Though the winter months can bring some reprieve from bests, from the spring through the summer, and into the busy months of autumn when their activity increases, pests can be a nuisance.
Fortunately, if you have had encounters with pests in the home before, there are a variety of preventative steps you can take to keep your house free of pests and continue to discourage these small unexpected house guests.
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Looking for Leftovers: Keeping Kitchens Clean
Whether insects, like slugs, cockroaches, ants or moths, or larger pests like rodents, nearly all pests are drawn towards the home by the promise of food.
For this reason, it is important to start pest-proofing your home in the kitchen.
One important step is to make sure waste in bins is kept away from entry points into the house, and keep bins inaccessible to pests by keeping lids closed.
Next, make sure that kitchen surfaces and spills are well cleaned, even though you may not see it, pests are likely to smell the remnants of food, particularly if it is sugary.
Even less sugary foods can be a draw for pests.
It is best to keep open packets of dried food sealed in an air right container rather than in its original opened packaging.
Keeping foodstuffs well sealed, cleaning up after cooking mess, and disposing of leftover food properly, will all help make your home much less of a draw for pests in the lookout for a snack.
Inviting Entries: Securing the Outside of Your Home
After thoroughly securing food and giving pests no reason to find out your kitchen, the next most important step for keeping your house pest-free is to secure entry points into your home.
Particular places to look include windows frames, roof tiles, chimneys, and pipes, as well as any cracks and crevices that have formed.
Ensure that pipes are not leaking, both outside where they enter the house and underneath sinks or baths, lofts and basement.
Standing water is an ideal habitat for smaller insects who need moist conditions to thrive.
As well as this, by repairing and sealing cracks and other entry points around doors, windows and utility pipes, you will be much less likely to encounter pests in your home.
If left unchecked, such places will often become bottlenecks for foraging pests like ants.
Natural Repellents: Easily Deter Unwelcome Insects
By removing potential food sources and blocking up entry points most house pests will look elsewhere for food. Your house will not need to actively deter pests as pests will have no interest in entering.
But sometimes you may find that insects still wander in, fortunately, there are some simple, natural remedies to repel them.
If you are not a fan of spiders, simple solutions like several drops of peppermint oil, or even tea tree, in a spray bottle of water can disperse a subtle scent that spiders will avoid.
Meanwhile for ants consider using some vinegar in your next thorough cupboard cleaning.
Also try using soapy water on places where ants have been to remove the trail they leave behind, this trail is used to lead other ants to their location. Black pepper will also work as an effective deterrent.
Unwelcome Hitch-hikers: Unexpected Ways Pests Can Enter
Though you may have taken steps to stop pests getting into your house by themselves, there is another way they can enter your home, with your own or your pets’ help.
There is potential for your pets to bring fleas into the home, so it’s a good idea to check or wash your pet, and your pet’s bedding fairly regularly.
If you suspect a flea problem, take your pet to the vet.
Another pest to watch out for are bed bugs, who can hitch a lift into your house in suitcases, clothes, furniture, or even books, that have come from a home or hotel with its own bedbug problem.
For this reason, it’s important to check these items when bringing them into yours, so that you can quickly get rid of the pests before they have any chance to set up a more permanent home inside your home.
It is not too difficult to deal with a small pest problem by yourself and to adopt preventative measures to pest-proof your house.
Though it is easy to deal with one or two stray pests, If you are struggling with a more serious infestation or recurring pest control issue consider calling in the professionals, like those at River Edge pest control.
With the aid of professional exterminators, your house will be free of pests and combined with the preventative measures outlined above, it will stay that way.
