Planning For Bugs After Hurricanes

Many people know to prep for the high winds and torrential downpour of a hurricane, but one thing that few people remember to plan for is the influx of bugs after the hurricane. Standing bodies of water after the storms act as breeding grounds for bugs, including mosquitos, roaches and ants.

Mosquitos

Mosquitos flock to standing water after a hurricane and can be quite annoying to inhabitants of your home. Besides the annoyance of these bugs buzzing around, mosquitos also carry diseases so it’s important to keep them far away from your home after a hurricane. So how do you keep these bugs out? One way is to pour coffee grounds on any standing bodies of water. Coffee grounds force mosquito eggs to float to the surface of the water, where they will be unable to survive. Another way is to cut a water bottle in half, filling the bottom with water and brown sugar. Turn the top half upside down so it acts as a funnel and place it into the bottom half. Placing these around your home will trap the mosquitos inside once they’re attracted to the sweet brown sugar.

Roaches

Cockroaches can also carry diseases, so it’s important to keep these bugs at bay as well. To do so, keep foods sealed and make sure all windows and doors are sealed tightly as well. If you already have cockroaches, thoroughly clean your carpets, where cockroaches are likely to lay eggs. Make sure the company you hire to clean your carpets has experience with removing cockroach eggs.

Ants

Carpenter ants can dig into your walls after a hurricane and destroy any wood they come into contact with. Try putting out a poisonous bait for these ants, who will pick up the bait and share it with other carpenter ants. If you don’t act soon enough, you may need to repair cabinets and wood furniture around the home that has already been damaged by the carpenter ants.

Remember, while planning for a hurricane, be sure to plan for both the weather and the bugs.