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Opening your pool for the season is an exciting ritual, but before you dive in it’s important to take deliberate steps to prevent pests from turning your backyard oasis into a habitat. Pests — from mosquitoes and flies to rodents, snakes and climbing insects — are attracted to warm, sheltered, and moist environments. Stagnant water,…

May is prime time for backyard birdwatching: migrating and resident species are actively nesting and feeding young, so feeders hum with activity from dawn into the day. That same warmth and abundance, however, also attracts opportunistic mammals — raccoons become bolder after dark and rats multiply rapidly as temperatures rise. Left unchecked, these visitors will…

May in Seattle is prime time for backyard composting: warmer days speed decomposition, spring yard cleanup supplies plenty of “browns,” and gardeners are eager to build rich soil for planting. It’s also the month when animal and insect activity ramps up — raccoons, rats, mice, flies, fruit flies, slugs and even occasional neighborhood skunks or…

As temperatures rise and lawns green up in May, fleas and ticks come out of winter dormancy and become active in yards and gardens — exactly where our dogs and cats like to spend their time. These tiny parasites are more than a nuisance: fleas can cause intense itching, allergic dermatitis, and transmit tapeworms; ticks…

As the weather warms and daylight lengthens, May is the perfect month to get ahead of the seasonal rush of pests that can turn your summer yard into an unwelcome battleground. Many nuisance insects and critters — mosquitoes awakening from overwintering sites, ticks becoming active in grasses and leaf litter, ants scouting for food, and…

Seattle’s temperate, maritime climate makes May an ideal month for homeowners to take a close look at their outbuildings. After months of winter rain, wind and moss-friendly dampness, sheds and garages often harbor hidden damage—roof leaks, rot around door frames, clogged gutters and blocked vents—that only become obvious when warmer, drier weather arrives. At the…

Seattle’s parks and waterfronts are perfect for picnics, but the city’s mild, damp climate and abundant green spaces also make it a hotspot for ants. Whether you’re spreading out a blanket at Green Lake or unpacking sandwiches at Discovery Park, it’s all too easy to end up sharing your table with pavement ants, odorous house…

Warm weather and blooming lawns make May a perfect month for hosting outdoor gatherings — but it’s also prime time for flies. These unwelcome guests aren’t just annoying; they can contaminate food, spread bacteria, and quickly disrupt the relaxed vibe you worked to create. A good introduction to fly control recognizes that prevention is always…

May is the moment most homeowners eagerly reclaim their patios: warmer evenings, longer days, and the first alfresco meals of the season. It’s also the time when wasps become noticeably active. In spring queens emerge and start building nests, foragers begin scouting for protein and sweet foods, and rapidly growing colonies can turn a pleasant…

By the time May rolls around, backyards are waking up: lawns green up, flowering trees release fragrance, and the grill becomes the weekend centerpiece. But that same warm-weather magic also flips a neon sign for many unwelcome guests. Open drinks, piles of sweet or greasy food, bare skin and late-evening gatherings create exactly the conditions…