Ask Angi: How can I get rid of spring or summer bugs and pests?

Spring and summer are prime time for pests. When they come out after sheltering for the winter, it can be an overwhelming sight! Getting rid of bugs can be challenging, but fortunately, you can take a number of steps right now to prevent ants, roaches, rodents and other pests from invading your living space this year.

Nothing attracts pests as efficiently as the smell of free food. When you leave food out or bags, boxes or Tupperware unopened, you might as well be ringing a dinner bell for intruders! Keep food in air-tight containers and make sure trash is stored in bins pests can’t easily reach.

Standing water provides a bountiful ground for mosquitoes to lay eggs and reproduce. All but one of a mosquito’s four life stages require water to survive. Search out sources of standing water and eliminate them. Even a bottle cap filled with water can become a mosquito breeding ground!

Tall grasses, shrubs and bushes make great habitats for insects and rodents. Bushes that have grown right up against your wall or windows offer pests a particularly efficient route inside your home. Trim these back to separate them from your home and take care to clean up grass clippings and piles of leaves, which also become sources of pest breeding. Store woodpiles as far away from the house as possible.