If you hate bugs, you are not alone. Almost seven in ten Americans can’t sleep knowing there’s an insect in the room, according to a recent survey conducted by OnePoll for Zevo.
The same survey also found that two in three Americans would give up a month’s wage to avoid dealing with bugs.
Science says your visceral response is actually pretty rational. According to researchers at the University of California-Davis, those creepy-creeping feelings you can have at the sight of a beetle are simply the way nature helps you avoid pathogens and parasites.
The good news? Insect experts say there are steps you can take to protect your home lawn from disgusting bugs and other pests.
“While you shouldn’t lose your healthy aversion to bugs, there are steps you can take to keep them out of your home,” says Daniel Perry, entomologist at Procter & Gamble.
Here are a few ways you can keep America’s three most hated bugs out of your home: cockroaches, spiders, and ants, as well as a host of other common insects.
• Guard doors and windows.
Keep doors and windows tight when not in use. If you love a breath of fresh air, make sure your fly screen doors and windows are in tip-top shape and have no holes in them.
You don’t have a screen door? Consider quickly installing a mesh door screen over your front door or patio door that will seal the center with a magnet. This is a good choice for renters and others who cannot do more intensive home updates.
• Seal holes.
Spend an afternoon sealing small cracks in the foundation and cladding of your home. It’s a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to seal these common entry points for failure.
• Remove their source of food.
Beetles need a source of food to survive, so keep your home clean. In the kitchen, seal up your trash can and regularly remove its contents, wipe surfaces – especially after spills – and sweep up those crumbs. A cockroach can survive for months on a single crumb of food!
Be sure to regularly vacuum furniture, rugs, and carpets in every room you eat in.
• Blast bugs.
Bugs will find their way into your home no matter how hard you try to keep them out. Since a small bug problem can spread quickly, it’s important to be ready to face it head-on.
Zevo sprays, including the brand’s Multi-Insect Killer spray, are powered by essential oils. Zevo’s BioSelective technology was developed by experts to target the distinctive biology of bedbugs. To learn more, visit zevoinsect.com.
