Keeping insects from entering your home is key to preventing an infestation and from avoiding the occasional pest scare. Pest control companies spend millions of dollar training their employees on what took look for and where to look. Some spend years developing their skill and take countless courses and tests to make sure they are performing at the highest caliber possible. Non chemical pest control is two fold and thus should be handled in two steps.
The key to eliminating pests from your home is to remember that pests are like humans and need three key items in order to survive. Food, shelter (harborage) and water. Once you eliminate theses key items from the pest life cycle the pest will die or relocate in order to find these items.
Step one, Exclusion or keeping pests from entering your home, is the single hardest and effective way of reducing and eliminating pest populations in your home. Start on the exterior and look for food and water sources, even the smallest drip from and outside faucet can lead to an infestation. Your key weapon in fighting pests from the outside of your home is caulk. Simple, cheap and easy to use caulk is the most recommended item in the industry. Walk around the exterior of your home and look for small holes and or cracks around windows and doors. Seal off wall outlets and faucets with the caulk and pay close attention to cable lines and air conditioning piping. If your area in known for mice and rats simply stuff the holes with steel wool before caulking. Check door sweeps and thresholds for cracks and holes at all entry points including the garage. Check your soffit vents to your attic and make sure they are screened. Your local hardware store will have recommendations for what size screen to use based upon insects in your area. Check roof vents and drain pipes for entryways. Screens in these areas are sometimes very helpful. Spend some time and walk the perimeter slowly. If you are unsure of and entry point seal it. Remember that some pests can travel through an opening the size of a pin head so attention to details is very important. If your home is older or too large to focus time and energy on locating entry points concentrate on the doors, windows and water sources.
The second step in a successful pest free home is to eliminate the three key items a pest needs, food, shelter, and water. Begin your inspection in the front entry and check the door sweep and frame with the door closed. If you can see the light outside insects and rodents can usually come in. Seal these areas using weather stripping and caulk, focus on the kick plate under the door and make sure all sides are sealed. When moving to the next area pick a wall and follow it directly around the home. Stop at all areas where there are windows, cable lines and phone lines. Seal all areas with caulk and make sure they are air tight.
Special attention is needed in all areas of the home that have a source of water. Sinks, toilets, water heaters, air conditioning , dishwashers, and washing machines all have water pipes running to them. Check the area where the pipe meets the wall and make sure it is sealed off completely. Do not be fooled with cosmetic covers where construction companies place a metal cover over wall holes where pipes are present. Pull these covers back and make sure these pipes penetrations are sealed. Check under cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms and leave no pipe unsealed. While in the bathroom make sure the seal on the bottom of the toilet (where the toilet meets the ground) is sealed. Check shower heads by once again pulling back the metal rings from the wall.
One final non chemical treatment is the use of sticky traps and or glue boards. Use of these items is great for keeping an eye out in areas where you can not see pests or with pests who are nocturnal. When choosing a glue board look for items that use a pheromone to attract pests and place them in areas of your home that provide shelter, food, and water. Under kitchen and bathroom sinks, behind toilets, in the laundry room, and by the water heater are great areas to hide and great for sticky traps.
Following these instructions is not as easy as it seems and will take some time to permanently exclude pests from your home. Do it one room at a time and pay close attention to the small things and you will eliminate your household bug problems.
