Pests that have entered do not like to leave. Trying to rid yourself of pests can cost a lot of money and take up much of your time. Apply this advice, and control the pests before they get out of control.
Does your home have brown recluse spiders? If so, trap them with sticky traps. These spiders are likely to hide in some deep cracks. They usually look for food at night. Good places to put these traps are behind furniture and along baseboards.
If you are wondering if you have termites, get a dog that can smell them. A human can be effective, but not as effective as a dog. A well-trained dog will ascertain the safety of your entire home. Dogs are attuned to odors like methane that are released when wood is eaten by termites.
Do you have a constant problem battling fruit flies? Your drain might have problems. Tape some plastic wrap over a drain for a few days and see if fruit flies start popping up. If the flies do appear, pour boiling water down the drain and scrub it clean. This ought to stop fruit flies breeding.
Always store your food carefully. Pests are very attracted to the smell of food, so avoid baiting them. To help combat a pest infestation, take out the garbage as soon as it is full. Pests love the smell of trash.
Sealing cracks in your home is important when trying to rid your house of pests. Oftentimes, these openings can be a great entrance for pests that seek to enter your home. Sealing them prevents this.
Mint Leaves
In order to prevent insects from coming inside, use a perimeter spray outside. Apply it to the steps, foundation and around windows and doors. Keep your eyes open for cracks around the exterior of the home. Use caulk or another filler to seal the gaps.
When battling mice near your home, try mint. Plan mint around the perimeter of your house. Mice will not want to live near this fragrant plant. Place mint leaves around any known area that is begin overrun by rodents. Most of the time, this will act as good repellent, but the mint leaves must be fresh.
If you have a pest problem, do your research. Find out what you can do yourself that they do not like. You can rid your home of a certain pest more effectively if you know exactly what you're dealing with.
Sealed Containers
If you need to make doubly sure that no termites remain in your home, use a termite-sniffing dog to check for the presence of termites. Human inspectors can only really verify approximately one-third of your whole home. A well-trained, termite sniffing dog can find all of them. Dogs cannot be beat. The smell of methane gas is the actual byproduct of the termites eating your wood.
If you have a cockroach problem, keep all food in sealed containers. Open containers must be sealed completely in Tupperware or zip-top bags, not just sealed with a paperclip. Cockroaches are attracted to any type of food. Use sealed containers for all of your baking supplies too, including sugar and flour.
Getting rid of silverfish is rather easy. Get a newspaper wet and then leave it sitting out during the night. Many people have found this to be effective, seeing all the silverfish on the paper. Be sure to snatch them up quickly so they do not have a chance to run, and then deposit the paper in the trash outside.
If your house is plagued by flying bugs, kill them with hairspray. Perfume also works, but don't get either in your eyes. In addition, keep these products away from an open flame, they are very flammable. This is a good quick fix if you find yourself without an insecticide spray.
Don't be gullible when it comes to thinking you're past a bedbug infestation. Bedbugs can go for a whole year without eating. So be sure to close any holes in the floors and walls. That way, if they are in your walls or outside they can not enter later.
As the above article stated, it's a lot easier to get annoying pests into your home than to rid yourself of them. Hopefully, you know what you need to do to get rid of them. If the problem is major, you may need a professional.