A calendar you can keep on the fridge
Prevention around a house can be a run of small chores rather than a single weekend of work. The calendar below gives each season a theme and a short list of tasks, many of which need nothing more than a flashlight, a putty knife, a tube of sealant and some patience. Tick each one off and write the date beside it; by the end of the year you have a record of what you checked and what you found.
Spring: openings and edges
- Walk the outside walls at eye level and at ground level. Look for gaps where pipes, cables and vents pass through, and note any wider than a pencil.
- Check the weatherstripping on every exterior door. Close each door and look for daylight along the sides and the bottom.
- Pull back mulch and soil that has crept up against the siding or foundation, leaving a visible strip along the base of the house.
- Look at window screens one by one. Repair tears and reseat any screen that has slipped from its frame.
- Inspect the sill plate in the basement or crawlspace with a flashlight, if you can reach it, for soft or crumbling wood.
Summer: food, water and trash
- Move outdoor trash and recycling bins a few steps away from the doors, and check that their lids close fully.
- Wash the bins themselves with soap and a hose so residue does not build up in the bottom.
- Feed pets on a schedule and pick up bowls rather than leaving food out all day.
- Look for standing water in saucers under plant pots, buckets, tarps and toys, and tip it out.
- Check the dehumidifier or the floor drain in the basement, if you have one, and keep the area around it clear.
- Wipe behind the toaster, the microwave and the coffee maker, where crumbs can gather out of sight.
Autumn: closing up the house
- Seal the gaps you noted in spring. Use sealant for small cracks and copper mesh or a hardware-store patch for larger holes around pipes.
- Check the garage door's bottom seal and the gap at its corners.
- Stack firewood off the ground and away from the walls, if you keep any, and bring in only what you will burn soon.
- Look at the attic vents and the chimney cap from the ground with binoculars, and arrange a repair if a screen looks torn.
- Clear leaves from window wells and the area around basement windows.
Winter: storage and records
- Open boxes in the basement, attic and garage. Look for droppings, nesting material, chewed corners or small holes in fabric, and move what you keep into lidded plastic bins.
- Check the back of the pantry. Look at dry goods for webbing or tiny insects, and wipe the shelf before restocking.
- Shine a light around the furnace, the water heater and the laundry hookups.
- Read through the year's calendar and any service records. Circle anything that came up twice and plan the repair.
What the Champaign/Urbana station records
NOAA engineering weather data for the Champaign/Urbana station (WMO 725315, elevation 755 feet) gives a 1% summer design dry-bulb temperature of 90°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 75°F, and a 99% winter design dry-bulb temperature of 3°F.
Champaign in the 2020 census
The 2020 census counted 88,302 people in Champaign.
Drinking water in the Champaign District
The Champaign District's drinking water is groundwater: 19 wells, primarily in the Mahomet Sands Aquifer at depths of 208 to 366 feet, deliver water to two lime softening plants, the Mattis Ave Plant in Champaign and the Bradley Ave Plant west of Champaign.
How IDPH examines technicians
In Illinois, the Department of Public Health handles technician examinations. IDPH certifies pest control technicians by examination: general-use certification requires passing the department's General Standards Examination, restricted-use work also requires subcategory examinations for the pest types treated, and a score of 70 percent is required to pass each exam.
The question to ask
When you call a company, ask: "Does your business hold a current Illinois Department of Public Health structural pest control business license, and what is its number?" Write the answer on your calendar page with the date and the name of the person you spoke with. Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation as well, before anyone starts work.
When to call in a company
Some signs are worth a professional look whatever the season: droppings in a drawer or cupboard, wood that feels spongy, a trail of insects that returns after you clean it up, or something you cannot name. Before calling, gather your calendar notes and any photos. Ask for a written proposal that names the pest, the rooms and outdoor areas covered, the products by name, the number of trips and the price, and ask what each label says about when people and pets can return to a treated room.
Starting next year's page
When winter's list is done, copy any open item onto a fresh calendar page for spring. Keep the old page in a folder with the company's service records, product names and receipts. The pages stacked together show a new technician what has been tried, what was found and where, without anyone needing to guess.