Top 10 Tips for Pest Management

07 Dec Top 10 Tips for Pest Management

Cold weather is a perfect time to snuggle up in bed or sit in your living room with your PJ on and a blanket wrapped around your shoulders as you enjoy a bag of chips and a good hot drink. It sure can be a comfortable scene until a mouse decides to spoil everything or a bee or roach.

Pests such as mouse, bugs, cockroaches, termites, and a disgusting lot more can take toll in the middle of your relaxation. Like humans, apparently, they also need shelter to survive especially in the middle of a cold season. Hence, the chance of these creatures nesting in your home is relatively high. If not attended, these pests can pose serious health threats and damages to you, your family, and your property.

Pests and the Damage They Can Cause

Different kinds of pests can disturb and damage your peaceful abode through their own annoying and disgusting ways. For instance, rodents devour probably everything they can see including electrical wires which can pose more serious hazards. They chew on drywall too. Worse than that, they are known to pass on diseases like Hantavirus and salmonella. The same awful fate can be experienced with cockroaches that are known to contaminate stored foods and whose droppings can trigger allergic asthma especially in your kids. There are also these spiders that are commonly found around homes. If poisonous, they can create serious health threats obviously. All this only shows how pest management like bees control, ants control and other types of pests is important in one’s home especially if you have toddlers around.

Pest Management

Consider these ten pest-proofing tips to keep pests outside during cold seasons:

• Start installing screens in your attic vents and chimney openings. Also screen any other areas in your home where there is an outdoor opening like mail slots and animal doors. Screen as much as you can.
• Since pests are attracted to moistened areas, make sure to keep crawl spaces, attics, and basements dry and well ventilated. These areas of moisture are what they partly need to survive; make life hard for them. You may also use dehumidifiers in garages and basements as these can keep the areas dry too.
• Using steel wool and caulk, seal all crevices and cracks you can find on the outside of the home as this will eliminate the chances of rodents to enter in your area. As some of them can fit through a small hole, paying close attention to these cracks and where utility pipes enter your walls will also greatly help.
• Keep a clean kitchen counter. Also, store food in sealed containers and regularly dispose garbage in sealed receptacles outside your home. Do not let crumbs and garbage build up in your area. Doing so will only attract pests all the more. (Also, it is best to clean up the table right after each meal and clean up the kitchen right after preparing food as they may be watching out.)
• To keep pests and also cold air out of the house, regularly replace weather stripping and repair loose mortar around the windows and foundation.
• If you have firewood, the most ideal distance of its storage should be at least twenty feet away from your house. You should also keep your shrubbery well-trimmed. This is to make sure areas where pests can hide are far from your home’s entrance. This will lessen the chance of them finding a way in.
• Repair damaged screens and install door sweeps as cracks and torn window screens can be an ideal entry point for rodents, and other sorts of pests.
• Make sure the packages arriving are free of pests before bringing them indoors. These include package deliveries, boxes of decorations, and even grocery bags. Do not underestimate these pests’ creative juices in getting inside your home. And remember, one false move spoils the battle.
• If you have pets, keep their plates clean. Do not let their leftovers out there in the open for long periods of time. These are gems to pests’ eyes too.
• Make sure your drainage system outdoors is well maintained and well-functioning. This is to make sure to eliminate standing water which attracts pests.