Does the coming of spring also seem to coincide with a great pest migration into your home? All types of landscape pests, from insects to rodents, also begin to wake up from winter hibernation at the same time your lawn is also coming back to life. While most are content to remain outside, some may try to find easier living inside your home. The following are a few garden tips to help keep the pests outside.

#1: Always leave a buffer

Most pests use plants as both a nesting site and as a food source. If plants are growing too close to your home, some are more likely to make their way indoors. Follow a basic rule: leave 1.5 feet between plants and the walls or foundation of your home. Since many pests, particularly insects, don't travel far, most will never find their way indoors. You can use trellises and decorative supports to keep floppy or vining plants from resting against house walls. The distance rule also goes for mulch, since some pests bed down in mulched areas. Pull back mulch so it doesn't rest right against your foundation.

#2: Don't provide a free lunch

Food also attracts pests to the yard, and they may follow the food to its source: the interior of your house. Bring pet bowls in at night to minimize unwanted freeloaders. If you feed the birds, use baffles on feeders to keep rodents away and clean up the spilled seed regularly. Food gardens should be placed well away from the home, and you shouldn't leave any produce on the ground or plants to rot. The same goes for fruiting trees or bushes. Clean up the fruit fall instead of allowing it to rot and attract pests.

#3: Avoid standing water

Standing water is most famous for attracting the most hated of bloodsuckers: the mosquito. It can also attract other insects and even thirsty rodents. If you have a birdbath, change the water daily. Also, opt for elevated birdbaths as opposed to dishes on rocks, since elevating dissuades rodents from trying to access the water. Ponds and other water features should have a fountain or filter to keep the water moving so insects won't lay eggs in them. You can also purchase additives for the water that will kill any insect eggs that do end up in the water feature.

For more help, contact a local pest control service. They can treat both your yard and your home for unwanted pests.