As more people move into the suburbs and away from the inner cities, for many, it’s the first time they will own a home. Ask any homeowner and the first thing they will tell you is that your house is always a work in progress. A house offers a sense of security, no more rent checks, and maybe even a little garden to tend.
There are also the items your landlord may have taken care of for you like snow removal and keeping pests out of your home. Having pests around is just part of living in this world. When you think about it, they were here first! Even though that may be true, you still want to keep them out of your house. Here are five tips for keeping pests under control in your new home.
- DIY is just not a good idea
Please listen to us on this one. If you have sugar ants in the kitchen, those little, discreet black traps are fine. When you start getting into more difficult pests like cockroaches, bed bugs, or rodents, you need a professional pest control company. The DIY products you find at the store can do more harm than good. Most times it doesn’t eliminate the pest – but will just drive it away into a more difficult hiding spot. You won’t know it didn’t do the job until you have a larger infestation than before – and larger infestations cost more to deal with. So, call a professional exterminator first, before things get out of hand.
- Different pests – not more
There are plenty of pests in the city. The suburbs are no different – but the pests themselves may be different than the ones you have become familiar with. Rats and cockroaches don’t care where you live. Wherever there is food, water, and shelter, you can find those pests. As you get into more rural areas, you are likely to find more mosquitoes, more spiders, and more ticks. Mosquitoes and ticks in particular can be nasty. Ticks embed themselves on a person or animal to feed and during that time can transfer diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Most people don’t know mosquitoes are the most dangerous animal in the world because they are capable of transmitting dangerous blood-borne diseases like West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, and pet heartworms. A professional pest control company can treat for both – while performing routine service to keep centipedes, beetles, and spiders at bay.
- Wood Destroying Insect Report (WDIR)
A Wood Destroying Insect Report (WDIR) inspects for wood-destroying insects like termites, carpenter bees, wood-boring beetles, and carpenter ants. It is in addition to a home inspection and is extremely important since, in the U.S., termites do more than $5 billion a year in property damage. Some mortgage companies and certain counties and states require one of these reports before closing on a home – you should require one too. Your realtor may have a recommendation for a reputable company, but you can also find a pest control company that can perform one for you.
- Pests love basements, attics, and crawlspaces
Most pests like a nice, warm area to make their home. They also like quiet and to be away from humans. The plethora of nest-making materials in your basement, attic, or crawlspace make any one of those a perfect home for mice, rats, squirrels, and flies. If pests do make their way into these spaces, you will want to have a professional pest control company come in to take care of them. Their urine and droppings can cause mold, rot, and decay, and if that gets into the air you breathe, it can exacerbate asthma and cause allergic reactions. So, have those areas inspected by a trained pest technician to catch infestations early. Even better, have routine pest control services done throughout the year to get ahead of them.
- Foliage is fun
The suburbs do have some nice foliage. The changing colors of the trees alone is like a new painting every day, and in the U.S., gardening is always in the top five list of hobbies. Keeping up with your lawn or a garden can be a lot of, but did you know there are health benefits to spending time outdoors? Fresh air has many positive effects including stress reduction. Outdoor activities like mowing your lawn and picking up fallen fruit from the trees can keep pests from infiltrating your home. Just remember that a branch leaning over your roof makes a nice little bridge for a squirrel to get to your house and possibly into the attic. Also, keep shrubs and plants at least two feet from your house. Pests like flowers and the closer your garden is to your house, the more likely those pests will see it as an invitation to come on in.
Not only will your home most likely be the most expensive investment you make, but it also keeps your most treasured items safe. Most notably, your family – that includes the pets, of course. Keep them safe from pests inside and around your home and keep your home safe from unwanted intruders, too.