Moving into a new home can be exciting and make you do your best to keep its neatness and cleanliness. However, one might settle into a more slovenly lifestyle and more infrequent house upkeep as time passes. This can cause critter and vermin to move into your home. Having a lot of pests inside your house can be dangerous and create a higher risk of diseases for you and your family.
There’s no reason to be alarmed, however. Whether you live in Chesapeake, VA, or anywhere else, you can use professional pest control services to help prevent pests inside your home. Besides that, it is important to know their causes and remedies. Keep these details in mind.
Cockroaches
Almost everyone is familiar with the appalling sight of roaches. If they stay out of your sight, however, it can be hard to realize that you have a cockroach problem until you have an infestation. Some signs of cockroaches are getting bites that are larger compared to other insect bites and can cause extreme swelling. Also, there can be cockroach excretions, which are rectangular and cylindrical, around the nooks and crannies they frequent.
To exterminate cockroaches, squishing them as soon as you see them is not enough. They multiply pretty quickly, as they lay their eggs at a fast rate and in places you can’t see. To repel them, make a mixture of boric acid and sugar in equal parts. Keep your house clean, and reduce the places they can hide in. This means removing stacks of cardboard, newspaper, or paper supplies off the floor. Keep your house as clean as possible, and cover your food waste properly to avoid attracting them.
Fleas and Ticks
If you have pets in your home, they may bring in ticks and fleas. You can usually see them moving inside your pet’s fur. Sometimes you can catch them crawling on your floor if they were shaken off. Other signs of ticks can be their bites, which cause the skin to become red and have a black mark on the center. This mark is the tick’s mouthparts, which sometimes get buried in the skin after it bites.
It is vital to remove ticks and fleas when you see signs of them, as they carry diseases such as Lyme Disease. Prevent a tick infestation by fencing the area around your home to prevent deer, a tick’s usual source, from wandering in. Fleas, meanwhile, can be repelled with aromatic oils, such as lemon, citronella, and rosemary. Mix one of these oils with water in a spray bottle. Spray your pets with this blend every other day to keep fleas away.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are common in places with a lot of undisturbed water, as they need that kind environment to lay their eggs. You can usually recognize the beginnings of a mosquito infestation when you see them hovering around. Another sign can be their multiple bites, which are numerous, red, and especially itchy.
A couple of essential oils are effective in repelling mosquitoes. The most effective is lemon eucalyptus oil, but lavender, citronella, and peppermint also work well. Mix one of them with water in a spray bottle and spritz it on yourself to keep mosquitoes away. To keep them away from your home, treat your standing pools of water to remove any mosquitoes that live there. Make sure to keep your water covered properly to prevent them from coming back.
Rodents
Mice and rats are common critters found in households. They can sneak in through holes in your walls and live in between your wall spaces. If you have rats in your home, you can usually hear them scratching and squeaking inside your walls. Your food supplies, if not sealed properly, will have gnaw marks. There can also be a distinct odor of their urine and feces in corners.
To keep rats away, you should seal off all of their possible food sources. This makes them leave your home in search of more accessible food. To help the process of expelling them, you can mix up a solution of garlic, cayenne pepper, and horseradish and spray it on the areas they frequent. You can also get pets, such as cats and rat terriers, to reduce their population more quickly. Make sure to seal up any holes that you find in your walls and stop them from getting in your home again.
If confronted with the signs of an infestation, one can’t help but be alarmed. You should, however, stay calm, identify the causes, and prepare the appropriate solution. In keeping these in mind, you can be ready, no matter what pests come in your home.
