07/15/2026
There is nothing like summer at the cottage! The sound of the screen door slamming and the kids squealing with glee as they chase each until they collapse in a giggling pile of arms and legs. If there is a lake, even better. Most of us have childhood memories of time spent at either our family cottage or someone else's. And they are cherished memories to be certain.
The rules are never the same at the cottage as what they are at home, because frankly even the rules at home are different amongst the different families. Add in the fact that time at the cottage can have different meanings to the adults as well and rules can get a bit murky. We are all there to have fun, right?
Then the heat and humidity of summer hit full force. Coupled with wet towels and bathing suits strewn about, food left out for the family to graze on throughout the day and more garbage than the cans can hold. Now you have the perfect storm, enhanced conditions that attract pests, an abundance of food and breeding environments plus the weather is perfect for rapid hatching of the pests.
Vacation winds to an end, leftover foods are disposed of in the trash, a quick wipe down might be done on the counters, lights are turned off and the cottage is locked up. The cleaning service has already been notified of your departure date, but since you aren't their only customer, you are put on the schedule. The temperature and humidity inside the cottage climbs and the pests multiply at warp speed. The cleaners do their best, but things will be missed, because they didn't know Little Johnny spilled his juice on the floor in the screened in porch or that a piece of fruit rolled under the fridge.
The next group of family opens the door and is met with something akin to a bad B movie. Working together with your pest control company and your cleaning company goes a long way toward avoiding these types of narratives. The best outcome comes from people working together as a team. Thanks for listening.
