Insect Control Do's And Do N'ts For The Ordinary Person
Content by-Urquhart Kline
If you own your home, you know that potential pests are lurking everywhere no matter where you live. However, it is important that you know you can take matters into your own hands without calling professional pest control. The article below is equipped with great tips to help you get rid of common pests!
Ask any professional you hire for references. Just because they have an ad in your yellow pages does not mean that they do good business. They only way to be sure that you are going to get your money's worth is to verify that their other customers are satisfied with their work.
Know what pest you are dealing with. You can't combat what you don't understand. Not every pest control method works for every type of bug. You need to choose the right weapon to face your foe. So do your research. Search the internet for bugs that look like your pest, and see what types of methods work best.
Try to limit the amount of warm environments that you have in your house. Go around to different rooms in your home and try to gauge the temperature where the pests would want to live in the most. If you find a room that is too hot, try to reduce the overall temperature there.
If you decide to use pesticide, keep in mind that these harmful chemicals could hurt your pets. If possible, have someone take care of your pets until you get rid of your pest problem. Make sure the food you give to your pets does not come in contact with the pesticides.
There are many do it yourself options when it comes to pest control. First, asses how serious your pest problem is and figure out what kind of products you need to buy to deal with the problem. Most pest control products can be bought at a supermarket though more heavy duty products can be bought elsewhere.
Many people have pest control problems and do not know what to do. If you have tried eliminating the pests yourself and cannot get rid of them, try hiring a professional to get rid of them for you. Many pests carry diseases that can be harmful to you and your family, so protect them by hiring an outside company to control this problem for you.
Don't rule out your pets as sources of pest problems. Bathe bed bugs after treatment to take care of visitors hitching a ride from outside. In addition, know that pet food and water can attract ants sometimes. Clean up messes and bowls regularly. Furthermore, make sure that you store pet food in sealed containers.
Inspect the outside of your home for any cracks in the screens, walls, windows, and doors. Seal all of these cracks to help eliminate pests. When vermin control services can't get inside, then the battle is halfway won. Install new thresholds on your doors, fix holes in screens, and repair weather stripping on your windows for best results.
If you have many mosquitoes in your yard, and possibly even infiltrating your home, try to eliminate any standing water. If there is a high population of mosquitoes on your property, they are breeding somewhere, and they can only breed in standing water. Dump anything that collects rainwater, dump kid pools and do whatever you can to eliminate breeding grounds.
If you are struggling with an ant problem in your house, make sure you are not feeding your unwanted visitors! Be very diligent about putting away any food after you eat it and keep your countertops and floors clean. Take out your trash regularly and if you have pets, don't leave their food out overnight.
If you are being bothered with mice and rats, it is time to set traps. Most rodents are attracted to peanut butter. Take a small bit of peanut butter and roll it into a tiny ball and place it on a mouse trap to tantalize rodents with the scent.
Store flour, cereals, sugar, and other dry goods in sealed plastic, glass, or metal containers. This prevents invasions of pantry moths, weevils, ants, and even mice in your kitchen. Do not count on cardboard or other flimsy packaging to keep pests out. Mice can chew through them, and insects can penetrate tiny openings.
If ants are in your trash can, take out the bag and throw it away. Bring the container outside and scrub it down, making sure to get rid of any dried food stains that may be inside. Use dishwashing liquid to make sure that you get the trash can clean and that all the ants are out of it. This should help eliminate the problem.
Your recycle garbage can attract pests. Ideally, your recycling should be stored outside of your home. Ideally, rinsing everything that goes in the recycling bin would be most helpful. Use sealed recycling containers to keep pests away from your trash.
Make sure that the gutters and pipes in your home are sealed if you want to prevent termites. This is an action that you will want to take immediately as termites can disrupt the infrastructure of your home and cost you a lot of money. Repair your gutters to reduce the chances of a termite infestation.
Keep your home clean. Food is the most common cause of pests infesting the home.
It basically lures them inside. Be sure to clean the counter tops and floors and clear out any food debris after eating and cooking. Keeping your surfaces clean can help prevent pests from entering your home.
If you use your old pantyhose, you can cover your vegetables and fruits to keep the bugs out. Not only will this discourage insects, but it will also keep mammalian pests and birds from eating your produce. Pantyhose are an inexpensive way to keep pesky pests from eating your plants.
Food dishes are a hot spot when it comes to pests. Ants especially love to hangout in and around them so it can be quite irritating. Sometimes you can simply put the dishes on a table when not in use but that becomes time consuming and obviously your pets might want a drink of water now and then. The best idea is to place the bowls in a shallow dish with soapy water. This will keep the pests away while allowing your pets to drink and eat at their leisure.
As was stated in the opening paragraph of this article, just about every homeowner will be forced to deal with pest control issues at some point in time. Apply the techniques from this piece and keep a pest-free home. Why start tomorrow when you can start today?
