If your home is going to be an enjoyable space to be, then you’ll want to ensure that there aren’t any unwanted creatures living there. Pests are unhygienic, problematic, and have the capacity to give you a fright — who wants to live with that? While some homes are more susceptible to pests than others, any home can be infested, if it’s allowed to happen. So unless you want to live with other creatures, take a look at incorporating the tips that we’ve outlined below.
Don’t Leave Food Hanging Around
Pests won’t be coming to your home because of the beautiful decor. They’ll come because you’ll have something that they need — such as shelter from the elements, or delicious food. One of the best ways to attract pests to your property is to leave food just hanging around. So here’s a pretty obvious solution…don’t leave food hanging around! Keeping food out for a couple of hours won’t give you any trouble, but if there’s opened jars and containers in the pantry, then you could find that you’re attracting pests. Your food is not the only food for unwanted visitors. Make sure to keep things closed up tight (a plastic container or jar with lid works well for us). Your cat’s or dog’s food or the seed you fill bird feeders with is especially tasty to field mice.
Block Up Their Homes
There could be parts of your home that would look highly attractive to a family of pests who is looking to set up a home. While you’d like to help a young family make their way in life, when that young family is pests, it’s just not possible. As such, it’s important that you’re looking at sealing up the corners of your home that they would find attractive. These will be places that are susceptible to moisture, such as your crawl space. Insulating this area will help to close up the space for pests, and also benefit your home in other ways, too — for example, it’ll reduce your energy bills.
Natural Remedies
If you have a minor problem with pests, then take a look at making your own home remedies. While there are plenty of products you can buy in the stores, natural, homemade solutions can be just effective, providing the problem isn’t advanced. Plus, they’ll help to keep your house free of chemicals. Perhaps the most effective solution is tea tree oil. Add a few drops to a bottle, throw in some water, and get spraying in the areas of your home that seem to have the most problems. Citrus fruits, such as lemon and orange, have also been shown to be effective.
Calling in the Experts
At some point, you may have to admit defeat. While there are things you can do that’ll reduce the likelihood of your home getting infected, there are no foolproof methods. If it happens, it happens. When it does, it’s important that you’re getting in touch with pest control specialists as soon as possible. They’ll have the knowledge and experience needed to remedy the problem. You don’t have to live with pests!
The pests can be in many forms, from field mice or ants to spiders or snakes. Rarer, but not uncommon, would be bats or raccoons. If they find anything desirable about your home, it is at risk. Food and shelter are the main things they are after. If you have a mouse infestation, it may be just the thing to make the snakes want to move in. When this is in our unoccupied barn over the winter, we don’t chase them away.