, you still need airflow.

Here are some ways to prevent bugs in your house without sealing yourself inside:

• Weather stripping. Bugs can slip through any gaps around doors or windows. Adding weather stripping closes those gaps.
• Bug screens. A classic solution to keep the door or window open is adding screens to keep out bugs. A standard mesh screen keeps out larger flies and mosquitoes, but if your property has tiny gnats, you’ll want to opt for a fine mesh to keep them out.
• Door sweeps. Under-door gaps are ideal for bugs to creep in. Sliding a door sweep under your door closes that gap and prevents dust or exterior moisture from coming inside.
• Air curtain. Installing an over-door fan (air curtain) keeps bugs out and allows you to keep the door open. The air cuts across the door, acting as an invisible physical barrier that keeps flies, mosquitoes, and other bugs from passing through.
• Fly curtains. These are beaded plastic door strips to keep bugs out. The strips line closely together so insects perceive it as a wall (while people and pets can pass through freely).

2. Seal Alternative Entrances

Doors and windows aren’t the only openings bugs use to get into your home. Air vents and cracks in the foundation, around windows and doors, or pipes also allow space for the tiny intruders. Caulk and seal these cracks and crevices and regularly clean your air vents, to stop bugs from coming inside.

3. Don’t Welcome Them to Stay

Despite all our efforts to keep them out, some bugs, it seems, will always find a way in – it’s one of life’s mysteries. If you still notice insects in your home, the best solution to get rid of bugs in the house is to make sure they don’t have sources of food or water that make them feel welcome.

• Put food away. Clearing leftovers, keeping the floors clean of crumbs, and removing pet food minimize obvious sources of food for the intruders.
• Wipe up puddles. Insects need water, too. Keep counters and floors clear and dump out standing water to limit their access. In their search for water to stay hydrated, pests will look for a more suitable home to settle into.
• Store garbage properly. Open trash cans not only smell but give bugs a reason to stay in your space. Keep your garbage sealed and change it out regularly.

4. Encourage Natural Predators

Another way to naturally deter pests from your yard is by creating an environment that draws the insect’s natural predators.

Bats, dragonflies, birds, fish, and amphibians are among the best natural controls for insects around your property. Adding vegetation, flowers, suitable nesting spots, and water features to your yard will all help you attract these natural predators.

Just make sure you keep your outdoor space clean and free of standing water to avoid creating mosquito breeding sites.

Related Content: Protect Abandoned Pools from Mosquitos

5. Keep Your Yard Clear

Home insect infestations often begin in the yard. Properly maintaining your yard, with insects in mind, can limit how many get the chance to get inside your home.

Here are some ways to keep insects away from your house:

• Clear standing water. Standing water is where mosquitoes like to breed. Other pests including ants and cockroaches are attracted to the moisture and humid environment that standing water provides. You can minimize their presence in your yard by regularly clearing places that collect water like buckets, planters, kiddie pools, birdbaths, kids’ toys, etc.
• Store firewood away from the house. Easy access to firewood makes sense in the winter – however, the dry crevices in the pile are perfect homes and breeding grounds for insects, rodents, and other pests. For that reason, if possible, keep the firewood further away from the house.
• Clear compost or decaying matter away from the house. Insects often nest/breed near food sources. Flies, for instance, lay their eggs on decaying matter so the larvae have plenty of food when they hatch. Setting the compost away from the house will help prevent those bugs from finding their way inside.
• Clean garbage and recycling cans regularly. Another easy shelter and food source for insects is the garbage can. Cleaning it regularly keeps them from claiming it as a home.
• Schedule professional treatment. Pest control professionals like Mosquito Squad offer mosquito treatment options to clear your property. We can also help prevent future infestations by identifying and clearing perfect insect breeding and feeding grounds on your property. With a traditional barrier treatment from Mosquito Squad, up to 90% of mosquitoes and other pests will be killed and repelled on contact. The treatment continues to deter pests for up to 21 days after your service.

Keep Your Property Bug-free with Professional Treatment

Before bugs make a home in your house, they make a home in your yard. To prevent an infestation of bugs on your property bugs, Mosquito Squad professionals assess and treat conditions on your property to make it less of an insect paradise.

Request a free quote online or call 877-332-2239 to contact the Squad today for reliable pest control that helps keep your home free of insects!