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Pest Control: You Don’t Need Pests

Why haven’t you started taking over your home by controlling your own pest situation? Ah, you need more information about that, and this article is here to help you with your situation. It’s a little exciting knowing you don’t have to pay the pest control bill because you can take care of it yourself. Keep reading to find out more information!

Sweep your kitchen and dining room floors and wipe your counter tops every day. Even small crumbs or bits of dropped food can attract ants, roaches and other pests. It is a good idea to empty the garbage each day. Trash can be a breeding ground for house and fruit flies.

Start out at the beginning. A good way to deal with a household pest is to eliminate what they live on. Pests probably like to come into your home because they have shelter, food and plenty of water. Leaks, scraps of food and easy access are a pest’s best friends; make it harder for them to survive.

If you are apprehensive about using chemical pest control in your home, try traps instead. Physical traps work to attract the pest and then trap it. Some work like traditional mouse traps that snap closed and kill the pest, while others involve a sticky sheet that adheres the pest to the sheet so you can remove it from your home.

Avoid using wood chips and straw around the outside of your house when doing gardening or other outdoor hobbies/activities. Pests tend to be drawn to these substances and will eat them or try to live in them. You should consider using stone or rock whenever possible to avoid having issues.

If you have ants, look for boric acid. Boric acid, sometimes listed as orthoboric acid, is the most effective pesticide for ants. In addition, many of the baits containing this are safe for use around pets and children, although you should always carefully read all safety labels to be sure.

If rodents such as raccoons or skunks are tearing your garbage bags, set a trap where you usually leave your garbage. Attract the animal with a piece of meat and make sure the trap you use is large enough for the animals you have observed. If possible, release the animal in the woods instead of killing it.

If you’re using mulch, don’t mulch all the way to the side of your home. Leave a gap about half a foot in length between the mulch and your outdoor wall. This will give you (or any exterminator) a better ability to see if any pests (like termites) are crawling from the mulch onto your outdoor wall.

Make sure that all of your windows are closed when you go to sleep at night or go on vacation. The last thing that you will want to do is to give the bugs outside a free entryway into your house. Seal all windows when you are sleeping or not home to reduce pests.

Inspect the outside of your home for any cracks in the screens, walls, windows, and doors. Seal all of these cracks to help eliminate pests. When the pests can’t get inside, then the battle is halfway won. Install new thresholds on your doors, fix holes in screens, and repair weather stripping on your windows for best results.

Vacuum your carpet often if you are having a flea problem. Fleas will begin to live in your carpet if there is not enough room for them on your pets. To help to keep their population low you should vacuum your floors a couple times a day and dispose of the bag immediately.

Dirty gutters and clogged drains are magnets for bugs and pests. These pests love the moisture, and the places where they can hide and breed. Clean your gutters and unclog any drains from around your home. This will eliminate the habitat that bugs love to hide in. When they are clean, there is no where for them to hide.

Do not buy pesticides that are labeled as being for outdoor use. While these products may get rid of the pests that you are trying to battle, they usually have a much higher concentration of chemicals than those for indoors. This means they will leave harmful poisons in the air for much longer.

Look online for tips about dealing with pests. There are countless forums and blogs for you to find new ideas about how to control the pests you are dealing with. They can be especially helpful if you feel you have tried everything. Someone can give you an idea you have not tried.

If you need help with getting rid of your pest, give a call to the National Pesticide Information Center. You will be able to ask your questions about pesticides and learn how to use these products safely and efficiently. You should also ask about alternatives you can use against pest.

Try to learn what you can about the pest that is invading your home. The more that you know about its habits and ideal diet the more that you can do to keep them out of your home. For example, cockroaches love paper, so you would not want to have newspaper stored anywhere in your home.

Check your house periodically for openings. You want to make sure that you don’t help creatures creep into your home. Search along your foundation and walls to see if there are small holes that little critters can crawl into. If you find holes and spaces, make sure to seal them tight.

Are you composting? If so, then you may be attracting all kinds of bugs and insects. Keep your compost far from your house and do not allow children or pets to go near your compost . Keep it from plants as well, because the bugs that it attracts could begin eating your plants.

You are well equipped now to handle the pests in your home. There should be a sigh of relief knowing that you aren’t going to have to hire a pest control expert anymore. You have what you need to prepare a pest control plan in your home one your own with your family.