As a homeowner, you want to keep your home clean and protected at all times. You buy stuff that would make it look cozy, appealing, and comfortable because, at the end of the day, this is where you go to and rest with your loved ones. For those who discovered pest infestation at home, they say it is a nightmare. Well if you are to ask me, I would say the same and feel frustrated given the many different problems pests could bring inside your home.
When homeowners find out that there are pests in their homes, the first thing they do is treat the pests on their own; different kinds of pests could be found at home. Let us see what these pests are and know how we can prevent them from coming or treat them once they start invading our homes.
Common Household Pests
Mice / Rats
Rats and mice are one of the creepiest pests you can find inside your home. They post real threats as they could cause serious damage both to your health and property. They are active all year-round gnawing things as much as they can damaging furniture, packaging, and electrical wires. These creatures also transfer harmful diseases to humans by contaminating food with the feces, saliva, and urine.
If you want to prevent them from coming, the answer is very simple. Don’t feed them!
Keeping your house clean is the best thing to do if you don’t want your house invaded by these annoying pests. The leftovers, crumbs, and garbage with no lid can attract them so make sure to take care of these things so rats and mice don’t have many reasons to enter your house.
To get rid of them, you can’t just simply run and hit them with something. Rats and mice are very vigilant and intelligent, I must say. They run fast so it’s not easy to catch them. After all, who would want to catch these creepy, disgusting creatures with their hands? So, you can simply use bait and traps you can buy in stores.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are insects that live in warm, wet, and dark places like sewers and basements. They feed on any type of food and are usually found in the kitchen.
There are simple steps you can take to prevent them from coming. Roaches gain entry to homes through doors and cracks in your home foundation. You can seal off these cracks so they don’t find ways to enter. Make sure to keep your house clean at all times. Wash dirty dishes after eating, clean and wipe crumbs and spillages and dispose of your garbage regularly.
In situations where their presence is in your house already, you can try different things to get rid of them. One of the most common and best home remedies for roaches, if you are keen on using the DIY method, is boric acid. Mix boric acid, flour, and sugar to make a dough. Put these doughs around the home or in places where cockroaches can feed on it. This mixture will attract the roaches while the boric acid will kill them. On the other hand, you may simply purchase bait and trap in stores.
Mosquitoes
These small flying insects are small but terrible. They are attracted by the carbon dioxide human exhale. People are afraid to be bitten by them because they can carry and spread diseases to humans which causes thousands of deaths every single year.
Preventing mosquitoes from coming is very simple. Just dump out any outstanding water near your home as this is where their life cycle starts. Mosquitoes also hide in dark places like under the sink, inside the cabinet or anywhere where they won’t be disturbed so it’s best to also declutter and check these areas from time to time.
If your home is already infested by mosquitoes, it is important to find where they are coming from so you can start cleaning that spot. You can use candles and torches as they hate the smell of these. There are also insect sprays you can buy in stores. These sprays are easy to use but you have to be careful when using them. Read the label so you would know the right way to use it and make sure there is no one around, especially children when you tend to use a spray. Bug zappers and mosquito repellents can also protect you from them.
Termites
Termites are not carriers of diseases that are harmful to humans. However, they can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks to those people who have it. Termites eat woods and cause expensive damages to our property.
To prevent termites in your home, you can start by eliminating wood in contact with the ground. Earth-to-wood contact serves as termites’ access to food, shelter, moist, and entry to your home. Termites are attracted to moisture so as much as possible, do not let moisture accumulate near the foundation.
If your home is infested by termites, you can use boric acid to kill them. Just mix one teaspoon of boric acid with one cup of warm water and put it in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle gently until the powder is dissolved and soak all areas that you suspect are infested by termites. Another method to kill termites is the use of white vinegar. Just combine the juice of two lemons with a half cup of vinegar. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle and spray it on infested areas. If you see some damages in your home’s foundation especially in woods, consider having the home treated by professional pest control.
Other Pests To Find At Home
Ants
There are different species of ants. They are constantly on the hunt for food and water so you will most likely see them in your kitchen. Ants don’t transmit diseases through bites but they can spread germs. Since they continuously crawl in areas like soil, pipes, and many different areas, they can pick up all kinds of bacteria which they can also leave in the food where they land which we eventually eat if we don’t know that they got contaminated by ants.
If you do not want to attract ants, it is important to keep your house clean. Ants specifically live to scout food. It is essential to store food in sealed, air-tight containers so ants don’t have any reason to go to your kitchen. After eating, make sure to also clean up dirty dishes and wipe down common surfaces. Do not live sticky spills or crumbs because if you just live this behind, ants will already have trails before you know it.
One of the most common signs of an ant infestation is, of course, the ant trail itself. To get rid of ants, the first thing to do is to identify where they are coming from and eliminate their trails to prevent them from continuing to enter your home. You can buy insect sprays and use them in the areas where you suspect an infestation or place bait and traps. Just like other pests though, there are also some natural ways to get rid of them. Using vinegar or lemon juice helps! Just mix up a solution of 1 part lemon juice or vinegar to 3 parts water and use it as an all-purpose spray. Spray the solution around entryways or any areas where you see ants. Cayenne and black pepper work well too! Just look for the source and sprinkle pepper around that area. Ants will surely go away because they hate the smell of pepper.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are small, oval, and brownish insects that normally bite people and animals for food. They are normally present in beds, mattresses, pillows, and furniture but they can also hide baseboards and box springs.
A simple precaution can help you prevent having bed bugs at home. When purchasing second-hand items like couches, bed, and furniture, check first for any signs of bed bugs before bringing them home. As much as possible, reduce clutter in your home to reduce hiding places for bed bugs and vacuum frequently.
If you’re able to identify that there are bed bugs in your home, you can try simple and natural methods to get rid of them. You can start by using rubbing alcohol. For sure, you have this at home and you can use this as a solvent that kills insects by dissolving their cells. Rubbing alcohol dries bedbug skin and eventually causes them to die. Aside from this, you may also make sprays using baking soda, boric, or borax powder. All these have ingredients that can effectively kill bed bugs. Create your solution and spray them in infested areas and you are good to go!
Aside from these simple methods though, there is one thing you can do that is more effective- involving a professional to get rid of the pest problem.
Let Go-Forth Home Services Handle The Job
For the best pest control management in North Carolina, call Go-Forth Home Services. At Go-Forth Home Services, we have professional technicians who will examine your home and your lawn to evaluate your requirements. We will identify points of entry and make treatments as necessary. We only use state of the art equipment to keep up with these ever-evolving pests.