As a new homeowner you have just taken on a lot of responsibility to maintain your home. Home pest treatment has to be on that list of responsibilities. There are a lot of things that you need to do to maintain your home but you should not neglect keeping pests in check.
Home pest treatment helps to foster a safe environment in your home. Additionally, home pest treatment helps to protect your property from damage.
What You Need to Know About Pests
Pests that invade your home are not just a bother they can be a danger to both the residents and the property. Most new homeowners are not aware that things like rodent control and pest removal has to be taken seriously.
Pests carry with them some real dangers that not only risk your property but can risk your health. Roach removal and other home pest treatment can reduce the risk of the spread of disease and help to keep your home a safer environment for your family.
There is a lot of information bout what pests can carry into the home that you are likely not aware of. Pest exterminator services help to keep the problem under control. Here are some things you need to know about what pests can bring into your home:
- Even pests that we are used to like mosquitos are really a threat. West Nile virus is spread by and these bothersome bugs can also be vectors for other diseases.
- Rodents are very dangerous. Rodent control has to be a priority. Rodents can carry in fleas to your home that will affect your pets but more importantly, they can carry a wide range of diseases including the bubonic plague. It is not just the rodents themselves that can cause illness, their excrement is also dangerous. A respiratory disease called KFH is caused by rat feces.
- Ticks and Fleas. Lyme disease is transmitted by tick bites. Rocky mountain fever is also transmitted by tick bites. Flea bites can cause infections.
- Salmonella can also be spread by pests. Roaches, rodents, and other pests can carry salmonella and spread it.
Home pest treatment can help you to control the pest problem and the potential illness that they can cause. A professional exterminator will know where to find the pests and the steps to take to remove them.
Some of the diseases that pests carry can be devastating, other problems that they bring flair up underlying conditions. For example, anyone that suffers from asthma or allergies or both is at risk when it comes to pests. It is not unusual for a person that has a compromised immune system from allergies to find that they are allergic to both stinging and non-stinging bugs and other pests.
Being in the presence of pests that one is allergic to can be enough to trigger an asthmatic episode. Those that are severely allergic to bee stings can put their life at risk by being around stinging insects. There is no doubt that pests are more than just a nuisance for many people, they are a real-life health risk.
Keeping your family safe means keeping down the pest population. Professional residential pest control can help.
Property Damage
Pests are well known for causing expensive property damage. Rodents and other small animals like squirrels can get into your walls and ceilings and wreak complete havoc on your wiring, insulation, piping, and venting. Squirrels especially are well known for coming indoors to hunker down for the winter and create nests that require they rip apart insulation and chew through wiring.
Squirrel removal will put an end to the damage. Moving as quickly as possible to enlist the support of a professional can save you thousands of dollars in damages from a squirrel or rodent infestation.
Of course, rodents are not the only potential for property damage:
- Termites can literally eat you out of house and home. It is estimated that termites cause about 25 billion dollars in damage every year in the United States but they are not the only wood loving species out there. Carpenter ants and carpenter bees are also fond of chewing on wood in your home.
- Bees, wasps, and other flying insects often like to make their homes in the eaves of your attic. They can cause damage to the wood in your attic and put undue stress on joists.
- Roaches and ants not only will contaminate your food, but they will eat away at the glues holding your house together. They enjoy a meal of wallpaper glue and other glued down areas. Cockroach extermination can take care of that problem.
Pests can really tear up a home and of course, quickly devalue it. The best way to address the problem is to get it under control as soon as possible. Whether it is an indoor pest problem or an outdoor pest problem getting professional help fast will reduce the amount of potential damage.
Pests are Sneaky
It does not take long for pests to go from being a minor problem to a complete infestation. Pests know where to hide to be prolific. Residential pest control can help to uncover your pest problem and treat it right at the source.
The beauty of enlisting professional home pest treatment is that the experts that come out to manage your residential pest control are well trained in not only how to kill pests but their behavior. They know where to look for the infestation. They understand where pests are most likely to hide and they can evaluate your home and recommend corrective actions that you can take to help reduce the problem.
Let’s use a squirrel infestation as an example. You may be scratching your head trying to figure out how the squirrels are getting into the house, but a keened on an exterminator may point out the path that the squirrel is taking to use your home as if it was one of those luxury storm shelters.
