Household pests not only irritate us, but also bring diseases to our homes. It is always good to know your enemy so you will be aware about how you can keep them off your house.
Mice
These small rodents could bring in diseases into your home, contaminate food and create damage with their gnawing. Forbid them from coming in by sealing off gaps or openings, though mice can squeeze through the smallest of spaces. Deter mice by keeping food stored properly, keeping larders, cupboards and surfaces pretty clean and by emptying and cleaning dustbins as constantly as possible. If you can take it, you can catch the rodents with traps available commercially, but call in professional pest control otherwise.
Cockroaches
Roaches enjoy moist, warm parts and tend to huddle together around dark, damp recesses of the kitchen. They could carry disease and contaminate food so it is crucial to deal with them swiftly. As they're unbelievably resilient, it's generally best to seek a local pest-control company if you're overrun with the awful creatures.
Wasps
It is advisable to leave alone wasp and bee nests unless they present an obvious threat. If you're decided to deal with a wasp nest it's better to call professional help - while it's possible to deal with them yourself, you might not be capable batting a swarm of angered stinging insects. Bees are a protected species and should not be demolished. If you can't live with them, your best choice is to locate a local beekeeper who would safely move the swarm out.
Flies
These are unavoidable household pests, particularly over the summer months when they're more numerous and can readily fly in through open windows and doors. Flies have nasty germs so keep food well covered or stacked away in tightly sealed containers, flush down kitchen surfaces often, and avoid leaving sinkfuls of washing-up for any duration of time. Use fly spray to kill them, or better, since these sorts of spray are unbelievably toxic, use further environmentally friendly ways. Flies dislike powerfully scented oils like lavender or eucalyptus, so heat essential oils in a burner or leave alone bunches of the herb by doorways and windows.
Silverfish
Often located in dark moist areas, silverfish will munch through books, wallpaper and some fabrics. To prevent infestation, always keep areas as clean as possible. If needed, use insecticide around where they've been spotted. Starched textiles like linen left in storage for a long time will often have yellow blots made by silverfish.
Fleas
If you find you're getting bitten or happen to find a flea hopping around, your home may be infested. If you have pets, treat them with the suitable spray, have them wear flea collars and wash their bedding constantly on a high setting. In the home, vacuum clean the contaminated areas exhaustively (empty the vacuum cleaner bags right away) and wash delicate furnishings. Then treat the area with an nonprescription insecticide. If outbreaks are more severe, you might have to call in experts for thorough fumigation. Fleas are at their peak during August and September, and often break out when we leave our houses empty. It's not only pet owners who have flea problems. Anybody bring in fleas into their home, and flea pupae can lie hibernating for up to a year. If you come in a new property, for instance, you could be facing off with an infestation.
Ants
While they don't pose any sort of hygiene scourge, ants could be a pain, particularly when they're marching arrogantly all over kitchen surfaces in a military formation. The only method to annihilate them is to find their nest by tracking their movements and then - and this isn't the best approach for animal-lovers - either pelt boiling water into it or douse with an ant powder. If you can't find the nest, spray powder around window and door frames and any other parts where they may enter. In the kitchen, keep cupboards and surfaces scrupulously neat to deter ants from moving in.
Copyright © 2011 Athena Goodlight
Copyright © 2011 Athena Goodlight
