Pest control is an issue for millions of homeowners each year. Whether those pests are insects, rodents or other animals, controlling home pests can be a major headache. There are many options for a homeowner, however. Read the following tips to learn how to finally tackle your own home pest problems.
Begin with the basics. If you have a pest problem, eliminate their food source. Pests are probably attracted to your home because there is a source of water, available food, and adequate shelter. Locate and get rid of leaks, food, and any way to get into your home.
Suffering from a pest infestation? A mixture of borax and sugar can help you eliminate ants from your home. Sugar attracts them while the borax kills them. To create this mixture, get yourself a quart jar, and use a cup of sugar and a cup of borax. Punch some holes in the top to make a sprinkler and distribute the mixture around the foundation outside and the baseboards inside.
Bugs and other types of pests love clutter. It gives them lots of shelter and places to hide. When you reduce the amount of clutter in and around your home, you are reducing the habitat for these pests. Remove old clothes, books, boxes, and other clutter from around your home to reduce your chances of an infestation.
If you have a lot of debris and overgrown plants in your yard, you are inviting pests into your home. Litter, debris, overgrown plants, and trash are all great habitats for pests. If these pests are right outside your door, it will take no time before they are inside your home and becoming a problem.
Opt for rock or stone when landscaping your yard instead of straw or wood chips. Organic material is the perfect habitat for many pests. If you want to keep them out of your home, both your home and yard should be as inhospitable to pests as possible. Pests will never make it into your home if they can’t get past your yard.
If a tree falls on your property, quickly remove it. You can make good use of the branches as well as the trunk by turning them into wood for your fireplace. You can either use it yourself or give it to someone. Don’t just leave the stump there. A stump is not alive anymore, so it could be a magnet for termites.
Make sure that all of your windows are closed when you go to sleep at night or go on vacation. The last thing that you will want to do is to give the bugs outside a free entryway into your house. Seal all windows when you are sleeping or not home to reduce pests.
Keep your home clean. Many pests can be kept from your home with some simple cleaning. Eliminate food sources by washing dishes promptly, keeping the trash empty and the counters clean. Eliminating clutter also eliminates potential hiding places for pests. A clean home is inhospitable to pests, preventing them from becoming a problem in the first place.
Although spiders do catch other insects in the home, they are usually considered an unwelcome guest. Nobody wants to see one, or be bitten by one while they sleep. One way to discourage spiders from invading your basement is to spray the walls and ceilings with bleach. This is an effective way to repel them without using chemicals.
Check to see if the shingles in your home are in need of repair every few months or so. Bugs will tend to feast on anything that is molding or breaking down, especially wood. Try to keep your home up to date if you want to avoid a bug problem in the future.
Put screens in your windows. Cool summer breezes are nice, but the insects and bugs that can come in are not so pleasant. While it might be true that you just use the air conditioning most of the time, remember that it can break down and power does go out. Be prepared.
When you have flying bugs inside your home, use hairspray to kill them. Perfume can also be effective; however, you should use caution to ensure that you don’t get the perfume in your eyes. Hairspray and perfume are both flammable, so don’t spray them near fire. If you are short on bug spray, these make for handy substitutes.
Carpenter ants typically will indicate that you have a larger predicament on hand. Carpenter ants love wood that is wet; this might be a leak if you have them. Ask an exterminator to examine your home and help you figure out how to solve the problem.
If you’ve got a roach problem, don’t keep a lot of cardboard in the closets. They love this permeable material and will build nests where they think you can’t see them. Opt for large plastic bins that are air tight to pack your things away. Take them out of the closet once a month to sweep, dust and check for bugs.
Fire ants can be a real pest in your backyard! Discovering a fire ant mound in your yard can be dangerous, especially if you have little ones. Purchase some dry ice and place them on top of the fire ant mound. Make sure you are using protective gloves. This negative 110 degree solution can help kill the queen and the rest of those pesky ants.
Put your pet food into containers that are airtight. There are few things more attractive to pests than poorly contained pet foods. many people simple scrunch up the top of the bag and leave it in their garage! That’s quite the pest invitation. Instead, get your pet food into an airtight container, so pests will be none the wiser.
Don’t let the pests in your home get you down. Use the advice you read above to finally get a grip on the problem. Whether you turn to a professional or decide to tackle the problem on your own, you are not helpless in the face of this nagging problem. You will eventually be able to sleep easy.