Is Dropping The Ball A Good Thing?

Is Dropping The Ball A Good Thing?

We think it is safe to say that most Americans (and probably most people in the English-speaking world) have all seen the ball drop at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps only on television, but they’ve seen it. But do you know how this time-honored tradition came to be? Well, it turns out that the actual notion of a ball dropping to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year’s Eve in Times Square. The first “time-ball” was actually installed on top of England’s Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833. This ball would drop at 1:00 p.m. every day, allowing the captains of nearby ships to set their chronometers precisely. After this, around 150 public time-balls are believed to have been installed around the world.

In the case of New Year’s Eve in Times Square, it can be said that dropping the ball is a good thing. However, there are a lot of other times and places where dropping the ball is definitely not a good thing. Take controlling pests for example. If a homeowner does not keep up with pest management and their home becomes infested with pests, this “dropping the ball” is definitely bad.

There are many things that can be done in order to deter pests from coming into your home. The following is a do-it-yourself list of tips:

  • Keep your yard free of clutter. Bugs and rodents love clutter to hide in.

  • Trim trees and bushes back away from your home. Pests can use leaves and branches as bridges to climb onto your home.

  • Make sure all screens and door sweeps are in good working order.

  • Seal up any gaps or cracks in your foundation, walls or roof area using a caulking gun.

  • Remove any standing water from your yard.

  • Thoroughly clean your home, paying close attention to areas where food is prepared and served. Don’t forget hard-to-reach areas, such as under the refrigerator and between the stove and counter.

  • Store all food in the refrigerator, or in tightly sealed plastic containers.

  • Only put pet food down at meal times, and make sure pet food is also stored in sealed containers.

  • Don’t leave dirty dishes stacked by the sink. Either wash them right away or put them in a sink full of soapy water.

  • Make sure your drawers and cabinets are free of crumbs and other food particles.

If you are serious about keeping household pests out, or if you need to get rid of pests, you might want to consider contacting the professionals. In business since 1971, the folks here at Russell’s Pest Control have learned a few things. With pest packages starting at just $29/month, our locally owned and family operated pest control company is fully geared to help you get rid of household pests, and keep them out. If you don’t want to drop the ball regarding pest control, give Russell’s a call. We’ll make sure you have a pest-free new year!

Happy New Year, from your friends here at Russell’s Pest Control!

Yearly Pest Service Vs. One Time Service

Yearly Pest Service Vs. One Time Service

Everything breaks down and, at some point, everything needs to be fixed or maintained. But there are some things in life you can do one time, and you’re good for a while; like weatherproofing your back deck or getting your driveway repaved. For most of us, getting a health check-up is not something that has to happen on more than an annual basis, and, if you’ve replaced old, leaky windows with new windows, you probably don’t have to revisit that issue for several years. These are problems that can be solved with a one-time fix–or at the very least–a once in a while fix. So, what is pest control? Is it a once in a while fix sort of issue? Or, is it something that has to be done yearly? The truth is, it is worse than you think.

Fully excluding bugs and wildlife from a home isn’t even a yearly issue. It requires year-round effort. These creatures never stop reproducing and they never stop encroaching. Your home is just another tree to build a nest in. The area under your deck is just another cave to make a den in. Your walls are food for termites and the soil around your home is no different than the dirt in the forest. Those critters don’t know that it belongs to you.

In fall, yellow jackets often come to overwinter in your eaves, and dozens of other bugs will slip through holes in your exterior walls–holes you don’t even know you have. In winter, rodents and cockroaches hide from the cold and forage in your pantry. In spring, a whole host of bugs seemingly come back to life in and around your home. Then, of course, there is summer, the time of year when every living creature is most active, searching for food and reproducing. Pests don’t take a season off.

Can’t I just seal my walls? If only it were that simple. Wouldn’t it be nice to just take care of all those holes once and for all? The problem is, holes that are letting pests into your home this winter might not have been there last winter. Homes decay and pests nibble. Worse than this, bugs don’t need much of a hole to get in. Sealing exterior walls may be an essential part of keeping pests out, but it is far from effective in and of itself.

If you want to fully exclude pests from your home, you need specialized knowledge, experience with the creatures that you are trying to keep out, and access to products that will protect vulnerable areas. You need a knowledge of pest habits and habitats, and you need to continually monitor pest pressures. That is why most folks turn to a professional pest control company.

Keeping pests out is not a one-time fix. It requires year-round service from someone who is educated in the field of pest control. If having a pest-free home is your goal, we can help. The expert team here at Russell’s Pest Control is trained and certified to get pests out and keep them out. When you’re ready to see how great life is without bugs and wildlife in your home, give us a call. We’d love to help you with that.