Pest Control – How to Prevent Pests From Entering Your Home

Pest Control O’fallon MO involves protecting the environment and human life from harmful pests. These pests cause a lot of damage to property and spread diseases like Plague, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis, Salmonella and more.

Pest control strategies include prevention, suppression and eradication. Thresholds are set based on economic, health and esthetic considerations.

Many people fail to realize that pests are drawn to dirty homes and businesses. Pests are looking for food, water, and shelter – all of which can be found in dirty environments. If you want to keep pests away from your home, then you must regularly clean your property. Whether it’s the kitchen, basement, or crawl spaces, your home must be free from dirt, crumbs, dust, and other debris that can attract pests. Keeping up with regular cleaning helps prevent pests, such as mice and cockroaches, from finding their way in.

To prevent pests from entering your house, you must seal off any cracks or holes. These entry points can be in the foundation, around windows and doors, or any other open space. Sealing these areas will make it more difficult for pests to gain access to your home and can help prevent the need for pest control services.

It is also important to take steps to avoid spills, leaks, and other moisture issues that can draw pests into your home. Leaking pipes can invite ants, roaches, and rats into your home. Spills should be cleaned immediately and leaking water should be fixed as soon as possible.

Lastly, you should keep pets and children away from your home for between 30 minutes to a few hours after pest control treatment. This will allow the pesticide to set in and work against the pests without interfering with your family or pets. After this time, your family and pets should be able to return home safely and you can resume regular cleaning tasks. However, it’s best to consult with the exterminator before deciding on the amount of time that you can wait before performing regular cleaning tasks.

Seal Off Entry Points

One of the best ways to prevent pest infestations is to seal off any entrance points that might attract rodents and other unwanted critters. This step can help reduce damage, health risks and ongoing pest control costs.

Rodents and insects like to enter homes and buildings through small cracks, crevices and holes. This is why it’s so important to take the time to inspect your property for potential entry points and proactively prevent these pests from finding their way in.

The most common entry point for mice and other rodents is the basement. You can keep these pests away by removing attractants such as food sources (store trash and recycle bins inside, secure lids), hiding spots (minimize woodpiles) and moisture (dehumidify).

Look for signs of rodent activity, such as droppings or greasy marks, in the walls and foundation of your home to identify any entry points. Once you’ve found any openings, you can seal them using caulk or a mastic-based product like Natural Green’s. For larger gaps, such as those found around pipes or cords that go through the wall, you can use steel wool or copper mesh to plug them. These products are gnawing-resistant and won’t allow rodents to chew their way through, making them more effective than traditional caulk.

You can also cover gaps between your home and the foundation with expanding foam or mortar to create a strong barrier. Lastly, make sure to trim shrubs and trees close to your home, as these can be used for nesting. This will prevent pests from entering your house or building through the vegetation and introducing harmful diseases or causing structural damage. Regularly performing these preventative measures will help reduce the need for pest control services, allowing you to enjoy your home or business without the worry of unwanted critters.

Trim Vegetation

Often, the biggest factor contributing to pests entering homes is overgrown shrubs, trees and other vegetation. This is because many pests use these plants as their conveyor belts to easily move from the outside of your home, through your yard and into your living space. This can be avoided by keeping grass, bushes and other vegetation trimmed.

It also helps to remove any weeds, and to clear up fallen leaves and debris. In addition, avoiding excessive moisture in your yard is important; rodents and other pests love damp areas, while mosquitoes thrive in stagnant water. Adding rock or gravel to your landscaping near the foundation of your home can prevent moisture from accumulating. This can also help discourage pests from accessing your home by making it difficult for them to crawl over the rocks. Similarly, fixing leaky exterior faucets and emptying fountains and bird baths can cut down on the amount of standing water in your yard.

Proper tree pruning, such as using ISA-approved guidelines, can help reduce risk and maintain the beauty of your landscape trees. Additionally, choosing tree species that naturally resist certain pests is one of the best ways to avoid disease problems.

Regular monitoring for pests is also important. For example, examining pine trees in winter for “pitch tubes” can help catch infestations of mountain pine beetles when they are small and easier to remove before they spread to other pines.

Don’t Leave Food Out

While it may seem obvious, this is one of the most important things you can do to prevent pest infestations. Food waste, spills and crumbs create an irresistible buffet for pests and can quickly attract them. In a restaurant setting, make sure staff wipe down tables and chairs after each use to prevent food crumbs from building up and becoming an invitation to pests.

In addition to food, rodents are often attracted to restaurants by the smell of garbage and rotting organic materials. Rodents are a significant health and safety concern, spreading diseases like salmonellosis, rat-bite fever and hantavirus and contaminating food by chewing through packaging and machinery. Stored product pests, which are insects and mites that can infest foods by breeding inside them and leaving behind eggs, larvae, exoskeletons or other body parts, also pose significant risks to the food industry by contaminating products and reducing their shelf life.

Regular trash removal is crucial for pest prevention, as well. The odors of discarded food and rotting organic material will attract pests, and a clogged drain can serve as an entrance point for flies. Make sure employees check and empty the trash daily, especially when it contains food waste.

Another important step to preventing pests is keeping food in airtight containers or in the refrigerator and freezer. This will help reduce the risk of pests infesting foods while they are in storage or transporting them to customers. Natural repellents, such as bay leaves or cinnamon, can be placed in food containers to deter pests because of their scent. In addition, caulking cracks and crevices around cabinets and baseboards can help keep pests from getting in.

Hire a Professional

Many homeowners shy away from professional pest control services due to cost or concerns over the use of chemicals. However, pest control is a worthwhile investment in the health and safety of family members. Pests are more than just a nuisance: they can cause costly damage that affects home value and create sanitary and environmental hazards.

Hiring a pest control company at the first sign of infestation can save time and money in the long run. Hiring a professional with experience in your specific problem ensures that the pests are eliminated completely and quickly. Trying to tackle pest problems on your own can lead to a longer lasting infestation and can also be hazardous for family members.

Professional pest control companies prioritize safety and offer warranties on their work, a level of service that many DIY strategies can’t match. They also provide tailored treatment plans that address a home’s unique needs and pest-specific characteristics, eliminating them at the source for long-term prevention.

Choosing the right pest control company begins with researching its credentials. Look for tenured legacies and a reputation built on customer satisfaction, and verify that their technicians are licensed to perform pest control treatments. They should be able to provide copies of their license and pesticide labels, as well as a description of the methods and rates used for each application.

In addition to treating current pest infestations, professional pest control services can also help prevent future ones by identifying and addressing conditions that attract them, such as water sources like puddles or overgrown vegetation. They can offer advice on sealing cracks, repairing screens, and landscaping to prevent pests from seeking shelter in the first place.