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A few ants can ruin a picnic, a few mosquitoes can make a barbeque unpleasant, but what’s much worse is to constantly have pests in your house. Not only they are annoying and unpleasant to see, but some of them can cause serious damage to your property or be a hazard to your health. Termites can destroy homes and rats can spread various diseases, some of them being very dangerous. Before you notice pests in your home, take preventative action to ensure the safety of yourself and your family or you can take help from professionals like PestZone. In this article we will have a look at 12 tips for keeping pests away from your home.
The warm and humid weather on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland creates the perfect conditions for termites, mosquitoes, flies, bugs, rats and other pests. Infestations are quite common during summer in Australia, so it’s very important to prevent them as much as possible, and treat them as soon as they occur.
12 TIPS FOR KEEPING PESTS AWAY FROM YOUR HOME:
1. remove any food sources
Crumbs on the floor can be very attractive to ants and other insects. Food leftovers can be appealing to rats, as well as the food in uncovered trash cans. This can also attract flies which will lay their eggs on the rotting food. Mosquitoes are attracted to standing water. Humidity also attracts subterranean termites, and so do various pieces of wood stored in improper conditions. Fruits and vegetables left uncovered can also attract fruit flies.
Get informed about the food sources of each of the pests, and make sure to not turn your home into a feasting ground for them. Keep your home clean, remove trash and debris and keep garbage bins closed. Some pests are also attracted to pet food, so make sure to cover it or pick up any uneaten food.
2. SEAL POSSIBLE ENTRANCES
Even if there are pests’ food sources in your home, as long as they can’t reach them, they won’t affect you. Check your screens and walls for holes, and your doors and windows for gaps. Seal cracks and openings and fix any issues as soon as possible, to not allow the pests to enter your home. Fly screens are a very simple solution to pest entry. If you don’t already have protection screens, time to get some!
3. DISPOSE OF YOUR WASTE CORRECTLY
Garbage is a great source of food for rats, mice, flies, birds and other pests. So make sure to dispose of the waste in a proper way and to keep the garbage bins closed at all times. Definitely do not throw uncovered meat in the garbage (unless it will be picked up in the next 48 hours). The summer sun will rot the meat rapidly, and this will immediately attract pests.
4. KEEP YOUR HOME DRY
Humidity attracts termites and mosquitoes, but it can also cause other food items to decay quicker than usual, which will attract a variety of pests. Standing water is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, so make sure to regularly check your home for any. Check for leaks in the air conditioning unit, look in rain spouts and even in beach toys left scattered through the yard.
5. CLEAR OUT DRAINS REGULARLY
The drains in your sink can collect a lot of residue and food that will rotten, which will become very attractive to cockroaches, flies and other pests. So clear out your drains on a regular basis. Not only you will prevent pests, but you will also keep your sink well running and smelling fresh.
6. CLEAN YOUR HOUSE REGULARLY
To put together some of the things mentioned before, it is important to keep your entire house clean, with no food leftovers, dirty dishes, garbage, debris, standing water or humidity. Focus on the kitchen and the backyard, as they usually have the most “pest magnets”. Also keep garden hoses tightly turned off, in order to not offer the pests a source of water.
When cleaning your rooms, make sure to move the furniture and vacuum underneath it every once in a while. If you find any unwanted pests while doing this, Safeguard Pest Control can handle the problem for you.
7. STORE FOOD CORRECTLY
Store all the food in sealed containers and do not leave any uncovered fruits and vegetables around the kitchen. As they get overly ripe, they will attract fruit flies and other bugs. Clean the crumbles and leftovers, and throw what’s not needed into sealed garbage bins.
8. CLEAR AWAY CLUTTER
Besides food and water, all pests are also looking for a place to mate and raise their young. A cluttered and messy home can make a great hiding spot for all sorts of nasty creatures. So if your home is cluttered, it’s time to take action.
Besides your rooms and closets, also pay attention to your attic or roof void. Don’t store unwanted items indefinitely. Time to clear out the clutter. If you must store items place them in boxes and containers that can be sealed. If everything is kept nice and clean, it will be less likely to attract unwanted critters.
9. MAINTAIN YOUR YARD
Many pests can make their nests in overgrown and messy yards, so make sure to pay close attention to this. Trim bushes and trees, clean any debris, and store piles of woods away from the home. Firewood will attract termites and from there they can easily get to your home. These nasty insects, as well as rats and mice can use tree branches that get in contact with your home as a highway to reach it. So make sure to trim these branches so they not touch your roof or other parts of the home.
10. CHANGE YOUR LIGHTS
Replace standard lights with high-pressure sodium vapour or halogen light bulbs. These are less attractive to flying insects. Even though the insects themselves are not dangerous, they can attract geckos and other unwanted animals.
