Pests can be a nuisance or a risk to your health and the health of your home. They generally carry a number of diseases and leave traces of these along the path they run and in their droppings. The problem is that if you don’t know you have a pest problem then you won’t realize that you are consuming these potentially harmful bacteria from your food surfaces!
Whether you think you have a pest problem or not, it is advisable to use local pest control services. They should be able to inspect your home and provide details of any issues you have; hopefully this will be none. If it is you have peace of mind, if not then you know what you need to deal with.
Dealing with pests involves keeping your work surfaces clean and making sure all your food products are stored in sealed containers, preferably inside cupboards which the pests can’t get into.
You also need to regularly remove the rubbish from your home and make sure there is no standing water around; this is very attractive to pests. Of course, this is not easy if you have animas and leave water down for them!
There are a variety of natural methods you can use to help control your pest problem:
Cucumber
This is a great way to prevent ants from getting to your food, they don’t like cucumber! Place a row of them at any entry point to stop them coming in.
Mint
This is also very effective against ants! Peppermint is also very effective when dealing with spiders. As a bonus you’ll probably like the smell of it round your home!
In fact, peppermint oil is also an effective deterrent to mice and other small rodents; it seems like humans are the only ones that like the smell.
Light
Most animals pattern their behavior according to daylight and nighttime. If you leave a light on where they are most active they will be confused and are likely to head elsewhere.
Cornmeal
Leave this out for your ants. They will fill up on it and head home. Approximately a week later they will die as they are unable to digest cornmeal.
Bat House
Bats are known to eat flies and mosquitoes. If you build a bat house outside your home, they will be attracted to this space and deter flying insects for you; by eating them!
In return you get to enjoy the bats flying effortlessly round at dusk!
Flypaper
This is an excellent way of capturing flies and you will be surprised at how many can fit on one piece. The flies are attracted to the scent on the paper and get stuck to it, quickly dying in the process.
Steel Wool
This is a great temporary or permanent fix to any access points the mice are using; they can’t bite through the metal to get into your home.
Of course, if these methods fail you can always get a cat, or even a dog. They are very good at tracking rodents and your pet’s presence is often enough to deter these pests.