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PEST : SELF-HELP (PREVENTION)
Prevention is the key to most pest problems. Often there are several things that can be done by you, your staff, or your residents to help reduce the chances of infestation. These things also help if a problem has occurred. If you make your home, office, or unit inhospitable to the pest, it can only help the situation.
- Good Sanitation
- Organization
- Identification
- Seal up entry points
- Reduce Attractants
- Reduce Harborage
1. Good sanitation is important in reducing pest activity as it gets rid of leftover food residue, and other attractants for insects and mice. We have enclosed a list of things that you as residents can do to decrease the likelihood that insects/mice will infest your unit:
- Do not leave pet food out at night
- Do not leave water bowls for pets out at night
- If you must leave these out put masking tape around bottom to trap the insects
- Do not leave cookies, candies, etc. out at night
- Clean out the bottom of toasters, toaster ovens, etc.
- Clean window sills, ceiling lights of dead flies
- Clean out light traps
- Do not leave fruit such as bananas out at night
- Clean out condensation pan in refrigerator
- Put vegetables such as potatoes, onions in sealed containers
- Keep counters clean and free of crumbs
- Maintain good sanitation practices – keep kitchen area very clean – do not leave any food or dirty dishes lying on the counter to attract insects
Other control tips are:
- Check that taps are not dripping
- Check hot water tank for drips at the over-flow
- Clean bread boards, bread canisters, etc.
- Store chocolates, nuts, candies in sealed containers
- Clean grease from sides of stoves and ovens, from pots and pans, and from walls around the stove or cooking areas
- Clean baby bottles and nipples and store in baggies
- Clean out over-flows in wash basins and bathtubs
- Make sure cosmetics are capped
- Make sure fish and bird food (hamsters, reptiles, etc.) are sealed in containers
- Do not over-water house plants
- Do not let garbage pile up
Communication is another extremely important factor when preventing insect infestations. Regular monitoring is extremely important. If you notice any insect activity, contact your Resident Manager, or Business owner so that we can treat as needed. If you are the owner, it is important that once the issue is brought to your attention, that a treatment is carried out.
2. Organization is important in prevention, since it reduces the areas that pests can hide in your home. If you have your place organized you have a less likely chance of having insects living under or items that haven’t been organized. Clothing should be stored in proper places, not on the floor; otherwise insects like bedbugs can live in them. Also, general clutter allows for the insects to live and increase in population before they reach numbers that you notice them. Then you have a large infestation to deal with rather than catching it early and dealing with it then. This applies to the outside of the house as well, where it is important to reduce debris in the crawlspace, and keeping excessive plant cover near the house to a minimum. This can prevent mice and insects from getting settled in near the home in the brush, or in the crawlspace. If a home, business, or unit is too cluttered we would recommend de-cluttering and organizing as much as possible.
3. Identification is important as it allows you to know what you are dealing with. Most people see the odd insect inside their home, or workplace. It is important to know whether a treatment is necessary immediately (such as a bedbug or cockroach), or whether you should wait until you are seeing larger numbers. Check out our insect identification to find out what insect you’ve seen. If you can’t find it, you can always email us a good picture or bring in a sample to our office and we will gladly identify it for you.
4. Sealing of entry points is vital to the elimination of a mouse infestation, and can often help prevent certain insects from entering your home as well. Mice leave scent trails which other mice follow. If you get the current mice in your home or business treated, but don’t seal up the entry points you will get re-infested. If you don’t have mice and want to prevent them, taking a good look at your home, business, or apartment to find and properly seal possible entry points is a good idea. See below for some of the common areas which allow mice to gain access to buildings:
- Under open decks
-Openings at plumbing, gas or electrical lines
-Gaps at windows, doors, or garage doors
-Openings around heating vents/air ducts
-Vents not properly screened
-Cracks/Spaces along the foundation
-Garage door: replace the weather strip
-Improper seal at the threshold or fireplace
-Shower and tub fixtures uncaulked
-Bay doors
-Loading zones
5. Reducing attractants decreases the likelihood that a pest will come into your home or business. Attractants are items that the pest needs to live such as food and water. Good sanitation (see above) helps in this area. Below are a few attractants which we see quite commonly.
-Garbage cans uncovered
-Seed from bird feeders (this particularly attracts mice and squirrels to your home)
-Debris on roof/in gutter
-Debris in crawlspace/next to foundation
-Firewood next to foundation
-Sanitation/Cleanliness issues
-Trash containers open inside the house
-Pet food unsealed or left out overnight
-Cluttered areas throughout the house
-Unsealed recyclable storage practices
-Leaky plumbing fixtures
-Composts
6. Reducing harborage essentially removes the areas in which pests may like to live. These can include, but are not limited to:
a. Debris in the crawlspace/next to the foundation
b. Excessive plant cover near the house
c. Soil above the foundation line – touching wood (carpenter ants)
d. Debris on roof/in gutter
e. Standing water under or near house (mosquito breeding)
f. Cluttered areas throughout the house/garage
g. Moisture damaged wood (carpenter ants)
h. Untrimmed tree branches near the house
i. Stacked firewood next to the foundation
j. Covered decks
k. Rock gardens
l. Rail road ties in the garden
For additional help that we can provide for a business, property management, or office setting, please contact us. We can provide training and further information for large groups and would like to discuss this possibility with you.
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