Like spring and flowering bushes, summer and pests seem to go hand in hand. The warm temperatures and increased humidity during the summer period provides the ideal conditions for pests to reproduce causing their populations to increase significantly. Although summer is everyone’s favourite time of year, the multitude of pests that accompany it can cause a lot of distress.

Although summer should be a fun season, the plague-like pest populations that accompany it can be a real downer. Pests are everywhere during summer months; they’re outdoors disrupting your barbecue, as well as indoors disturbing your sleep and feasting on your stored food in the pantry.

Because of all the inconveniences and damages pests can cause when they invade your space, it’s wise to prepare in advance before the “pest season” sets in. Early preparations will ensure you successfully stave off these troublesome intruders until the hot season is over and the risk of pests reduces.

Here are some of the pests you need to keep an eye out for in summer and some tips on how to keep them at bay.

Ants

If you have lived in Australia for more than a day, then you most definitely have had an encounter with ants. Ants are probably the most common insects in Australia. With over 1300 documented species and subspecies, you’re almost guaranteed of personal contact with these insects – more so when their populations balloon during summer. While ants are, more often than not, beneficial while out in the wild, they turn into a real nuisance when they intrude where they’re not welcome. With over 1,300 documented species and subspecies, the country has quite a great number of ants whose population increases with hot weather.

Although generally useful to the eco-system, ants can be quite problematic when they collide with humans. They generally don’t bite (except a few species), but they can damage and contaminate food rendering it unfit for consumption. Plus the sensation of tiny insects crawling on your skin is just disturbing.

Ants are more common outdoors but are not shy to get indoors. They will readily invite themselves into your house to feed if they detect any food. To avoid any trouble with these pests in the summer, you should:

Clean up your barbecue area and the grill to remove any food crumbs that could attract these efficient scavengers.

Keep your house clean especially the kitchen where food crumbs are likely to fall on the floor providing nourishment to the intruders.

Wash your dishes after meals or at least rinse them off to remove any remaining food.

Keep your kitchen bins tightly covered to deny any pests including ants access.

Keep your food in airtight containers.

Protect your food when on picnics by keeping it in a food tent out of the reach of pests.

Ant Control Products | Ant Killer | Pestrol

Mosquitoes

These are probably the most dangerous pests in the world in terms of the number of diseases they spread. Mosquitoes are known to spread Dengue fever, Malaria, Zika virus among other illnesses.

The mosquito season begins in spring when the weather starts to warm up and peaks in summer when it’s scorching. Eggs laid previously will hatch at this time and mosquitoes that were in hibernation will emerge causing the pest’s population to balloon.

Although only a few species feed on animal blood, having tiny insects flying around, even when they don’t bite, can be very disturbing. To avoid mosquito problems you’ll need to:

Clear bushes and any other overgrown vegetation around your home. A mosquito’s primary diet is plant sap, and overgrown vegetation provides both this and shelter.

Mosquitoes require still water to lay their eggs in for reproduction. Drain all still water around your home and properly dispose of any containers that could hold water.

Keep your windows and doors closed at night when mosquitoes are most active to ensure they don’t get into your house. Screen them if you need to have them open.

Screen all openings such as vents and chimneys to prevent mosquito entry.

Flies

Flies are both stubborn and dangerous – to your health that is. Flies have some of the worst feeding habits and will feed indiscriminately on almost anything. It is this behaviour that makes them a hazard to human health. As they jump from one food source to another, flies will often carry germs on their hairy bodies spreading them wherever they land.

These pests are also quick multipliers (especially in warm weather) a factor that could make a fly infestation get out of control within a very short time. They are a menace both indoors and outdoors. To keep these pests out of your way, you should:

Clean all food and drink messes as soon as they happen as they can attract flies.

Keep food covered in containers.

Clean up your pets poop immediately.

Keep doors and windows that are not screened shut.

Do your dishes as soon as you are done using them.

Fleas

During the warm season, you and your animal companion will be outdoors a lot which could expose your furry friend to fleas. Fleas feed on all animal blood including that of humans which means that a flea infestation will be distressing to both you and your pet.

Other than painful bites, fleas are also capable of spreading diseases when they come into contact with the host’s blood as they feed. To avoid these annoying guests, you’ll need to:

Clean your pet regularly with flea soap.

Tidy up your yard by trimming bushes and mowing your lawn as these provide ideal spots for fleas to leap onto hosts.

Keep wildlife and feral animals away from your pet and home as they most probably have fleas.

Rodents

Mice and rats are sneaky creatures that if left unchecked could cause a lot of damage to your property. They’ll gnaw at anything in sight including wires, furniture, fabrics and your food causing damage and contamination.

Rodents will also introduce other pests such as fleas to your property. Because they breed quickly, controlling an infestation once it starts can take quite a bit of effort. You should take the following measures to keep these pests off your property:

Seal holes that rodents can use as entry points.

Store your food in metal or glass containers that can’t be breached by rodents.

Ensure your bins are covered.

Clean your house regularly to get rid of food crumbs dropped on the floor.

Possums

They might be cute, but possums can be quite a handful when they invade your property. They create messes, make noise and could scare your pets. Furthermore, possums could also introduce pests such as ticks and fleas to your home.

Possums will usually set up their nests under decks and in the attic – places that are less frequented by human traffic. To keep possums away:

Cover your outdoor bins to avoid attracting possums and other wildlife to your property.

Screen low decks to protect them from possums.

Trim overhanging branches to prevent possums from using them to get to your roof.

Although pest populations are high during summer, the above measures will help you keep your family safe from them. Our wide range of professional pest control products and deterrents will also help you ensure that pests don’t ruin your summer.

We stock products to help you get rid of insect pests, rodents, and keep feral animals off your property – both indoors and outdoors. Our products are safe, effective and humane.