Pests are truly unwanted in our homes. Not only do they make us recoil in fright, they often carry harmful germs and bacteria with them too. This means that protecting your home and controlling infestations is very important if you want to ensure your family is safe and sound. Here’s how to control the appearance of a few of the most common unwanted pests in your home…
Rats and mice
Rats and mice are at the top of the list when it comes to unwanted pests in your home. Rodents can transmit deadly diseases via the germs excreted in their urine and faeces. In fact, many people have died from rodent-borne diseases around the world throughout history.
To reduce their activity in your property, lay down Victor mouse traps and rat traps to catch these vermin. There are various devices on offer, and you can pick the method that feels best for you: a traditional trap will do the job, but an electronic trap will kill mice and rats using a shock of electricity, dispatching them quickly and humanely. Alternatively, you can catch them using live traps before releasing them into the wild a long way from your home.
Squirrels
You might not consider squirrels to be a typical ‘house’ pest, but they really can cause havoc. A squirrel infestation might see squirrels chewing through electric wires in your home and, according to the experts in this article, your home insurance may not cover such damage. Many policies exclude damage by pests, so it’s really important you know how to keep squirrels away from your home.
The best thing to do is to trim trees and other vegetation that hangs closely to your house. This means that squirrels will not be able to use it as a ‘bridge’ to your roof. Also, if you’re feeding birds in your garden, be sure to use squirrel-proof bird feeders so you’re not encouraging them to use your back lawn as a restaurant. This will reduce the likelihood of squirrels becoming a pest in your home.
Ants
Finally, ants are pests that many of us find traipsing through our kitchens during the summer months. They’ll often make their way through a gap in concrete before finding an entry point in your home, and anyone who’s come downstairs in the morning to make a cup of coffee can tell you how off-putting it is to find a loaf of bread crawling with little black bugs!
You can prevent ants from becoming pests in your home by ensuring you keep food in sealed containers at all times and cleaning up crumbs as soon as there’s a mess on the worktop. If they’ve already found a way inside, make it hard for them to get to food, then sprinkle chemical repellents and powders at the source. Just be careful if you use powders around pets and children: the chemicals can be toxic to unsuspecting little ones and four-legged friends, so do your research first and make sure only the ants ingest the repellent.
