Pests such as termites, spiders, flies, cockroaches, bed bugs, mosquitoes, rats, fleas to mention, but are few have been a severe menace to a lot of households. Besides them causing a disturbance in your home, pests pose a threat to human health. They contaminate surfaces in the house and are carriers of allergens that can cause adverse health issues.
You can manage pests at home to a suitable extent by observing proper hygiene practices, but what do you when you move into a new home with pests? When moving into a new movoto home, it is crucial to adopt home practices that will eliminate any pests that may have inhabited the house while vacant.
Effective knowledge
The first step about pest control is knowing the pest types and the effective ways of eliminating them. Failure to do this, you may end up employing a lot of tactics that will incur you high costs but not bring out the desirable outcome.
If you have no way of identifying the pest types in your home, there are professional pest control services that help you evaluate, spray, and get rid of the pests in your home.
Seal gaps
Pests will always have access to your home through holes. Seal and repair all gaps that can lead the pests into your house. Cover all gaps in your attic and garage and any small openings that mice and bugs love.
Clear stagnant water
Puddles of stagnant water are home to mosquitoes, which pose a threat to human beings by causing malaria. It can also be a source of snails that can cause diseases like bilharzia. Other insects like fruit flies can also inhabit such places and increase the risk of infections.
Create bid feeders
Creating a bird feeder at the edge of the home will help you in diverting the pests there. It works best, especially if you have a garden that you want to protect from pests. By creating bird feeders, you provide alternative food sources; thus, it will keep most of the pests away.
Keep weatherstripping in good condition.
Weatherstripping is the bristles around your doors and windows. Fix them from time to time to ensure that it will not provide a passing space for a pest.
Use vinegar to deter ants.
Ants always leave a trail when they enter your house in search of food. The trail attracts and directs more other ants on where to find food. To wash the trails, mix ¼ cup of vinegar with 2 cups of water and some drops of mint. It is an easy and effective home-based method for pest control.
Use onions on spiders
Slice up some onions in a bowl and put it at the most prone spider spot in your home. Spiders do not like onions and will keep away.
Invest in wire mesh enclosures
You can enclose your garden in wire mesh structures that keep the pests away, and you only have to lift them when its time to garden. Although it may not be efficient with keeping away small insects, it is useful all the same.
Repel away fruit flies with Apple vinegar
Put apple some apple vinegar in a bowl, then cover it with a plastic cover with small holes. The fruit flies get attracted to the vinegar, and once they get in, they will not be able to get out.
Spidersolution
Remove cobwebs thoroughly from time to time and clean up ceilings well. By this, you are eliminating the spiders’ habitats from your home.
Remember to clean up your basement too and maintain the air humidity levels at 40%.
Use coffee grounds
Most of the home pests can not withstand the smell of coffee grounds. Use leftover grounds and pour them creatively at the places where the pests pass through, hence eliminating them.
Trim plants against your house
Plants that are attached to your house windows provide a perfect entryway for some pests. Trim away all the edges connected to the house while still ensuring you maintain a beautiful view.
Again, avoid stacking firewood in or at the wall of the house. Firewoods can be a suitable habitat for various pests like termites.
Maintain a healthy lawn
A well-mowed lawn will reduce the chances of pests infesting your home. Keep the garden well-manicured to keep the pests away and have a comfortable living environment.
Use cornmeal on ants.
Pour some amount of cornmeal wherever you come across ants in your home. They will happily eat it and take it to their ‘colonies,’ but it will be indigestible; therefore, they will die. Although the process may be slower, it is a non-toxic way to end the ants’ menace.
Fresh herbs
Throw some rosemary herbs in the cockpit fire to repel away mosquitoes.
Dustmite remedy
Mix eucalyptus, cloves and lavender to come up with a remedy for dust mites. Use it on furniture and linens and allow them to dry. You will have eliminated the risk of dust mites infestation.
Conclusion
The use of pesticides is associated with various diseases due to the chemicals. Adopting toxic-free ways of dealing with pests in your home protects your health while still being environmentally friendly.