Pest Control: Ideas You Can Use

If you’re dealing with an insect or rodent infestation, it should be said that there is no substitute for getting a professional pest control out to your house to clean up the problem. Depending on how advanced the problem is, there may be no other choice.

However, if you haven’t experienced many problems and are just looking for tips to keep it that way, there are a variety of things you can do that have proven successful for many homeowners. If there is a single “key” to successful pest prevention, it is probably consistency. If you stay on top of it and keep doing things that will keep bugs and rodents out of your home, you will probably find success. But it doesn’t hurt to know some specialized techniques. Here are some.

Wood piles are your enemy. Why? Because they are the best friend of bugs and other creatures. Keep them around and you may as well be setting out a sign that says “VACANCY”. If you can help it, get rid of these piles or at least keep them as far away from your home as possible. Termites, spiders, and other bugs love to get into these piles and make their homes. Even if they don’t use the wood for direct food, they can use it for shelter and warmth. This, in fact, speaks to one of the most important aspects of preventative pest control. If you want to keep these bugs away, eliminate things that will give them shelter, warmth, and food.

Keeping your house sealed and secure is another important step in pest control. If bugs and rodents can’t get into your home, they won’t be a problem. But this step goes beyond simply making sure you keep the doors closed.

As you probably already know, bugs can find inventive ways into your home. If you’ve ever stared in disbelief as a line of ants enter your home through the tiniest crack, you know this to be true. Search your home for any such breaches and caulk them up. Use sealant to keep other cracks and crevices closed. Look in hidden areas like the attic and the basement and make sure the areas are inhospitable for life.

Of course, making sure your home and the surrounding area is clean will make a big difference as well. A single banana peel can provide sustenance for an entire colony of bugs. Don’t let this kind of thing happen. Keep the food in your cabinet secured in airtight containers. There’s nothing quite so off-putting as opening up your food panty to find that weevils or ants have found a new place to feast. Take your trash out regularly and make sure the bags are tightly closed before they go into a lidded garbage can.