Prevention is better than cure when it comes to dealing with household pests.
For as long as humans have sought refuge indoors, so too have the pests that feed off our lives. The world has always been plagued by pests, from the bugs that thrive in our compost heaps to the raccoons that take shelter in our attics. Sometimes even literally.
Prevention is often better than cure when keeping your home pest-free. Here are a few other helpful hints and tips regarding ridding your home of rats and other pests.
Keeping your Property Pest-Free
According to the pest control experts at pest control Sydney, here are some of the best ways to keep your home free of rats, mice, and other pests.
1 – Don’t Make Food Available
Every pest problem starts with a nearby food source. The food source attracts the pests into the home, then allows them the energy needed to breed more of themselves. It’s essential to clean up spills as they happen and thoroughly. Food spills attract by smell. Think about how bears are attracted to the smell of food and come looking at campsites at night. Rats, mice, and other pests are the same.
2 – Don’t Let Them Get Comfortable
Not letting pests get comfortable in your property can help keep them away or make any stays short term. Putting down pet-friendly deterrents can keep them out of your property. Pepper dusted around entrances and exits can deter any animal from navigating using its nose. Blocking holes in cupboards and walls can help interrupt their sleeping places and breeding grounds. Stop it if you know the pests are using a passage through your home. Don’t make things easy for them, and they will eventually look for a safer home.
3 – Disrupt Breeding Grounds
Rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, and other furry critters need somewhere warm, comfortable, and safe to give birth and recover. So don’t let them have it. In the case of an animal like a mouse, they will try to return to their birthing ground to breed when they are old enough. If you can find the breeding ground and prevent it from being safe, they will move elsewhere.
4 – Lay Catch and Release Traps
If you are dealing with critters, catch and release traps let you remove the pest entirely from your home and safely deposit it in an area closer to its natural habitat. Catch and release traps are usually harmless to the animal. However, be wary of inhumane traps, particularly those with glue. Traps should be as harmless as possible. The animal will already be confused at the change of circumstances when you release it.
5 – Call in the Exterminator
There are sometimes when you must resort to calling in the exterminator. We find that you especially need a professional when you are plagued with bugs rather than rodents and critters. Bugs are minor enough that you don’t know if you have killed them all with sprays or treatments. To stop them from damaging your home, you need a professional.
Can Pests Damage my property?
Absolutely. Carpenter bees build their nests in walls, and rats chew through electrics. Termites might even bring down your beams.
