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Pest Prevention Before, During, and After Hurricane Season

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Pest Prevention For Hurricane Season

It’s hurricane season folks! Here in the Carolinas, we’re no strangers to hurricanes and the damage that comes with them.

Many of us prepare for a potential hurricane by stocking up on food, purchasing flashlights or generators, moving to higher ground and preparing our homes for flooding or harsh winds. However–humans aren’t the only ones affected by storms like hurricanes, and what many people overlook during hurricane season are the pests that come along with them.

Pests prevention during a Hurricane?

That’s right! Hurricane conditions, both before and after, leave plenty of wildlife and insects with nowhere to go. This is where you come in! Hurricane season means wetness and damage, which means super easy pest access into your home.

As if there weren’t a million other things to think about during a hurricane, go ahead and add pest prevention to your list as well.

Let’s talk about what kind of pests you might find trying to get into your home this season, how to prepare your home and finally–what actions to take post-hurricane.

What kind of pests–you might ask?

We’ll start with ants. Ants–who normally live in the ground–are forced out of their homes and onto higher ground when hurricanes come around, flooding their soil. Shockingly, ants can actually link together to stay afloat. This means they band together (for weeks on end) and float on top of the flood water until they find a dryer place to call home. Nine times out of ten, ants end up at your home.Mosquitos

You know how in the summer if you’re out after dark there’s about a million and one mosquitoes flying around? Think of that for hurricane season, but worse. Initially, flood waters from hurricanes lower the mosquito population. But the remaining standing water that sits in places like your gutters becomes the perfect breeding ground for these little guys. Post-hurricane, mosquitoes are likely to lay their eggs in your gutters and in the soft soil from the flood waters. Mosquitos can multiply quickly, so be sure to look into removing them as soon as you spot them.Palmetto bugs

Aka, cockroaches. These guys just never know when to quit. If you didn’t know by now, cockroaches love moist environments. Any super wet or flooded soil around your house is likely to be crawling with cockroaches post-hurricane. Make sure to seal up any possible holes around your home to keep these guys (and the water) out for good.Rodents

Pests like mice and rats seem to be the most confused when it comes to hurricanes. With all the commotion that goes on during a hurricane, before and after, these pests just want to find a warm place to seek refuge. Unfortunately for us, rodents are excellent swimmers. Once they find their way to your house, it takes only the size of a nickel for a rodent the size of a rat to squeeze in.

Prepare Before Hurricane Season

The time is now to start preparing your home for a potential hurricane or storm. Make sure to inspect the outer parameters of your home as well as any vulnerable spots on the inside as well, such as your attic or basement.

Things like doors and windows should be properly sealed to not only keep bugs from coming in but also to protect the inside of your home from the harsh winds and rain that storms often bring. It’s also important to make sure that any loose siding or roofing material is repaired to prevent winds from doing further damage.

Once a storm hits, it becomes a lot harder and sometimes impossible to stop the damage once it starts. Preparing now will ensure peace of mind and will lessen the chances of pests seeking refuge in your home during a storm.

Post-hurricane Solutions to Pests

Sometimes damage after a major storm just can’t be prevented. The moist and often damaged environment that hurricanes leave behind are the perfect breeding ground for pests.  Once they find their way into your yard and around the perimeter of your home, it can be very easy for these pests to find a way inside. Follow these tips for a pest-free hurricane season:

On the outside:

  • Evaluate the areas around your home that have been damaged
  • Seal any cracks or holes near pipes and utility lines
  • Clear any standing water in things like bird baths, flower pots, pet bowls and containers
  • Unclog gutters of any water or debris
  • Remove tree branches and leaf litter that are in close proximity to your home

On the inside:

  • Repair damaged screens or windows
  • Check ceilings and floors for signs of sagging
  • Check for any holes to the outside that might’ve let in water
  • Get rid of any old food that might’ve gone bad during the storm

Pest proofing your home (before or after a storm) is no easy task to handle by yourself. At Killingsworth, we specialize in both pest prevention and pest removal. Give us a call to speak with one of our pest control specialists and schedule your free consultation.

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Pest Prevention Before, During, and After Hurricane Season

Bedbug inspection

How to Know if Your Hotel Has Bedbugs

Upon entering a hotel room, do you typically reach for the tiny toiletries, take a leap onto the bed, or perhaps start by inspecting for bed bugs? Knowing what to look for is essential. Anticimex Carolinas Service Manager Christian Tweed has shared valuable insights on identifying bed bugs in your hotel room and preventing them from hitching a ride back home with you. And if bed bugs do become an unexpected part of your vacation, remember that Clark’s Pest Control is here to assist!



Q&A with a Pest Professional


How do bed bugs get inside hotels?


Bed bugs are primarily hitchhiking insects as opposed to foraging ones, meaning that they get carried around on people’s clothes and belongings. Someone with an active infestation in their home can easily bring bed bugs to their hotel, but they can also be picked up during travel (airplanes, taxis, and rideshare services) and brought to a hotel room.


What do people misunderstand about bed bugs in hotels?


From a probability standpoint, all hotels will deal with bed bugs at some point in time. If you think about a bed bug’s method of travel, there’s literally nothing a hotel can do to stop them from being carried in. What I have realized is that luxury hotels are more likely to have an aggressive response to dealing with a bed bug case once it’s identified as they tend to have a higher quality of service and a reputation to protect. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience more often than not.

Got bedbugs? Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today!

What do you recommend travelers do when they get to their room to check for bed bugs?


Most hotel headboards hang directly on the wall. I start my inspection here before even looking at the bed itself. I have found bed bugs, their exoskeletons, and the telltale black stains they leave behind around the edges of or in the crevices of headboards. If the headboard looks clean, move on to looking over the pillowcases and comforter for any signs or stains. You can dig into the bedding as deep as you want here, but I encourage people to look over the top layer of things at the very least.


What are some lesser-known signs of bed bugs in your hotel room?


The specifics of the black stains they leave behind, which as gross as it sounds, are just digested blood as that’s all that bed bugs feed on. If the stains are on a hard surface, they will be small dots as if left behind by an ink pen and will smear into a brownish gray when moisture is applied. If they’re on fabric, they will usually bleed along the fibers making a small diamond, square or X shape.


If there are bed bugs in your hotel room, can they travel home with you?


They absolutely can, however this is easy to prevent. While staying in a hotel, keep as much of your clothing and luggage off the beds as possible. Storing suitcases in the bathroom might sound odd, but it’s an effective method of prevention.

Don’t tackle bedbugs yourself, call Clark’s at 866-781-4991!

What should you do with your suitcase if you suspect your hotel has bed bugs?


When arriving home from a trip, leave your luggage in the garage or on a porch and bring your clothes in one load of laundry at a time. If the clothes are dirty, wash them like you normally would, if they’re clean then run them through the dryer for at least forty-five minutes. Once your suitcase is empty, vacuum over it meticulously (don’t forget to empty the vacuum when you’re done), or if you’re in the right climate, expose it to heat for a few days by placing it in your vehicle (parked in the sun) or for a few weeks in your attic.


The Clark’s Solution


If you brought bed bugs back to you home, Clark’s is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment.


A Clark’s Pest Professional will do an inspection and recommend a plan of attack to get rid of bed bugs now and prevent them from hatching in the future. Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today for more information.



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