Pest control is an issue that plagues millions of homeowners every year. You may be one of them. Implementing a solution to the problem may prove costly and time-consuming. Use the tips presented here to finally get a handle on your pest problem before it causes real damage.
It is important that you are aware of local building ordinances when it comes to which treatments you can use to eliminate pests. If you are trying to sell your house, you might not want to spray pesticides that are illegal. Although this doesn’t happen often, this should motivate you to do some research on which methods of pest control have been approved in your area.
Use outdoor sprays around your home to prevent insect entry. Cover your home’s foundation, porch, steps and spaces near windows and doors. Always spray the pesticides in the cracks that you see. Seal these areas with caulk or another appropriate filler.
Make sure to take precaution with bedbugs when you are trying to eliminate them. Over the course of a year, bedbugs can remain dormant. Because of this, you should seal off any and all access points in your home. Then they won’t have a hiding spot.
It is important to keep brush and firewood at minimum a foot from your house. A lot of insects might live there, no matter what. If the bushes are up against your home, pests will find a way to get inside.
Mint Leaves
If you are trying to get rid of mice, mint may help. Plant mint plants all along the exterior of your home. This will keep mice from wanting to live there. If mice is living in your home, you can sprinkle mint leaves all around the area where you see signs of mice. This will keep mice away a lot of the time, but you have to use fresh mint leaves.
Outdoor lights can be great, but they can also attract lots of pests. However, if you require outdoor lighting, then use pink, orange, or yellow bulbs because pests aren’t as attracted to these particular colors.
Electronic pest control can work really well. These devices are small and can be plugged into outlets in each room. The device then emits a sound that keeps rodents at bay. Humans cannot hear the sound, and it does not harm pets or humans in any way. Rodents can hear them and they will run away.
Get rid of fallen trees in your yard quickly. Cut up the branches and the trunk to use for firewood. You may use it yourself, give it to someone or sell it. You need to get rid of the stump as well. Stumps can easily attract termites to your home.
Do you have rodents inside your home? You must look your home over, inside and out, to find little cracks and holes that animals could use for entrance. Try putting some steel wool in the holes. In some instances, odor repellents like mustard oil might work.
Are you the owner of a camper or travel trailer? If so, this is a prime target for rodents. You can effectively keep these pests away by using natural repellents. Smaller bags of repellent can smell good and are non-toxic. They are quite effective in preventing mice from residing in your camper or RV.
If you store any dry-food items, you should make sure you are using plastic storage containers. Lots of these products are sold in boxes or bags, which can be easily breached by pests. When you get home from the store, transfer your dry foods into containers with tight lids. Not only do sealed containers keep pests out, they also keep your food much fresher.
Flying Insects
Consider using hairspray to kill flying insects. Hairspray is safe for you and your pets, but not for flying insects. Hairspray sticks to bugs and disables them. This works on bees that make it into your home.
You might be getting bugs outside because of your lights. Avoid placing these lights near your home’s entrances. Additionally, install orange- or yellow-colored lights, as insects are not as attracted to these two colors.
Use hairspray on flying insects. Perfume works too, but be careful not to spray anything in your eyes. Both products are reported as flammable. Use this as a good quick fix when you’re without any bug spray.
Wasp nests and bee hives ought to be addressed at nighttime. Bee hives can be removed easily enough with spray foams found in most hardware stores. You can spray these foams from safe distances. You should spray hives at night when bees are barely active and then watch and respray for a couple days. When you’re sure all the bees are gone, then you can take the hive down.
Talk to your neighbors about it. Your neighbor might be having the same problem you are. They might have been more successful in ridding their house of them. Additionally, you can warn your neighbor about the mouse problem.
When you find wood damage and think it might be termites, investigate the annual rings in the wood. Termites only eat soft wood, so if there is something wrong with the rings, it isn’t termites. If they are intact, then you’ve got termites!
Do you use compost for your garden? This might be your pest source. Make sure you keep your pets and kids away from the compost, and set up the pile far from your house. In addition, you should prevent your plants from getting near compost because the particular bugs that are attracted by compost could begin eating away at your plants.
As stated above, it is much easier to get pests in your home than it is to make them go away. You have hopefully learned how to get rid of these annoying pests. If your problem is already severe, it may be time to call a professional.