Protect your home from pests this season with tips from home improvement expert Bob Vila

Spring is here, meaning many homeowners are ready to tackle some of those big home projects. That warm weather also brings a threat that could cause expensive damage to your home: pests.

Pests can not only be a danger to your home, but also your health. We talk to home improvement expert Bob Vila to find out what you can do to protect your home.

He says first, you want to make sure you’re not providing easy access to bugs like ants, carpenter ants, termites, mosquitoes, spiders and roaches.

Something you can’t always control is the outdoors.  Vila says mosquito control is the key thing, but ticks also are a big problem.  The Zika virus has the potential for becoming a pandemic, there is still no vaccine, so prevention is the most important thing. In terms of your person, wearing things like long sleeves and pants and minimizing exposed skin helps to protect your health.

In terms of prevention for your home, there are easy steps you can take to defend against pests. Vila says to make sure you don’t have cracks around the foundation and in the siding where the trim is on the windows. Even things like where a cable or a pipe might come into the house need to be assessed, because pests can fit through tiny cracks.

So what do you do if pests have already invaded your home? Vila says to call an exterminator right away, bugs like termites can cause permanent structural damage to a home.

For more information and recommendations on pest professionals go to Pest World’s website or watch the clip below.