Keeping Your Home Safe, Secure and Away From Unwanted Visitors

Dealing with a pest invasion is never a pleasant experience. Whether it’s buzzing flies, irritating bedbugs, scuttling cockroaches or pesky mice, these nuisances can also bring with them illnesses. Wherever you live your home could be at risk of attracting one of these unwanted visitors, but there are steps you can take to prevent an infestation.

Keep Food and Drink Sealed

It’s a known fact that ants are attracted to sweet foodstuffs such as sugar, honey, jam and sweet drinks but other pests may come into your home seeking out food as well. Rodents are particularly fond of searching out anything edible that they can munch on, especially cereal products. Mice are sporadic feeders, enjoying nibbling at many sources of food rather than taking many meals from one item. Store your food safely away but be aware that rodents also like to chew through food packaging and plastic containers to get at their meals.

If you suspect a rodent infestation, an effective way to deal with them is by putting out rat or mice traps. These come in a range of options from classic snap traps to electronic traps. Ultrasonic repellents are also a good option to prevent mice or rats from making a home in your residence in the first place.

Cover Bins and Waste

Maintaining good hygiene will keep away many pests, including flies. Keep food covered and ensure dustbins have tight-fitting lids. It’s a good idea to spray bins with a household insecticide in warm weather. Keeping bins and compost heaps concealed will help keep away rodents and plenty of other pests.

Food residue is a primary attractant for cockroaches, so covering and emptying bins regularly will help prevent them from find food. These critters like areas such as the top or beneath your refrigerator as they are warm and a place for food to collect – be sure to keep these areas clean.

Secure Windows and Doors

Be sure to seal gaps around doors, windows and places where utility lines enter to help prevent pests from getting into your home. Repair any leaks beneath the sink and on the sink top to prevent cockroaches. They can live for several months without food but will not live for more than a few days without water, so cutting off access to an easy water supply is important. In the summer, flies can be a problem, as we tend to open our windows and doors to cope with the heat so consider putting up fly screens to create a barrier.

Remove Nesting Sites

Keep gardens and yards clean and tidy by cutting back overgrown areas and clearing away any debris or piles of wood to prevent rodents nesting. Ensure that drain covers are kept in a good state of repair and check that gaps around pipes and under sheds are sealed. Rats can get through a gap of 15mm and mice need just 5mm, so there are many places to take into consideration. Without places to nest and hide, rodents will not feel safe, and therefore, are not likely to take up residence.

Inspect Furniture

If taking in second-hand furniture, always check for signs of woodworm and particularly bedbugs, especially in the case of bedroom furniture. Woodworm is a beetle that likes to bore into wood and signs of a problem can be spotted by the holes they leave behind.

Bedbugs are visible to the naked eye and are oval-shaped and up to 5mm long, either dark yellow, red or brown in colour. These pests can be really hard to deal with once they have made it inside, but checking furniture before you bring it home could help to prevent you inviting them inside in the first place.