If you are like most persons, the sight of an insect in your home will have you dialing your exterminator before it has had time to scurry behind the sofa. And chances are you will have your eyes and ears covered until they get their work done and your home is pest-free. Instead of bugging out, listen up! There’s plenty you can learn from your exterminator as it will help prevent future infestations and help you handle future ones.
Things Your Insect Exterminator Wished You Knew
1. A Tidy Kitchen Won’t Keep Insects Away
While many insects are attracted to food, open bags of pie or dirty dishes are not the only things that make your house an insect magnet. Moisture is another thing which plays a big role in attracting bugs to your home. Leaving moisture sources in and around the house can attract insects, therefore, you should eliminate water sources by keeping gutters unclogged, keeping downspouts direct water 3 to 4 feet from your home’s foundation. Also, decorative baths and pools should be drained regularly.
2. We Can Do A Lot For You, But We Can’t Do Everything Ourselves
Your exterminator will do everything in their power to eliminate your pest problem but if you don’t do your part, don’t expect a successful outcome. Therefore if your exterminator gives you simple advice like keep your garage door closed or fix your screen window, adhere to it. Also if you happen to spot a critter after your insect exterminator had done his job, it doesn’t mean they didn’t do their job well as you may have as well picked it when you went grocery shopping.
3. It Doesn’t Help Trying To Fix The Problem Yourself Before Calling Us
There are a lot of insect treatments available in local hardware stores which leaves room for misapplication. In several cases, people will use too much product or pick the wrong treatments for their problem. Some even over apply the product thereby contaminating baits which the insect control experts may have left behind which makes their services less effective. And bug bombs which several persons buy to treat bedbugs only end up scattering the pests around your home.
4. Even If You Don’t See Insects In Your Home, It Doesn’t Mean You Are All-Clear
Winter is the time when most pests want to move indoors so even if you don’t have an insect problem right now, it’s a good time to set up exclusionary measures. You can do so by placing a tight-fitting weather strip on the bottom of all doors and ensure your attic and foundation vents are equipped with ¼ inch hardware cloth and installing insect screening over utility vents, windows, and other areas where insects can slip in. Also, seal up any cracks or holes in your home’s exterior: large openings should be stuffed with wire or steel mesh before sealing with caulk. Your exterminator can also get this done for you.
5. Not All Insects Are Bad
Unlike termites which result in $5 billion worth of damage yearly or cockroaches which can result in asthma, not every insect is a cause for a major freak-out. For example, lady beetles are beneficial in gardens because they eat other insects like plant destroying aphids. Similarly, although spiders can be terrifying, aside from the brown recluse varieties and the black widow, they are mostly harmless. Spiders even eat other insects and this makes them useful and seeing spiders around the house might mean you have a budding insect infestation, so it’s definitely worth an inspection.
6. If You Have An Insect Problem, It’s A Good Idea To Alert Your Neighbors
Apartment dwellers should tell their neighbors if they have an insect problem and if there are roaches or bedbugs, the units next to, above and below yours should be treated as well. Rodent attack problems aren’t restricted to family structures as they may attack impact neighbors in single-family homes depending on how close they might be to one another. If your neighbors have a confirmed infestation, call an insect exterminator to schedule an inspection to determine whether your home is at risk or infested.
7. There’s Almost Nothing That Can Keep Certain Insects Away
People tend to believe that maintaining good hygiene will prevent certain insects from attacking them. That is wrong as unlike most insects, and bedbugs don’t care about moisture or food- they just want your blood. Because bugs hitchhike into your home on clothing, luggage or furniture, you should be vigilant about examining items before bringing them inside.