Jul 3, 2020, 15:02 PM by Fred Speer

This year’s Fourth of July will be unlike any other in recent memory, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Clark, your dependable pest control, lawn care, and termite control expert, would like to make sure that, as you celebrate the holiday with those close to you, you do so safely.

In addition to practicing safe social distancing, Clark would like to remind you that you may have some uninvited guests that need to be shown the door – pests!

Temperatures are on the rise, and so is California’s pest population. From flies to stinging insects, it’s business as usual for pests. They are continually searching for new sources of food, water, and shelter. The pandemic has not changed their behavior much.

And with more of us at home grilling and celebrating in the backyard, there will be plenty of  sweet, sugary desserts, fruit, and soft drinks, as well as greasy leftovers on grills and serving trays and garbage cans filled with trash, which pests just love to feast upon.

To keep your Fourth of July celebration pest free, Clark offers the following four tips to deter annoying and bacteria-spreading pests from spoiling your holiday fun:

1. Flies: These airborne pests are a common interloper to almost any backyard cookout or picnic. Keep these filthy insects from spoiling your picnic by covering your food with foil or tight-sealing lids, or set up the buffet inside a screened-in porch or tent. Also, remember to clean up food and beverage spills, because they are a major attractant to flies.
2. Ants: Like flies, ants are drawn to food, along with food spills and leftovers. Ants – especially Argentine ants, one of the most common species in California – thrive on sweet, sugary substances like spilled soft drinks. Cleaning up spilled food and drinks, and rinsing out cans and bottles before they go into the recycle bin or garbage can, will deny ants their sought-after prize.
3. Stinging insects: Nothing can ruin a relaxing day in the backyard like getting stung by a bee or yellowjacket. Each year, stinging insects send approximately 500,000 people to emergency rooms. Inspect your property for signs of nests in trees or under awnings and the eaves of your home. If you do spot a nest, call the stinging insect experts at Clark immediately. Also, cover food and beverage cans or bottles, because many stinging insects are attracted to sugary substances, and no one wants to swallow a bee that flew into their beverage can or bottle.
4. Mosquitoes: These nuisance pests are regular outdoor get-together crashers. Even though mosquitoes are not on the list of pests treated by Clark, because in most of California they are controlled by public mosquito and vector control districts, there are a few things you can do to keep them from annoying you and your family. For example, eliminating standing water and keeping vegetation trimmed in your yard will help prevent mosquitoes from nesting. Also, using insect repellent or yard sprays containing DEET or eucalyptus oil, lighting citronella candles, or turning on a ceiling or box fan to literally blow mosquitoes away from your deck or patio (as mosquitoes are not good flyers) are tactics you can use to toss these uninvited guests out.

 

If pests are causing unnecessary fireworks around your home this Fourth of July, call or text California’s trusted, friendly pest control expert, Clark, at (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or send an email to clarkcares@clarkpest.com.

Until next time, the pest management professionals at Clark Pest Control thank you for helping to keep unwanted pests out of your home.

Happy Fourth of July!