First-time homeowners should know beforehand the things that they need to learn in maintaining a house– and this involves knowing simple utility and electrical repairs. Yes, there are services that can handle these problems, but having first-hand knowledge of these things is a sign that you are a responsible homeowner.
But aside from these things, the other thing that first time homeowners should learn is the methods of pest control. Pests won’t surely show up on a family’s first few days in the house, or even for a year, but they need to prepare early (really early) to prevent these pests from showing up or taking refuge in their house.
Are you a first-time homeowner? Then take note of these things to know the basics of preventing pests from taking over your house.
PREVENTION TIP#1
GOOD OLD MOUSE TRAP IS STILL NUMBER 1
When a rodent problem arises in your house, the good old mousetrap is still number one. Yes, there are other available traps, like electric mouse traps, plastic snap traps, plastic enclosed snap traps, catch and release mouse traps, and even an ultrasonic pest control unit, but the classic mousetrap is still the ‘king.’ Aside from being cheap and widely available, they kill pesky rodents really quick.
PREVENTION TIP#2
SECURE ENTRY POINTS
The only way where pests can enter and breed inside your house is through an entry point. This is so obvious, but the problem is, some of these openings are so small and unnoticeable that homeowners may not easily notice these entryways.
So they need to check their house at least once every two weeks and find possible entry points that can be used by pests. These entry points can be in the form of cracked pipes and broken screens, but they also need to check the bigger entry points, like dryer vents, exhaust fans, and a roof vent to see if pests are already using it to march inside your house.
PREVENTION TIP#3
ANNUAL PEST CONTROL
To ensure that every area in your house is clear from any pests and nothing is overlooked, pest control services can conduct an expert search and diagnosis about your house’s current state. It is composed of a team of pest control experts equipped with tools to ‘hunt down’ pests hiding from your sight. You may hire their services on a yearly basis, depending on your house’s current state, with regards to pests.
PREVENTION TIP#4
LOWER THE MOISTURE LEVEL INSIDE YOUR HOUSE
Moisture might be the last thing you can think about that can attract various kinds of pests, but the truth is, they do. Both first time and long-time homeowners should know that moisture can attract pests, like small flies, cockroaches, termites and mosquitoes.
The things that drive up the level of moisture inside and around the house are leaky pipes, moisture-damaged woods and open containers filled with water (and rainwater).
Here are the ways to lower the levels of moisture that can discourage pests from being attracted at your home:
- Seal leaky faucets and pipes
- Repair moisture-damaged wood
- Seal around pipes and conduits leading into your home
- Empty containers outside your home filled with water
- Position your gutters in a way that water will spill away on the foundations of your house, something that termites would surely hate about.
PREVENTION TIP#5
CLEAN CRUMBS AND LEFTOVERS
Pests are also attracted to the crumbs and leftover foods inside a house. These are also strong magnets that can attract different kinds of pests. It would be nice if they come, eat those crumbs and leftovers, and go away, but the problem is, they don’t go away, they stay! And as a bonus, they breed inside the house to have a secured and warm place to live in. How nice.
Homeowners should have a culture of cleanliness inside their house, and a half-eaten pizza left on the table shouldn’t even be tolerated.
Leave a Reply