No one wants to find pests in their home. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with rodents and the diseases they carry, termites, or beetles. The first thing you’ll need to do is call your local pest control experts and have the problem eradicated.
You can and should find out more info about your local experts and the individual species attacking your home. It is also important to look at what is attracting the pests and take steps to eliminate this attraction.
Moisture
Pests, like humans, need moisture to survive. While mosquitoes are attracted to standing water sources, many other pests don’t need water, they simply need a damp environment. This gives them all the water they need and a comfortable place to live.
You need to eliminate the moisture in your home. This starts with looking for leaks. If you have water dripping you’ll see a water stain, it could be on the ceiling or the floor, or even the walls! Look around your home carefully for signs of water damage.
You can check for leaks by turning off all water usage in your home. Simply take a meter reading and then make sure you don’t use any water for an hour or two. Check the meter again, if the reading has changed you have a leak. You’re going to need to find it
Food Waste
As well as moisture most pests like food. If you have food scraps around they don’t need to hunt for anything else. The most obvious food attraction to insects and other pests is dirty dishes. Because most people don’t enjoy doing the dishes they are left in the sink for later.
The waste food on the plates attracts the insects and other pests, effectively giving them a feast and inviting them to stay.
As well as food waste, you also need to consider sealing your food in containers, this will prevent it from attracting pests.
Dirt
If you don’t clean your kitchen properly after preparing food the pests will locate the crumbs on the floor and enjoy them.
This is why it is so important to wash all surfaces when you’ve finished preparing food. Ideally, you should use a disinfectant spray. You can then vacuum the floor to prevent the existence of crumbs that attract pests.
Alongside this, when you’re putting sauce bottles and other items away, make sure you wipe the outside of the container. This will ensure the stickiness has gone and there is nothing to attract your little friends.
Seal The House
Insects and other pests can come in through the door and the windows. But, in general, they will come through the cracks and gaps in your walls. It’s less conspicuous and often easier for pests.
The best thing you can do is to go around the outside of your home and seal all the gaps and cracks. This will prevent the pests from getting in.
Your Drains
You may not think about your drains very often but this is where all sorts of food waste and other products disappear. Unfortunately, it doesn’t all go down the drain, some will stick to the sides, potentially causing a blockage.
This is effectively the same as food waste and will attract pests. Some are even capable of coming into your house through the drains.
Clutter
When pests enter your home they need somewhere to hide. They are much smaller than you and any pets you have. That’s why they prefer to hide and then find a living space without you seeing them. A cluttered house is much easier for them to find a hiding spot in. Eliminate the likelihood of pests coming in by removing all the clutter inside and near the outside of your home.
Plants
You may have heard that plants are very effective at deterring pests. In some cases this is true. However, unless you’ve chosen the right plants, you may find that they make your home even more appealing. Put simply, plants attract pests that feed off the leaves. These pests attract other pests and compound the issue in your home.
Your Rubbish
To you, rubbish doesn’t smell great. But, too many pests it smells fantastic. If you have bags of rubbish sat outside your home then you’ll find the pests are attracted to it. If left unattended they will gradually migrate from the rubbish to your home.
Don’t forget that pests are very good at hiding once they are in your home. You may not know they are there until they have multiplied significantly At this stage, you’ll want professional help to deal with them before they cause damage to your home. You should note that rodents can eat through insulation and a termite colony can eat as much as half-a-foot of wood in just five months. That can make a serious difference to the structural integrity of your home.