Top 8 DIY Pest Control Techniques

Having some pests in properties from time to time is pretty common. Even if you keep your house sparkling clean, you can still experience running into pests such as ants, roaches, flies, spiders, and others.

Fortunately, there are DIY techniques to eliminate or deter these pests from your home. You can do these simple approach to pest control should you want to address the situation yourself. It is way better than ignoring the situation. If you choose to turn a blind eye to a simple pest sighting, it can turn into a pest infestation after just a few weeks.

Local exterminator from Pro Pest Control Gold Coast, sat down and penned the top 8 DIY tips for homeowners.

1. Keep your Home Clean

A home that is kept clean and orderly makes it inviting and relaxing for the people living in it. However, it has the opposite effect on pests. Ensure that all rooms, especially the bathroom and kitchen, are free from trash, any water or moisture, and exposed food that will attract pests. After that, arrange your belongings and avoid clutter so that insects and rodents will not find a space in your room that they can hide into.

2. Drain Away Stagnant Water

Stagnant water attracts pests such as cockroaches, termites, carpenter ants, and mosquitoes. Mosquitoes breed in and around stagnant water and they carry serious, health-threatening diseases that can even be fatal for some. For instance, the diseases that mosquitoes in Australia bring to human include the Dengue virus, Barmah Forest virus, Murray Valley encephalitis virus, and Ross River virus.

3. Take Out the Trash

Pests like cockroaches, ants, and rodents don’t always search their food from your pantry, fridge, or table. They also see your garbage cans as a place where they can get their food. This is why it is important to keep your garbage cans covered. In addition, it is important to always take out the trash so that they it will not accumulate inside your home and will not serve as an invitation for pests.

4. Seal Cracks and Openings

Insects are very small species and it is very easy for them to enter your home through any opening, no matter how small it is. Therefore, it is important to seal all cracks, crevices, and holes with caulk or cement.

5. Use Natural Ingredients against Pests

There are a lot of easy-to-make natural solutions that you can use to exterminate pests or prevent them from coming back should they have found a way into your home. Here are some examples of natural ingredients that are proven to work effectively against unwanted insects and rodents:

• garlic
• mint
• lemon
• cayenne pepper
• neem oil
• essential oils
• coffee grounds
• vinegar
• basil
• citrus
• salt
• cinnamon oil
• tobacco leaves
• lavender

6. Maintain Your Garden

 Insects can invade your garden if you don’t maintain it.  Firstly, keep the grass cut short and use rocks instead of mulch on your landscaping to make it less inviting for pests to stay in your yard. Also, eliminate all weeds, dead leaves, fallen branches, weeds, and others that can serve as food for some insects. Lastly, inspect your plants and prune them often to avoid bushy growths that can attract many pests such as rats, ants and mosquitoes.

7.  Add or Repair Window Screens

It’s nice to keep the windows and doors open to let air in and out of our home or room. However, if you don’t have screen yet on your windows or aluminum doors, it would be good to have it installed. This is because screen doors are effective in keeping flies, mosquitoes, and other flying insects from entering your home while we have our windows and wooden doors wide open.

Meanwhile, if your screens are broken, it is advisable to have them repaired or replaced. Keeping them broken for a long time will not be an opportunity not just for the flying insects to get inside your house. It will be like a welcome sign for slightly bigger insects to enter as well.

8. Inspect your Pets

Your furry pets can unknowingly bring pests from the outside of your home to the inside. That is to say, it is important to inspect them regularly for any signs of flea or tick infestation. Moreover, always ensure that their food and water bowls are clean so as not to attract small insects.

In conclusion, you do not need to break your bank account to do a little pest management in your home. The tips above are some of the easiest and least expensive techniques you can personally do to prevent pests and have a comfortable stay in your home. It is important to remember that it is always better to take precautionary measures against these pests rather than addressing an existing pest problem.