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It’s one thing to try to get rid of insects – you can spray or trap them and keep them away. But sometimes it’s much more frustrating to try to fight another kind of pest – animal pests.

Animal pests can do just as much damage as insects. They will often feed off foliage from your plants and shrubs, or eat your grass. Other animals get inside your home and nibble or gnaw at walls, wood, furniture, even wiring.

You can do a lot to control animal pests – birds, rabbits, mice, rats, moles, squirrels, etc. Here are some quick tips for helping to control some of the pests:

Make your property difficult to access. Sometimes a fence will deter some pests, but even more important, check around your property for points of access. Look for cracks in the foundation, holes in walls, screens or windows.

Remove hiding places. If animal pests don’t have access to nesting grounds, they may not be as tempted to stay. Don’t store items outdoors; remove garbage immediately; don’t leave woodpiles against a wall or fence. Remove piles of leaves and keep grasses trimmed.

Use motion devices. Some timid animals might be deterred by outside devices that create noise – pinwheels, wind socks, wind chimes, etc. Use anything that might startle them and keep them from exploring.

Consider having natural predators. Dogs and cats do a lot to discourage pests from staying in your home. You can also scare off some birds with decoys of other bird varieties, such as owls.

Ask about live traps. Sometimes the best solution is to trap and animal and remove it from your home area. This will keep the animal from wandering back.

You’d be amazed at how much damage pests can do around your home, and the amazingly creative ways they find to get into your home. With an inspection, we’ll uncover any potential pest problems and find solutions to rid your home of those pests. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

Plants are a favorite food source for many pests – whether it’s fruit, flowering or leafy trees. It’s frustrating to see your hard work and efforts, growing trees, shrubs or flower beds, infested with pests. You can certainly opt for a number of pest control solutions, including spraying the plants. Another option to consider is using plants to discourage pests.

Certain herbs and flowers repel many types of pests. Let’s take a look at some of the plants that could help improve your yard:

• Chives are very effective at removing scab in apple trees and removing black spot on rose bushes.
• Tansy will keep ants from making a picnic, or ant holes, throughout your yard.
• Oregano, Sage, and Thyme works wonders at keeping moths away from your patio.
• Elderberry is a great plant outdoors (it can be potentially poisonous when used indoors). If you have a problem with moles, try some Elderberry leaves or branches in the mole holes. A tea made from Elderberry leaves will control aphids when applied to rose bushes.
• Garlic not only adds great flavor, but its strong odor will chase many pests out of your yard.
• Lemon balm and eucalyptus both discourage mosquitoes from your yard.

We think it’s important to look at all kinds of solutions for pest control. The first step is to determine what kind of pests are in and around your home and put together an action plan. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

While we enjoy the beautiful summer sunshine and all the opportunities outdoors, there are plenty of pests that seek shelter from the sun – primarily in our homes. If you aren’t careful, you might found your home overrun by these creatures.

There are several methods for controlling the pests in your home and keeping your home pest free in the summer. Here are varieties of control methods you can use:

Cultural Control – This method of control keeps insects and pests from further developing. If you control an insects access to nesting or breeding grounds, you help control that population. Some examples include tying garbage bags closed, keeping garbage in cans with tight lids, cleaning up any freestanding water (even puddles or spots from leaky pipes), and cleaning counters and floors. If you create less opportunity for breeding you help control the population.

Biological Control – Some pest control methods actually involve introducing known pest competitors to kill off the annoying pests. For instance, some harmless wasps will kill off housefly populations, ladybugs will kill off aphids.

Chemical Control – There are a number of baits that attract insects and kill them. There are also a number of chemicals that interfere with the insects ability to reproduce, or simply kill insects outright. Many of these chemical solutions are low in toxicity or even naturally occurring.

