Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When Dealing With Pests

Are you in the know about pest control newbie? You have lots of options when it comes to keeping your house to prevent pests from entering.

Find out what pest treatments are allowed in your area. At times, a chemical that is locally banned can cause you trouble when you want to sell your house. It’s rare for that to happen, but it should prompt you to use safe and legal methods.

Use steel wool to plug up holes that mice can enter. Any opening larger than a half inch should be plugged. These critters can come through very small holes.

Use sticky-paper traps to control brown recluse spiders in your home. These dangerous spiders spend their time in hard to reach areas that can be difficult to get to with chemical pesticides. They usually look for food overnight. Put the traps along your walls as well as behind your furniture to get them where they live.

If you are getting rodents around the house, do not plant trees close to your house. Rodents can easily climb trees and get into the house through attics and roofs. A good rule of thumb is to plant trees no less than 15 feet from the edge of your house.

TIP! Use mint to keep mice away from your home. Plant mint plants around the foundation of your home.

Bedbugs are sneaky little creatures that are hard to eliminate. Close up open holes before you try to exterminate them. This will ensure that bedbugs cannot get to an area of the bugs from escaping before they’re all dead.

Seal all of the cracks that are in your home. These cracks can be an easy entryway for the pests that invade.

While high-traffic areas of the house may reveal no issues, inspect the entire structure often. If your home has a basement, termites may be operating in secret. Don’t neglect to check your crawl space or basement.

TIP! Do you have rodents entering your house? You should check your home’s exterior to find small cracks through which small animals can squeeze. Use scouring pads, steel wool and poison to keep rodents from these cracks.

If you are considering new tree plantings and your area attracts rodents, place the trees far from your house. This makes an easy way for these rodents to climb up and then enter your home using the attic or roof. A good distance to plant trees no less than 15 feet from the least.

Attract Pests

Are you the owner of a camper or travel trailer? If so, this is a prime target for rodents. Many natural remedies can keep them out of your camper. Small bags of the repellents smell nice and are not poisonous, but will prevent mice from invading your RV or camper.

TIP! Use hairspray to kill flying insects. Hairspray is totally safe for humans, but deadly for insects.

Outdoor lights can be great, but they can also attract pests. If you do prefer to have outdoor lighting running all night, pick colors that attract fewer insects, like orange, as these tend to attract pests much less.

Even if your home doesn’t show any issues, routinely check for one. If your home has an underground component to it, subterranean termites may eat some of your home that you aren’t in that often. Check crawl spaces and basement.

To keep pests out of your edibles, store them properly. You should use glass or plastic containters with a lid. Paper bags and cardboard are the worst options, as pests can eat through them easily.

TIP! Find your pests’ point of egress! Maybe you have a tiny window gap that lets spiders in, or the dog has brought fleas inside. After you know the entry point, you can address the problem permanently.

Prevent mosquitoes from entering your home by removing the environment that they can get in. Drain any water just standing around. Mosquitoes are able to breed anywhere a few drops of water.

Hairspray can be used to kill flying around the house. Hairspray will stick to them incapable of getting food and water or food. This is also great if you have wasps or bees with.

Are there cracks in your walls? When a house gets older, you will probably find cracks in it. Any cracks can be an excellent way for pests to get inside the home. Look at your ceiling as well. Ceiling cracks can be a path for pests to enter your home.

Store food properly to prevent pest from getting into it. Glass containers with lids or plastic are both excellent storage container options.

You must figure out how the pest is getting in. For example, your inside pet could be carrying fleas or other insects, or maybe your cat or dog is bringing outside insects into your home. You can begin to prevent the pests from entering your pest problem until you figure out how they’re getting in.

If rodents are your issue, check out your yard. Make your home as inhospitable to pests as you can. Clear out and weeds, bushes, even debris that are around your yard. Keep the grass short, and keep trash cans covered. By doing these things you will see rodents finding an alternative place to call home.

Lights Attract

Exterior lights attract pests. Try to avoid lights away from the entrances of your home. Orange and yellow lights attract bugs than traditional incandescent bulbs.

If you’re contemplating hiring a professional exterminator, make sure to check them out first. Also make sure they have the proper licenses to spray pesticides. They must be insured and bonded too. Be sure and review all these requirements in writing prior to letting them get to work on your home.

TIP! If you’ve noticed more insects than usual flying in and around your home, try planting marigolds. Marigolds have been shown to deter flying insects from the area.

If you’re trying to battle a mouse or rat problem on your own, remember that they eat nearly everything. Any kind of food can be used in traps. You can always use spoiled foods in traps.

Use some hairspray to kill flying insects. Perfume works too, you should use caution to ensure that you don’t get the perfume in your eyes. These are flammable; be wary around flames. These two products are a great stand-in for bug spray.

One way to kill roaches quickly is using diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle it behind the fridge and stove, on top of cabinets and along crevices. It is also not harmful for humans. The little particles kill insects within 48 hours by eating straight through their exoskeletons. While the number of actual roaches can actually increase during the first week, they will all be gone within two weeks.

TIP! At times, ants can enter your home and find their way to your kitchen. Sprinkling cloves near food can keep ants away.

Implement the tips you’ve just learned, and begin your fight against those pesky pests today! Small pests are very annoying, and you are wanting to eliminate them for good. You should now be more equipped to do so. Be sure that you keep the tips you’ve gone over here in mind, and create a plan to defend your home against pests today.