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Tips to Protect Your Home and Family During the Hurricane Season

Hurricane damaged home in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control
hurricane season
Tips to Protect Your Home and Family During the Hurricane Season
 

With hurricane season right around the corner (June 1st, FYI), there’s no better time than now to prepare your home and property for mother nature’s wrath. According to the United States Search and Rescue Task Force (USSRTF), roughly half a dozen hurricanes strike the U.S. coastline each year. So, what can you do to protect your home and family during the hurricane season?

Know the Evacuation Routes

As the saying goes, “hope for the best but prepare for the worst.” Hopefully, you’ll never have to evacuate, but if a hurricane heads your way, knowing the local routes will facilitate the process while keeping you and your family safe in the process.

Clean and Secure Gutters

Gale-force hurricane winds will often blow down gutters and downspouts, resulting in water buildup around the home’s foundation. So if there’s a possible hurricane on the horizon, take a few moments to clean and secure your gutters. Proper drainage is essential to protecting your home and property from water damage.

Prepare for Pests

Many homeowners are surprised to learn that hurricanes can bring pests, lots of pests. Hurricanes and other severe storms disrupt their normal environment, forcing pests like termites, spiders and mosquitoes to seek a new sanctuary. You can protect your home from pests during the hurricane season, however, by sealing doorways and windows, and removing debris and standing water. We  at Southern Pest Control’s professional pest control experts can also assist with protecting your home from pests.

 

Create an Emergency Kit

Of course, homeowners should also create a hurricane emergency kit, complete with first aid supplies as well as other survival items.

Here are some of the items to include in a hurricane emergency kit:

  • Flashlight with extra set of batteries.
  • Candles
  • Waterproof matches
  • Hand-cranked weather radio
  • Thermal blankets
  • First air supplies (bandages, antibiotic ointment, hydrogen peroxide, tweezers, etc.
  • Protein bars or similar high-calorie snacks with a long shelf-life.
  • Bottled water.

Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of how to protect your home and family during the hurricane season. For more tips on how to “pest-proof” your home, contact us at Southern Pest Control  800 527-9832 today.

Insects in the South: What You Should Love about Mosquitoes -Nothing

Mosquito illustration in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control
mosquitos

Maybe that is overstating it slightly. Mosquitoes do serve as a food source for birds, bats, and other insect-eating predators, but that probably isn’t on your mind when you’re scratching from head to toe after a quick trip to the mailbox at dusk.

Mosquitoes are a nuisance species. More importantly, they are a disease-carrying nuisance species. Inhabitants of the gulf states have battled the pests for centuries, but mosquitoes are one of the most resilient species of insect, inhabiting every continent, with over 3,000 different species worldwide. While we only have to handle 50 or so species in Mississippi, mosquitoes are one of the more annoying and dangerous bugs for Southerners to deal with, which is why they are the first appearance in our Insects in the South series.

Why you should care about mosquitoes

Put aside the constant buzzing and incessant biting. Mosquitoes are dangerous. According to theAmerican Mosquito Control Association, “Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism — over one million people worldwide die from mosquito-borne diseases every year.” They also harm dogs and horses through diseases and parasites.

In Mississippi, we don’t have to worry about some of the most devastating mosquito-borne diseases, like malaria. However, the Mississippi State Department of Health suggests that mosquito species here carry at least four dangerous viruses. West Nile, St. Louis encephalitis, and LaCrosse encephalitis are all harmful, and potentially deadly to humans, while Eastern equine encephalitis affects both humans and horses.

What you should do about mosquitoes

Like many insects, a mosquito’s life consists of four stages: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult. In order to reduce the mosquito population around your home, you will want to make it inhospitable to each of these stages. The most effective prevention is to reduce the amount of standing water around the house because the first three stages of the mosquito’s life rely on stagnant water. They need just a small amount of water to reproduce, so you’ll want to get rid of any open water areas, keep your bird baths fresh, and make sure your gutters are clean.

Once the mosquito is an adult, pesticides and repellents are your best tool. Pesticides like Permethrin kill adult mosquitoes and help break the life cycle. Repellents come in many forms, but DEET is still the most effective for keeping the blood suckers away. The female mosquito (the only one who bites) uses blood to nourish her eggs before laying them. If they can’t feed, they can’t breed.

While the total eradication of mosquitoes is not the end goal, you can do a lot to help reduce their presence around your home to protect you and your loved ones. This post presents just a few highlights of mosquito control. For more information, or to find out how we at Southern Pest Control Service can help make your home safer and more enjoyable, contact us today.

Protect Your Family From Diseases Caused by Insects

Mosquito close up in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

 

 

 

insects

Diseases caused by insects You need to be aware of to protect your family

If you live in the South, insects are nothing new to you. But are you aware of the diseases they may carry? Here are some potentially dangerous diseases transmitted by insects that you could come in contact with. Protect your family by learning the facts!

Lyme Disease

This disease is spread by ticks, which infect about 300,000 Americans every year. Ticks love wooded and grassy areas, so you can easily come into contact with one by hiking, camping, working, or simply playing in one of those outdoors areas.

West Nile Virus

The dreaded mosquito spreads this virus, which reaches its peak during the summer months. Mosquitos that spread this virus are especially active during the nighttime hours, so be especially aware after sunset.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

This disease is spread by a bacteria living in ticks, and can cause a range of uncomfortable symptoms like headache, vomiting, and abdominal pain. This disease can even be fatal if not treated quickly, so ticks are definitely one insect you want to avoid.

Gastroenteritis 

Different forms of this illness, including diarrhea, food poisoning, and other intestinal diseases, are caused by cockroaches. These insects carry the disease-causing bacteria on their legs and bodies, and can transmit diseases to you and your family by scampering over food or utensils.

Don’t let your family fall ill due to disease-ridden insects – contact us at Southern Pest Control on how to get rid of insects for good. Protect your family and prevent these insects from potentially making you and your loved ones sick!