10 Methods for Pest Control Prevention

It’s common for home owners to get serious about pest control, only once they spot particular pests at their homes. I don’t say this is not the right thing to do, but probably the most efficient way to prevent pests from entering your home is prevention.

To ensure that pests never reach your home and garden, here are 10 simple, yet effective methods to keep them away.

Trim Plants and Remove Mulch

Pests use plants as bridges to your house, so make sure you trim all tree branches and plants that touch it. Mulch is popular material used by homeowners near areas surrounding the house, but it provides great habitat for pests to breed. It’s great idea to use less pest-attractive cover near the foundation of your home – rock or stone are great choice.

Repair Warped/Broken Doors and Windows

Pests use every crack and gap to enter your house and find a new home for their offspring. To prevent this, regularly inspect your windows and doors for small damages, and have them repaired on time. Another way to solve this problem is to use screen mesh, which is available in almost all home stores.

Inspect the Exterior of Your House

To make sure no pests are able to enter your house, you need to inspect carefully its exterior for cracks and gaps, which they can use. Most of the time there are many cracks and gaps on the roof, near utility lines and wiring installations. If you spot any cracks or gaps, you can use steel wool, metal sheet, copper mesh and mortar. It’s important to choose a material, which will be hard for pests to chew through.

Throw Away the Trash

Always keep the yard around your house litter free and throw away the trash on time. Your trash cans are among the most popular sources of food for pests, so you need to make sure they are clean every time you take out the trash.

Replace Your Garden Lights

It’s common for homeowners to place garden lights near the walls of the house, but they tend to attract lots of flying insects. To avoid that consider replacing your light bulbs with halogen ones or such that have yellow, orange or pink tints. Insects are less attracted to these colours.

Inspect the Interior of Your Home

Sometimes there are cracks and gaps that are visible only from inside the house, make sure you examine every corner of your house including kitchen cabinets, stoves and around pipes. If you spot any gaps or cracks, seal them. Most rat control experts suggest that you should seal all gaps larger than quarter inch.

Check the Drainage

Drains are preferred breeding location for many pests including rats, mice and small flies, so you need to do serious examination of the entire drainage system of your home.

Store Recyclable Items Outside

Its highly recommended to keep all your recyclables outside your home, make sure the lid of the trash bin seals properly and clean it every time you throw away the litter. This is the most effective method for mice control and also helps keep away other rodents such as rats and racoons.

Store Your Food Properly

Stored food and leftovers are known to attract various pests, so you need to make sure these are stored properly. The best method is to use plastic bins if the food’s original packaging can’t be sealed properly. Another possible method is to make sure you always eat the oldest food first, as it will help make your house less attractive to pests.

Keep Your Home Clean

Pests need certain conditions to live and successfully breed, so the cleaner your home is, the lower the chances of having any pests is. Create a routine for cleaning your home and follow it, while ensuring that all areas related to pest control are covered.