Controlling summer pest populations often requires a multi-phase approach. There are a number of ways that we can help you control the insects and pests around your home. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

If you enjoy a beautiful yard, you may find yourself battling a variety of pests and insects. Some insects and pests damage the grass and plants around your yard, others simply make it difficult to enjoy being outside. If you are wondering what’s invading your outdoors, you may be dealing with:

Ants – While these insect might not do much damage to the yard, they can be obnoxious when it comes to biting and invading your outdoor snacks.

Armyworms – Armyworms are found in warm climates and enjoy feeding off of the grasses that make up your yard. They leave a trail of destruction behind them. Armyworms measure about ¼ to 2 ½ inches and look like a caterpillar with a light stripe on each side. During their adult stage, they turn into a brown-gray moth.

Cutworms – Cutworms start in the caterpillar stage. During their larvae stage, cutworms infest lawns and hide inside soil and thatch. They will cut plants of at the soil level. Later in their life cycle they turn into moths. You’ll see these moths around outdoor lights.

Grubs – Grubs damage a great deal of lawns across the country. These pests are really beetles that feed off of the roots of plants and grasses. They become especially prevalent in the warm summer months.

If you think your lawn might be infested with any of these creatures, we can help. With the right treatment, you can enjoy a healthy, green lawn and vibrant flowers and shrubs around your home. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

Do you sometimes catch a trail of ants entering your house? Do you watch cockroaches scurry under cabinets when you turn on the lights? Do you worry about being outdoors and being attacked by bees or wasps? If these problems sound familiar, you need to take a proactive approach to get rid of unwanted pests and insects from around your home and yard.

Here are a few tips to help you keep your house bug free:

1. Store food and beverages in air-tight containers. Cereal, flour and other staples are invitations to bugs. Any crumbs, fruit peelings or cores, act like bug magnets. The more you do to eliminate potential food sources, the less bugs you’ll have inside your home.
2. Clean up counters, floors and sinks. Don’t allow your countertops or sink to have sugar, food crumbs or grease. Cockroaches are opportunistic creatures. If you make it easy for them to find food, they’ll be happy to stay for a while.
3. Get rid of any standing water – even small leaks. Water from leaky pipes can be a great breeding ground for many insects. Even a simple puddle in the yard can attract mosquitoes and other insects and create an ideal breeding ground.
4. Seal up cracks, holes and opening. Carefully look around your home for any cracks in the foundation, holes in screens or other openings to the great outdoors. Mice and rats are able to squeeze through the smallest holes.
5. Don’t leave out pet food. Cat or dog food that is left out in the open is likely to attract all kinds of pests. Why look elsewhere when there’s a great food source next to the water bowl?
6. Keep your yard clean. Pick up any fallen fruit or branches, keep the grass cut low, pick up grass trimmings.

Most pests and insects are attracted to a home that makes it easy for them to find food and shelter. The harder you make it, the less likely they are to come into your home. We inspect your home to eliminate those potential access areas and food sources that keep pests coming back for more. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

Insects and other pests can cause a lot of damage around your home and yard. Some insects are merely annoying; others carry potential illness and disease, while others can damage the wood of your home and furniture.

There are a number of methods for keeping your insect and pest control population under control. One of the easiest methods is to be especially vigilant about cleaning. If you make it difficult for insects or pests to access food sources – whether crumbs on counters or pieces of wood outside – you eliminate some of the problems.

You can also apply some home remedies to rid you house of pests. One effective option is to use Boric acid as a pesticide. It is a much milder chemical than many other insecticides, and is also effective at deterring insects and pests.

But eventually, you have to evaluate your ability to control the insects and pest with the population around your home. Many home remedies simply don’t control the pest population completely. That’s when it becomes helpful to consider an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solution.

With IPM, we identify potential problem areas for pest contamination and present you with the best option to get rid of these pests. Often the pest solution is non-toxic or invasive. However, putting a plan in place helps you protect your home from damage – insects or rodents damaging wood, furniture, or walls – and keeps your family and pets free from the disease or illness carried by many insects. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/