5 ways of preventing and controlling of pests and rodents

Tips For Preventing Pest Infestation

Regularly Dispose of Trash

Your trash can feels like an all-you-can-eat buffet to pests, so take the extra effort to remove trash from inside your house at the end of every day. If you have a weekly trash service, keep the large trash can outside or in the garage to minimize the chance of pests crossing the threshold into your living space.

If you have open trash containers inside of your home, consider upgrading to containers with lids. If trash seems to be your biggest problem with pests, wash out food containers in the sink before putting them in the garbage. The pests aren’t there for the milk jug—they’re there for the milk residue.

Patch Exterior Holes

Pest infestations only happen when pests have a way to get into the home. Some potential pest entryways will be obvious to modify—like using screens in windows and keeping the exterior doors shut. To be proactive with pest control, perform regular interior and exterior inspections of your home to check for cracks or holes. Pay close attention to the foundation, loose siding, roof and utility lines. Patch or fill any openings when you discover them. Not only will this keep pests out, but it can also stop the openings from getting worse.

Store Food in Secure Containers

If it seems like pests have superpowers for tracking down food sources, that’s because they do. Ants, for example, have about five times as many odor receptors as other insects, according to Terminix—which helps them smell that leftover apple pie sitting out on the counter from quite a distance. For that reason, you can prevent pests from coming into the home by using smell-blocking, securely sealed containers for your food. That goes for items left out on your counter as well as anything in your pantry.

Deep Clean the Home

If you’re thinking about preventing pests, now is a perfect time to put a deep clean on your calendar. By wiping, mopping or vacuuming down every corner of the house, you are more likely to banish the source of something that could tempt pests to come into the house. Beyond cleaning up crumbs, deep cleaning the house will also give you the chance to discover and eliminate could-be breeding grounds for pests. For example, small flies thrive (and multiply) in neglected drains, but you can put an end to this by using drain cleaner.

Reexamine Your Landscaping

Although pests are a more noticeable nuisance inside the house, it’s not great to have them hanging around the exterior either. Take a walk around your yard while keeping an eye on what might be inviting pests to make themselves at home: woodpiles should be kept away from your exterior walls, gutters should be cleaned out regularly, grass should be trimmed down and so on. Pest can do a good bit of damage to your home even from the outside, so you’ll want to monitor any changes to the foundation, siding or roofing that could potentially have a pest to blame.

Sanitize Soft Surfaces, Too

When you are cleaning inside your house, go beyond wiping down the counters and floors. Beds, couches, rugs and more can all create safe havens for bedbugs and fleas. Anything that can fit inside the washing machine should get a regular sanitizing rinse. As for your mattress and cushions, start by thoroughly vacuuming them down and then using a disinfecting spray.

Safety Considerations for Pest Infestations

Pests have earned their name: More than unwelcome visitors, they can also bring dangerous germs, disease and health risks into your home. That’s why the best thing you can do is prevent pests before they ever arrive. The next best thing is to immediately address pest infestations before serious health or even structural damage is done to your home.

Tempting as it may be to take strong measures against pests, the Environmental Protection Agency advises always using pesticides as directed. Additional advice from the EPA for dealing with pest infestations includes:

• Starting by using baits rather than pesticides sprayed over a larger area
• Using ready to use pesticides when possible
• Only using fogging pesticide devices when absolutely necessary
• Never using exterior pesticides inside the home
• Storing pesticides in their original containers
• Safely storing and properly disposing of pesticides

Know When to Hire a Professional Exterminator

Although the phrase “pest infestation” applies to a number of situations, some are worse than others and will require professional attention. If you are dealing with pests in or around your home, the first step should be evaluating the type of pests, how widespread they are and where they are located. For example, you may be able to effectively DIY pest control if there are some seasonal fruit flies in the kitchen—but not if there are termites chewing up your support beams.

You should also schedule a consultation with a professional exterminator if the pest infestation is recurring. Many DIY salutations may be temporarily effective, but a professional can help put an end to the problem once and for all.

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