7 Helpful Tips for Pest Control

Are you tired of dealing with the damage and dirt that pests keep leaving behind? Have you had enough of throwing out what would’ve been perfectly good food if only pests hadn’t gotten to it first? Below are a series of simple things and practices you can adopt for pest control.

1. Always Consider Prevention First

Go for preventative measures before you start considering extreme ones. Always start with small steps. This way, you minimize the changes you need to make and their effects on your home. More drastic measures also often involve more significant expenses and more time sacrificed for pest control.

Some small things you can do for pest prevention include the following:

• Fixing leaky plumbing
• Storing food in sealable plastic or glass containers
• Decluttering your home
• Checking boxes and packages for pests before bringing them into the house

Those are some things that you can do in just a few minutes, or at tops a day. You don’t need to spend a large sum of money or take time off work to do these things. You only need to learn to adopt them as habits.

2. Deter Pests with the Latest Repellant Technology

Today, you can go to a store and get pest repellant. Repellants are excellent pest control solutions for people who can’t make minor lifestyle changes because they’re already too busy. Consider things like pest-repelling plants, garden repellants, sprays, and ultrasonic pest repellants.

Now, you might be asking yourself, how do ultrasonic pest repellers work? Like other animals, rodents and insects can sense sounds that humans can’t. You can learn more about ultrasonic pest repellers by following the link.

3. Arm Yourself with Pest Control Knowledge

The best weapon you can arm yourself with is knowledge, even if it’s in a fight against bugs and rodents. Research the pests that you see in your home. Find out where they tend to hide or live, what they eat, or how they reproduce.

Learning these things puts you one step closer to controlling and keeping them out. You also learn how to potentially deter them in the future once your house is clear of these pests. Remember, we live in the information age, so no knowledge is unreachable anymore.

4. Safely Use Pesticides

If you’ve already got the beginnings of a pest infestation on your hands, consider using pesticides to stop it from growing. As much as possible, you’d want to buy ready-to-use products. These are easier to use and safer since you don’t need to mix the chemicals at home.

Keep unwanted accidents from happening by reading the directions for the pesticide of your choice. Wear gloves, face masks, and protective clothing when you handle the chemical. Also, keep kids and pets away from the area where you apply it.

Never use outdoor chemicals in indoor areas. If your pesticide solution has already worked and removed pests, don’t throw it haphazardly. Read the label on how to dispose of it or call local waste disposal services.

5. Attach Baffles onto Posts

Do you often see rats and other rodents climbing onto your posts or poles? Seeing squirrels climb up the birdhouses and eat all your birds’ seeds can be frustrating. An excellent solution to this problem is to install baffles onto the poles or posts.

These baffles are cone-shaped or cylindrical objects that you can attach to a post. They stop the rodents from advancing by blocking their path up the pole. These clever little tools are excellent for bird feeders, fenced gardens, and more.

6. Use Coffee Grounds to Deter House Pests

Coffee is a beloved beverage in the US, with people drinking over 400 million cups per day. Seventy-nine percent of Americans prepare their coffee at home, leaving them with unusable coffee grounds. However, did you know that you can also use used coffee grounds for pest control?

Coffee is an effective deterrent for:

• Fire ants
• Slugs
• Snails
• Rabbits
• Beetles
• Fruit flies
• Mosquitoes

If you’re going to use the coffee grounds in your garden, make sure you research first. These ground coffee bits can also inhibit the growth of certain plants. If you have geranium, Chinese mustard, Italian ryegrass, or asparagus fern in your garden, look for an alternative pest repellent.

7. Check Everything You Bring Home

Did you recently come from a hotel winter stay-cation? Did you stay at a motel overnight during a road trip? Before you collapse into your bed or couch, stop and take a moment to check your items for bedbugs.

Check everything you bring home meticulously and isolate them from the furniture while you do so. These pesky little things are easy to get but tough to get rid of. They also multiply fast and can hide well.

If you do find bedbugs, get rid of them right away. Some signs of bedbug infestations include dark spots in your beddings or corners, usually in dark places. The best way to eliminate them from your home is to call a professional as soon as possible, but this can cost a pretty penny.

Conclusion

Remember, don’t rush into extreme pest control methods if you can start with less drastic measures. Be creative with your pest control by using baffles, coffee grounds, and other remedies. If you’re going to use pesticides, always take extra care when handling and disposing of them.