eliminating ants, flies and other household pests

As the manager of a senior care facility, one of your most important roles is to create a safe and comfortable environment for the older adults who stay at the residence. Naturally, pest control is always at the forefront of your mind, and the staff all know the importance of practicing proper preventative procedures such as keeping indoor areas free of food debris. Unfortunately, facility management often has less control over what happens outside, and a bad mosquito season is all it takes to create a health hazard for the residents at your facility. As you prepare your outdoor maintenance plans, use these tips to get mosquitoes under control on the property so that every senior can enjoy their time outside.

Watch Out for Breeding Grounds

Many senior care facilities include features on their grounds that are designed to inspire a sense of relaxation as residents take in their beauty. While a birdbath or fountain may add a beautiful touch to the outdoor area, any water feature could potentially serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Make sure that the water is changed in these features regularly, or you can arrange for the water to be treated so that mosquitoes can no longer breed in it.

Practice Effective Landscaping

Mosquitoes can also breed in damp soil and mulching materials. If your facility has a garden, then make sure that it is watered according to what the plants need so that less water sits on the surface of the ground. You may also need to make sure that the grass and bushes on the property are kept trimmed. Mosquitoes often use overgrown grass as hiding places as they fly from one place to another, and they are less likely to congregate in areas where there is nowhere to hide.

Know When to Get Professional Help

Certain years tend to bring on more mosquitoes than others, and you may find that even proper preventative practices are not enough to rid your property of these pests. Professional pest control services for mosquitoes are an effective way to quickly eliminate the mosquitoes from your property while looking out for the safety of the seniors at your facility. During the service, you can also ask the technician to help you identify areas that you may have missed during your prevention plan. For instance, they may find a pool of standing water created by a divot in the sidewalk that you can take action to eliminate.

Mosquitoes have the ability to transmit diseases such as West Nile virus that are dangerous to older adults who may have compromised immune systems. Now that you know how to eliminate mosquitoes from the property, you can take action so that you can enjoy seeing the seniors get back outside to enjoy the sunshine without fear of being bitten.