Pests can be a nuisance in our homes if left unchecked. Apart from interfering with our comfort, they can cause diseases to humans and animals, destroy our property and plants, and destroy habitats for other organisms. Once you start noticing pests are invading your space, it is better to get rid of them as fast as possible. One thing with pests is that they multiply very fast; delaying with a few days can cause even more significant damage. Below are ways to control pests in our homes;
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Maintain proper hygiene
The most effective way to control pests is by maintaining cleanliness in and out of the house. Clean the shelves, cupboards, and kitchen floors well. Cover any food that has been left and when done with meals, clean the dishes immediately rather than letting them stay overnight. That helps keeps cockroaches away because they will not have any food. Dispose of rubbish well and keep the bins tightly closed to avoid flies. Ensure that the area behind refrigerators, stoves, and other appliances is clean. Food particles will fall there when you are preparing a meal, and if not cleaned, they can attract roaches. Use and clean the toilet well to avoid attracting flies. Septic tanks and leach drains have to be appropriately sealed not to attract flies and mosquitoes.
Ensure there is no stagnant water or long grass around your home. This could become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Clean your pets and animals from time to time—pests like fleas and ticks like breeding on animals, bringing them diseases and discomfort. Even worse, some of these diseases can make humans sick. To prevent this, keep the area where the animals sleep clean, feed them properly, clean them and have doctors check them from time to time.
Use pesticides
You can use different pesticides to control pests, whether, at home, the office, a farm, or an animal shed. Pesticides are made of chemicals, and they can be dangerous to humans or animals. Before using any pesticide, you need to read the instructions carefully. If it is spraying a farm, wear the proper protective gear and ensure there are neither animals nor people around in the vicinity. Do not spray when it is windy, as the pesticide will just be carried by the wind and not serve its purpose. If it is in the house, cover all the food tightly to avoid contamination and food poisoning. Take a shower when you are done if you have come into contact with any of the pesticides. You can also call a professional to spray for you to practice safety
Use traps
You can easily use a trap to catch animals like rats, rabbits, and other rodents. It is effective if you know the routes that they use. Pests like rats use the same path to get in and out of your house most of the time. Once you locate the route, place the trap there, and you will catch them. Also, you can use sticky traps for cockroaches, whiteflies, thrips, and spiders. Place the traps in several locations around your home, especially where you suspect they are in large numbers. Check the traps as often as possible to see how effective they are and to get rid of the pests that have been caught.
Adopt a pet.
If you do not mind pets in your home, this can be an effective way to control pests. Cats eat rodents, so they will be able to control the pests. Even the scent of cats is strong enough to chase away rats and mice. On the other hand, some dogs have been trained to sniff out bedbugs. Bedbugs can be hard to handle since they hide in cracks. The dogs will be able to track them down then you can manage them from there. If you have a fishpond, then that will likely become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. If you can introduce an Australian native fish to your pond, it will feed on mosquito larvae hence getting rid of them.
Place proper barriers around the house
Sometimes, pests like rodents will find their way into your house through an opening on the fence or a crack. Seal any barrier that you suspect a pest is using to get inside the house. You can have copper barriers to prevent snails and slugs from getting to plants or climbing trees. One way to keep ants out is to apply a sticky barrier like tanglefoot. Also, ants will usually use one route in large numbers to get in and out of the house, so once you notice the route, you can place a barrier there. If you do not know how to go about it, ask for help from professionals.
Call pest control services
When the pests have become too many to control, you may need the services of an exterminator. Also, in trying to get rid of them yourself, you may get hurt or damage something in the house. It is better to leave it to the professionals. Pest exterminators have experience in the field. They know what method works with pests, how to mix chemicals, how to perform first aid caused by pesticide poisoning, and the gear they need to ensure personal safety. Exterminators know how to locate the pests’ source and get rid of them so that the problem does not resurface.
Even with all these methods, you need to accompany them with cleanliness. That is the most effective way to ensure that pests will not get in the house because that environment is not conducive. To learn more about pest control, see here.