In this two-part series, we reveal what our
team of expert pest controllers wished our customers knew about pests, what
they are, how to prevent them and how we deal with them.
#1 A tidy kitchen
is not enough to keep pests at bay
Pests are attracted to our homes for many
reasons, but the possibility of an almost-unlimited food supply is one of them.
And so, customers assume that by keeping their kitchen in great shape, pests –
mainly creepy crawly bugs and insects like cockroaches and fleas – are kept at
bay.
But good maintenance needs to be across the
home, not just in hot spots like the kitchen. Clean out gutters, remove bird’s
nests (contact our team before you do!), allowing rubbish and detritus accumulate
outdoors and so on, all wave a flag to pests saying, ‘come and live here!’.
#2 Some bugs just
can’t be prevented
We’ve written on them. We’ve dealt with
them. And the truth is this: no amount of preventative measures, from cleaning
to essential oils, will keep the bud bug from hitching a lift and making your
mattress its home. So here are our tips:
·
Think twice about buying second-hand
furniture – always check for pests including the
bed bug in upholstery and woodworm in the wood.
·
Unpack in the garage – been on hols?
Great, but unpack your suitcase in the garage and that way, any opportunist bed
bug will not make it into your home.
#3 Pest controllers
do a lot, but we can’t do it all by ourselves…
We do everything we can – and we have a
wide range of tools and methods – to rid your home of a pest. But we need your
help. It’s frustrating when we give a customer preventative advice that WILL
stop the problem from happening again, only to be called back days, weeks or
months to deal with the same problem. Again.
#4 … but, don’t try
to fix the problem yourself
From buying remedies that are expensive and
don’t work, to not using the substance in the right way, some of the steps you
take to get rid of a pest can make the problem worse. And that means it is
harder for us to deal with the problem.
In turn, this means we spend more time and
effort ridding your property of a pest which, if you had called us sooner and
not tried to get rid of it yourself, would have been a quicker and cheaper pest
control assignment.
#5 No sightings of
pests does not mean they are not there…
Winter, for example, is the time that some
pests decide that they too want to live in a warm, cosy environment, safe from
hungry predators and chilly winter weather. Mice, rats, squirrels, spiders,
bugs of all kinds all make their way to the warmth of our home.
But just because you don’t see them,
doesn’t mean they are not there. You need to be vigilant all year round for
pests and this means sealing holes or crevices in walls, and other tactics for
keeping pests at bay.
