Here are some things to ask yourself that might explain why your home has pests.

• Do you store food in containers or boxes that don’t have covers?
• Does your plumbing or roof leak?
• Do you keep your garbage where roaches, ants, mice, rats or other animals can get into it?
• Is there spilled food anywhere in your home?
• Are counters and floors sometimes dirty?  Do dishes sometimes go unwashed?
• Are there gaps or holes in the building that could let in pests?
• Does your home have loose or torn screens or broken windows?
• Do you keep standing water in your sinks?

To keep those pesty pests out of your home, store food in tightly sealed containers.  Pests need water.  Keep them from getting it by fixing leaks and not leaving dishwater in the sink overnight.  Keep a tight lid on trash cans and empty them often.  Wipe up spills and crumbs right away.  Make sure people in your home eat at the table.  Don't let them walk around with food, and clean up dirty dishes right after eating.   

You also want to get rid of stacks of newspaper, papers, bags, and cardboard boxes that make good homes for pests.

To control fleas, wash bedding often, shampooing pets, vacuuming floors, and use flea combs and traps.

On other action steps to keeping your home clean, contact Susan Chase, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences with Beaufort County Cooperative Extension.