9 Common Mistakes that Attract Pests to Your Home

Pests are awful for every home owner. Those creepy crawlies start creating colonies as soon as they appear in your home, and you aren’t likely going to get rid of them that easily. We usually realize there are pests in our homes when it’s too late, and in most times we need to call pest control specialists or whatever. But it’s much more convenient to keep these insects and other unwanted animals out of your house rather than trying to get rid of them when they are already in. It’s highly unlikely that pests could just appear in your house by chance. Usually home owners make some common mistakes and attract the creatures to their houses. Let’s review the most common mistakes and learn how we can keep pests away.

1. Old trash – say hello to cockroaches Black beetle is said to be the most common pest all over the world. It’s attracted to any place where it can find some food and create a colony. They can smell the odor emanating from old trash from kilometers away and they will surely find a way of getting into your house. So, make sure you clean your trash bins regularly, and also create an optimal way of collecting and disposing of garbage. Disposing of your litter in a big bin on the backyard is not a good idea. Pests that will surely appear there might easily sneak into your house.

2. Birdfeeders aren’t that safe You should also pay attention to the placement of birdfeeders and birdbaths. People sometimes place them close to their windows in order to watch the birds easily and maybe to take pictures of them. Unfortunately, you’ll also be creating a leeway for insects to come into your house. Birdfeeders should be placed not nearer than 10 meters from your house. Make sure there is no food spoilage there, because that can attract bugs from all over the surrounding area. Also avoid placing birdfeeders on the branches of garden fruit trees. It may be harmful for a tree to bear all those pests.

3. Stagnant water – a great place for insects During the warmer seasons of the year, it’s not recommended to leave water stagnant for more than 3-4 days. Numerous life species can start breeding there, including mosquitoes, flies and even roaches. Pay attention also to dog bowls, baths and buckets outside your house, and even puddles on your yard. They can be a major factor for attracting pests. It’s easy to prevent such kind of breeding for these insects. Just dump everything after gardening and keep an eye on places where water can possibly lie stagnant.

4. Bad roof cleaning – do it right from now on Gutters are one usual place that can house pests. They always hold moisture, so during summer, cockroaches and other insects can easily make gutters their home. But where will they go to get some food? It’s obvious that they will gradually populate your house creating stable colonies. It is important you clean gutters every year. Gutters that are clogged with old tree leaves might also be the source of earthworms climbing up to the roof of your house. It’s awful to watch and even realize that such things do exist in your own house. Therefore, always pay close attention to the cleanness of your roof.

5. Dirty grill equipment in your garage Are you a grill fan? Then you probably have special grill equipment always ready for use. However, not many people like cleaning that equipment after eating tasty BBQ dishes. As a result, grill equipment are a great place for cockroaches and other insects to create colonies. Bits of meat fat fall onto the metal parts of a grill. After sometime, it becomes impossible to clean them out and insects will be attracted by the sweet smell from afar. For sure, they will want to know what kind of refreshments you left for them in your garage. And it won’t take them long before they find their way into your house afterwards.

6. Entrance mat – change it every year We all know that roaches and ants have the so called exoskeletons. It means that you actually can’t squeeze them to death that easily. These creatures find the narrowest of places and can easily come into the house through tiny holes. We are also aware that they have tracks which they follow all the time. Your entrance mat is the main thing to change if you are having trouble with pests. Under the old mats, insects make their homes, find or create routes to go into your house, and organize their graveyards, too. It could possibly be an awful sight if you took up your mat and had a look at the underside. Experts recommend changing the mat once per year, especially during spring.

7. Rotten fruits at home You better eat your fruits before they become overripe. If you notice that the fruits will probably not be eaten, just get rid of them. However, don’t put that brown banana into the rubbish bin as it will be somehow impossible to prevent fruit flies from coming down for the “prey”. These little nasty creatures come down chimneys or through small cracks and gaps. You will never prevent them from getting to the old banana or rotten apple. If you don’t have the means to dispose of rotten food right away, just put them into a plastic bag and tie it up as hard as you can.

8. Buying second-hand furniture Sofas and armchairs are the most common habitual areas for nearly all known house pests. You will find them in most second-hand furniture being sold on many websites. If you decided to save up some money by purchasing a used sofa, call for cleaning services and have a special type of pesticide applied or sprayed on it. Actually, it’s better to avoid purchasing any used furniture. And it’s not only about avoiding the big pests like ants and cockroaches. There are also billions of other microorganisms in used furniture, which can be detrimental to your health and possibly ruin the cleanness of your house.

9. Reluctance to repair crack and leaks Damages to your house’s flooring and siding can be yet another explanation as to how pests come into your house. Just a little crack on the wall would be a good home for a colony of ants. As soon as they get there, they will use the heat insulation to organize their permanent housing. There are plenty of insect species which can live in such conditions. Furthermore, where will they get their food from? It’s obvious – they all will go to your house and cause you a lot of troubles. So, make sure you avoid such trouble by having any cracks, leaks and holes in the walls and roof repaired.

Source: http://wojournals.com/10-common-mistakes-that-attract-pests-to-your-home.html