Pest Control: Keeping Your Home Free of Bugs

Pest Control: Keeping Your Home Free of Bugs
Pest control is a big business around the world. No one likes living with insects and homeowners will do anything they can to rid their property of unwanted visitors. Traps, poisons, professional companies: all of them exist to keep a barrier between us and the teeming hordes of hungry bugs. Of course, these are all methods that come after the fact. While they are effective and should be employed as needed, there are things you can do to keep insects out in the first place. Here are some effective strategies to keeping your home free of bugs.

Keep a Clean Home

Cleaning the house isn’t just about making it presentable to guests. It is also an important aspect of pest control. Bugs love filth. We’re not just talking about crumbs and spilled ice cream here (although that is a big part of it). Clutter and dirt also provides a nice habitat for many insects. Stay on top of your house cleaning chores and you’ll be much less likely to deal with an infestation later on. Does keeping your house clean ensure that you will never have a problem with bugs? Not at all, but it will increase your chances of having an insect free home dramatically.

Put Up Barriers

One of the most important pieces of pest control comes with preventing the bugs from getting in your home in the first place. There’s little you can do to keep every single bug of any size from entering your home. However, chances are there are things you can do to limit their entry. This includes not only keeping your doors closed, but screening your windows, caulking up the cracks in your foundation, and keeping trash and other insect attractors away from your home’s perimeter.

Removing Water

Insects--especially mosquitoes--thrive when there is standing water around. Do everything you can to make sure this isn’t the case. Not just inside your home, but around it as well. Mosquitoes breed in water, meaning you are making the problem exponentially worse by not taking care of this issue. Inside the home is important as well. Check for any leaks you may have. These may not only be giving bugs a place to live, but also letting them in.

Call in the Pros

If you’ve done everything you can to keep insects out of your home and you still have a problem, it may be time to call in a professional pest control company. Look for one that emphasizes effectiveness as well as safe products for your home and family. If you have pets, make sure you understand the risks, if any exist.