Ah, summer. Time for warm weather, cool drinks, the inevitable influx of tourists into the city, and… summer pests. Pest prevention is important year round, but it’s especially important in the summer months. You don’t want to lose customers to swarms of flies, lines of ants, or the rare rat king-in-swim-trunks.

If you follow the summer pest prevention tips we’ve listed below, you won’t have to! Here’s everything you need to know to prepare your property for summer and the critters that come with it.
 

Do a perimeter check

Winter is all about hunkering down, and spring is about recovering from winter. You’ve been so busy inside your business, you probably haven’t had time to check up on the outside. That’s why this is our first recommendation for summer pest proofing.

Remember: pests only infest buildings that they can get into in the first place. If you bar their entry, they’ll leave you alone. Walk around the perimeter of your building. Look for missing bricks, cracks in cement, holes in screens or window frames. Repair them as you go. A sealed-up building is a pest-free building.
 

Prevent standing water build-up

What do pests want most? Three things: food, shelter, and water. In spring and summer it rains. When it rains, standing water accumulates. Standing water around commercial properties works like a beacon for pests like flies and mosquitos.

Watch for puddles and other sources around is dead plants, piles of debris, clogged gutters and drains, or potholes. Keep water from building up, and you’ll have deprived pests of something they desperately want. They’ll have to go somewhere else to get it, and they will.
 

Don’t let fruit sit out

Summer is the season of fresh produce. Whether you run a restaurant or manage an office, don’t let fresh produce sit unchecked. Overripe fruit is a huge draw for summer pests.

Make sure your employees, co-workers, or tenets are storing their fruit responsibly. …Ok, that sounds kind of silly, but it’s important nonetheless. Practice safe fruit storage.
 

Don’t store natural materials against the outside of the property

Pests love to build nests in natural cover like piles of firewood, stacked pallets, or other debris. If they can find this natural cover right outside your business, so much the better.

Organize and store the various materials scattered around your business, and they won’t attract pests this summer.

The biggest advice we can have when it comes to summer pest prevention is: be vigilant, pay attention, and know who to call to remove problem pests when they do happen. Assured Environments knows how to handle New York pest problems no matter the time of year.