Is there anyone who loves to see cockroaches or ants roaming freely in their kitchen?
Actually, none of us wants these pests running around any part of our house. Fortunately, there are proven safe and effective methods to get rid of these creepy crawlies. You can even contract professional pest control NJ service to help you deal with these pests in your home.
Here’s a look into how you can keep your home safe from some of the most notorious infestations.
Termites
Termites are prevalent in decomposing trees, stumps, piles of mulch, and houses or other wooden structures.
While termites don’t carry any diseases, they are voracious eaters and can destroy your prized items.
How to Control Them
- Keep wood piles and mulch piles at least 30 feet away from your house’s foundation.
- Avoid building wooden structures against the foundation or close to a crawl space.
- Keep plant material to the minimum
- Use non-toxic chemical treatments like neem oil, orange oil, and borax.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are prevalent in and around the bed. They largely feed on your blood. They don’t transmit diseases, but their bites can cause itching, which can sometimes trigger a grave allergic reaction.
How to Control Them
- Wash the surfaces where they might dwell with hot water before drying them at the hottest setting for at least half an hour.
- Using a stiff brush, scrub the mattress and vacuum it, plus the surrounding room, thoroughly and dispose the vacuum bags immediately.
- Seal up cracks in floorboards, as well as peeling wallpaper, to remove potential hiding spots, and get rid of any clutter around your bedroom.
Fleas
Fleas love dwelling on fur or hair of humans or animals, feeding on human and animal blood. Besides having an itchy bite that can trigger allergic reactions, fleas can also transmit lethal diseases like tapeworms and typhus.
How to Control Them
- Vacuum frequently, particularly in areas where your pets hang out, and discard the vacuum bag immediately.
- Wash your pets regularly with hot water and soap.
- You can also use natural herbs and aromatics like wormwood, lemon, rosemary, and citronella, to drive away the fleas from your home.
Rats and Mice
These rodents like to make burrow or nests in sheltered indoor and outdoor locations such as attics, basements, and sheds. They eat virtually anything.
Rats are known to harbor and transmit potential life-threatening infections like Hantavirus, typhus, and Lyme disease.
How to Control Them
- Seal up holes between indoors and outdoors.
- Store food and garbage in tightly sealed containers
- Eliminate wood piles or any other debris that might function as a rodent house.
- Spray the rodent’s most preferred areas with a solution of garlic, horseradish, and cayenne pepper to drive the rats and mice away.
Cockroaches
Roaches love warm humid areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and basements. They feed on virtually everything, including food scraps, boxes, paper, cardboard, etc.
Cockroach feces, saliva, and body can lead to allergic reactions. Cockroaches can also spread bacteria like Salmonella, E.coli, and parasitic worms.
How to Control Them
- Keep your counters clean, drain sinks, and store food in the fridge or properly sealed containers.
- Use caulk to seal up any big crevices in walls and floors.
- Thinly line the perimeters of existing cracks and rooms with borax to keep the roaches away.
Conclusion
Pest infestations at home can be very annoying, not forgetting the fact that some of them transmit dangerous diseases and infections. However, with the right techniques, you can rest assured that your house will be free from these little critters.
Debbie Welchert says
Thanks for all of the great tips. Hopefully, I will never have to use any of them.
Mia says
All things that I would like to avoid. Good tips to keep them away.
Sara Zielinski says
Thank you for the information, I am very afraid of bedbugs.
Amy Hall says
The idea of bedbugs positively freaks me out. Possibly even more than roaches! They’re just too hard to get rid of.