Lots of homeowners struggle with pests in their homes. Although pests are natural, they should be kept outside where they belong. Getting rid of these little intruders is not as hard as you might think. Read on to find some great methods you can use in order to help pests find their way out.
Steel Wool
Use steel wool to prevent rodents from entering your home through holes in the wall. Steel wool will prove nearly impossible for even a rat to chew through. Any opening bigger than half an inch should be plugged. Rodents can slip through very small openings.
Begin with the basics. When you have problems with pests, be sure you are not providing them with food. One reason you may have a problem is because your house provides food, water or shelter for a pest. Get rid of anything the might be attracting the pests.
Try using spider traps that catch them as they walk if you have a brown recluse problem. These dangerous spiders frequent dark corners that can be difficult to get to with chemical pesticides. They look for food at night. Add traps near the walls, behind sofas and other furniture so that you stand a good chance of trapping them.
Do not buy a new home before getting an inspector to look at it first. There are some signs of pests that are easy to see. Others do not become apparent until you spend some uninterrupted time at home.
If you would like to figure out if you have termites, have a dog with training sniff for them, instead of just a human. Human termite inspectors cannot verify that your entire home is safe from termites. In fact, these inspectors can only claim up to one-third is safe. Trained dogs are able to check all of the house. They smell for methane gas, which is a byproduct of the wood the termites are eating.
If brown recluse spiders have invaded your home, catch them with some sticky traps. These spiders are poisonous and difficult to kill with pest-repellent chemicals. When night falls, these spiders look for food. The best way to catch them is by putting traps behind furniture and along your walls.
Be cautious when trying to eliminate bed bugs. Over the course of a year, bedbugs can remain dormant. Therefore, you should ensure that any openings in the floors and walls are kept closed. These small holes are ideal entry points and hiding places for pests.
Is your home swarming with ants? Sugar and borax can be mixed together to rid you of them. While the smell of sugar will attract them, the borax will kill them. Just mix a single cup of sugar and one of borax. Put some holes in the top of the lid to make it easy to sprinkle.
This article discussed some excellent points of advice to use in curing your home of unwanted pests. You don't always have to poison a pest or exterminate one for pest control. Use what you have just learned from this great article, and you can be on your way to a family friendly environment once again.
If you are dealing with bedbugs, be wary. Bedbugs can go upwards of a year without any food. All holes that are in floors and walls need to be closed. They cannot hide there then.