Residential pest control services will point out some solutions to prevent the problem from reoccurring like hiring a tree removal services company to take down that tree that looks too far away to be the access point. Professional exterminators are a part technician and part educator. They bring a wealth of knowledge with them that actually surprises many homeowners.
Pests can have some strange adaptations that most people are not aware of that allows them to live in areas of your home you would never think of looking. Recently a homeowner in Oklahoma was shocked to find that the handful of bees that they were seeing was actually a colony of thousands that had tucked in behind the siding of the home. An experienced exterminator was able to track the bees to their hiding place and eradicate the hive.
This is just one story of how pests that were largely going undetected turned out to be a much larger problem after an exterminator came out to provide home pest treatment. There are thousands of stories that offer similar information.
The Tip of the Iceberg
A good rule of thumb to follow is if there have been three or more sightings of a pest in your home, you can almost guarantee there are hundreds more hunkered down somewhere that you typically are not investigating. Pests can get behind walls, in ceilings, under flooring, camp out in dark corners of your closets. If you are seeing them you have a problem and it is likely greater than you expect it to be.
Rule number one don’t panic. Call an exterminator that can access the true magnitude of the problem. Rule number two don’t skip calling in pro and here is why:
- Over the counter pest control preparations don’t work. You will be throwing good money after bad if you take the do-it-yourself route. The OTC bug killers are not effective enough to really get to the root of the problem.
- Over the counter formulas are not effective but they can still be dangerous. If you do not have the experience leave spraying insecticide up to the professionals. It can be dangerous to keep it in the house with children and pets.
- Do you really know where to look for nests? Exterminators are highly skilled at tracking down the pests home base. Frankly, hitting them where they live is the only way to get things under control.
About 87% of homeowners that renovate a bathroom will upgrade their shower, and many of them are surprised to find that behind that shower wall there is an infestation of bugs. The point is you just never know where pests are living in your home. Exterminators do know where to find them.
What Can You Do To Make Your Home Less Hospitable to Pests?
Even with the best home pest treatment if you do not do your part, you may get rid of one pest and wind up with another. There are steps you can take to make sure that pests find another place to live.
Your home is under constant threat from pests. Even if you do not have a problem right now, there is always potential for a problem. No matter where you live there is always a pest population that is ready to move into your home. Taking some simple steps can be a great preventive to ensure that your home never comes under fire of an infestation.
Here are some things you can do:
- Clear debris and litter away from your home. Keeping leaf debris and other debris cleared away from the foundation of your home will give insects less of a place to hide. Trash around your property is an invitation to rodents and other small animals and that invitation can be misconstrued as an all-access pass to your home when the weather gets bad. Keep your property clear of trash and debris.
- Seal up and small holes and cracks that can be an access point. Walk around your home and look for any small holes and cracks around piping, doors and windows and seal it up. A small crack or hole is an instant invite to pests.
- Get rid of the food supply. Do not leave pet food and water bowls out at night. Make sure no dishes are left in the sink. Throw out or store properly in sealed containers old papers, and magazines. Roaches love to eat the binding in books as well. If you are having an infestation problem consider putting books in lidded containers until you can rectify the issue.
Termite testing should be something that is done yearly if you live in an area where termites are a big problem. By making the environment in your home inhospitable to pests they are far less likely to take up residence in your home.
Many pests love dark damp areas. If you are having a problem with moisture, address the problem. Keeping things dry will help to reduce the pest population. Make sure you clean up any spills immediately. Don’t leave crumbs sitting on the counter. Quick cleanups can help to reduce the amount of food that is available to the pests.
Any steps that you take to control the environment and make it less hospitable to the pests is a step in the right direction. By working with a certified home pest treatment company and taking the steps that you need to take will help you to get the problem under control.
Ask your exterminator that is managing your home pest treatment if there is anything else you can do to help fight the surge of pests in your home. They will likely have a wealth of information that they can share with you.
Home pest treatment delivers peace of mind. Once you take it seriously and enlist the help of a professional team you know that you are doing everything in your power to ensure that your home never has to deal with an infestation. It is a smart way to take one of your home maintenance worries right off the table. While your pest problem is managed by the experts you will be able to attack all the other home maintenance projects that you need to get done.
