Pests like mice, ants, and bees can cause property damage and pose a health risk. Preventative measures include regularly cleaning and storing food properly and sealing entry points to the home.
Pest control strategies include prevention, suppression, and eradication. Natural forces affect all organisms, including pests, causing their populations to rise and fall.
A cluttered workspace isn’t just stressful; it also provides ideal shelter and breeding areas for pests. Cockroaches, rodents, ants, and silverfish all love the shady hiding spots that clutter offers. Paper, a common material for storage and art, is a delicious food source for booklice and cockroaches.
Poor waste management also poses a serious risk to pests. Piles of discarded garbage create feeding and nesting sites for rodents, while the standing water from contaminated trash bins can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Proper disposal of discarded items and regularly removing trash can eliminate these potential breeding areas, significantly reducing the incidence of pest infestations.
De-cluttering a space makes it easier to see any signs of pests and take action quickly. In addition, removing clutter allows technicians to access the spaces behind baseboards, in corners, and inside cupboards where pests hide.
A good rule of thumb is to throw things away as soon as they’re no longer useful, or at least make it a daily habit to do a quick walk-through and clean up any materials that aren’t being used. A weekly trash pick-up will keep piles of unused paper and other materials from building up, which helps reduce rat and pest populations.
Clutter also blocks the effectiveness of pest control treatments, as it conceals baits and other materials used in control measures. In addition, cluttered spaces can trap moisture that can lead to mold, which is both a health hazard and an attractant for certain pests.
Custodians should also ensure that closets and other storage areas aren’t serving as reservoirs for cans of illicit pesticide sprays. These should be emptied and stored in sealed containers. Lastly, teachers and students should be encouraged to use school-approved pesticide sprays that are ready-to-use. This reduces the amount of pesticide used, which in turn minimizes exposure risks and environmental impacts. If the use of pesticides is unavoidable, only certified technicians should apply them. They should also read and follow the label’s instructions and safety warnings.
Light Bulbs
For decades pest control professionals have been advising people to change their exterior light bulbs from white incandescent and fluorescent (and sometimes mercury vapor) to yellow ones in order to lessen the attraction of night-flying insects to these lights. When LED bulbs were developed that were similar in color to sunlight, this advice was updated with the recommendation to use these instead.
In general, flies see 3 colors of light: Ultraviolet (UV), blue, and green. Bright white and bluish light (mercury vapor, white incandescent, or white florescent) are very attractive to them while yellow or “warm” LED’s are far less attractive. Some flies are attracted to red bulbs but these provide little visible light for humans and have an undesirable social stigma that dates back decades.
The amount of UV emitted by the light bulb also impacts how attractive it is to certain insects. Using bulbs with high levels of UVC is an effective way to kill insects that threaten farmers crops but it is not recommended in homes or apartments due to the risk of harming occupants. The UVC rays can penetrate human skin and cause serious eye damage.
Choosing the right light bulb for each fixture in your home is important, not only for the overall brightness but for the type of light it emits and the energy efficiency. For more information check out our ENERGY STAR Light Bulb Purchasing Guide.
It is also important to note that not all bulbs are created equal, some produce more heat than others and this can affect the environment they are used in. Especially in kitchens and bathrooms, a light fixture with a fan is essential to help keep the area cool.
Changing your light bulbs may require an initial investment but it is one that will bring long term benefits including reduced maintenance costs, a longer lifespan for your fixtures, and decreased pest attractiveness. If you are not sure what to purchase, consult your pest management provider who will be able to suggest the best option for your specific circumstances. It is also worth noting that there are specialized light bulbs meant to reduce insect attraction which are an easy addition for your porch or other outdoor lights.
Seal Entry Points
While you may think your home is a fortress against rodents, pests, insects, arachnids, and other critters, you’ll be surprised to find how many ways they can sneak inside. Whether it’s a crack in the foundation, a gap in a door or window, or a hole in your roof, there are always entry points that allow wildlife to find their way inside.
Sealing these points is a critical step in pest control and a necessary part of proactive homeowner maintenance. It also helps reduce energy bills and improves comfort and safety. The process involves a detailed inspection of the property and the use of appropriate materials to close off access points. It also requires frequent inspections and maintenance in order to ensure that these barriers remain effective.
Insects, rodents, and other critters can enter your home through small gaps and cracks, and they’ll take advantage of any opportunities they can find. Inspect the outside of your home for signs of pests, such as gnaw marks, urine stains, or mouse droppings. You should also examine attics, basements, and garages for potential entrance points.
If you see any signs of infestation, it’s important to take steps to close the entry points immediately. Small holes can be stuffed with steel wool, which offers an abrasive and chew-proof barrier that prevents rodents from entering through the hole. If you notice a crack in your foundation, you can patch it with concrete or caulking, and make sure that your doors and windows close tightly and have good weather stripping. You should also consider adding screens to vent openings and utility entrances.
If you can’t find the source of an infestation, you may need to contact a professional for wildlife control services. A good pest control company should always inspect a property and attempt to identify animal entry points. It’s a lot easier to trap and poison rats when they haven’t been given an opportunity to chew around the drywall inside your house. If a pest control company puts out traps but doesn’t address animal entry points, they’re either lazy or cheap.
Store Food Properly
Pests can spoil food and damage containers, equipment and property. They can also spread diseases that threaten human health. The best way to avoid these problems is to store foods correctly in locations that aren’t easily accessible to pests.
For example, food should be stored in cool, dark and dry areas. This is because pests are attracted to warm, wet environments. Additionally, it is important to rotate items so that older products are used first and the freshest ones are brought in later.
Additionally, it is important to use sealed containers for storage. This helps to keep odors from escaping, which is an attractant for some pests. Finally, it is important to clean surfaces often and to check for signs of pests regularly. For example, gnaw marks or holes in the containers could indicate that they are infested. It is important to throw away contaminated items and thoroughly wash cupboards and surfaces.
Food producers should develop a master sanitation schedule, adhere to it and assign an associate to be accountable for this. They should also have a process for reporting and acting on sanitation and structural findings, explains Waggoner. In addition, they should monitor their facilities and ensure that all employees follow pest control practices.
These prevention methods may differ for each facility based on the type of food produced, the production processes and age of the facilities, and pressure from the exterior environment among other factors. However, most best practices are similar.
For instance, it is important to remove personal items from the area to be treated before applying an aerosol spray and to wear the proper protective clothing suggested by the manufacturer. In addition, the area should be free of children and pets so that they don’t get sprayed by accident. It is also important to cover or remove fish tanks and bird cages before spraying, and to close windows while the pesticide is taking effect so that it doesn’t spread to these items.
Some natural forces affect all organisms and influence their populations, including climate, the presence of natural enemies, the availability of food and water supplies and the shelter available to them. These forces can help or hinder pest control, so it’s important to understand and take into consideration.
