Top Tips To Keep Kids Safe When Dealing With Pests At Home

Humans create nice houses to live in. These offer protection against the elements, a place to unwind and feel secure, and even somewhere to eat, drink, and wash. They are generally seen as an essential part of society, giving you the security and comfort of somewhere to call your own.

So, the last thing you want to be doing is sharing it with any type of pests. There are plenty that will find the warmth of your home inviting. Rats, mice, termites, and even flies all think you have created them the perfect habitat. But, the reality is that these pests can damage your house and many carry diseases. In short, if you notice any pests at home you should be contacting your local pest control company to get them eliminated.

In fact, there are two stages to dealing with pests at home:

• Prevention
• Extermination

Preventative Measures

If you click here you will be able to connect with a pest control specialist and arrange for them to inspect your home. Although most people only contact pest control when they know they have an issue, they can be very useful at the preventative stage.

This is because pest control experts are trained to spot pests and their access points. An expert will be able to verify whether you have an existing issue or not. They will also help you to identify the best ways to keep the pests out:

Sealing It Up

If you walk around the outside of your home you are almost certain to find the odd crack or small hole. You may think nothing of it but these represent entry points for a wide variety of pests. The first thing you need to do is seal these gaps and holes, blocking pest access.

Pay particular attention around doors and windows, this is where most cracks appear.

Edging

Termites are a major issue if they get into your home. It is surprising how quickly they can eat the wood and cause structural issues. Termites generally get into your home by digging through the soil next to the house walls. This gives them access to the foundations. You will see small holes in the soil if you have termites.

Of course, you can make this much harder for them by simply concreting around the house. Ideally do 6-12 inches of concrete to reduce the risk of the termites getting in.

Cleanliness

Pests need food and water, just as humans do. You can reduce the likelihood of them coming into your home if you always wash the sides down and the dishes as soon as you have finished with them. Alongside this, any food packets that are opened need to be placed inside a sealed plastic or metal container.

Although some creatures can gnaw through plastic, by putting your food inside containers they will not be able to smell it and will therefore be much less likely to try to eat it, or even stay in your home.

Damp

Pest don’t just need food to survive, they also need water. You need to eliminate sources of water from around your home and pay particular attention to the water meter to check whether you have a leak. All you have to do is take a meter reading and wait a couple of hours without using any water. If the reading has changed you have a leak.

This moisture will attract pests, you will need to eliminate it as quickly as possible.

Extermination

It is best to contact the professionals and have them deal with the pests for you. They have the expertise and equipment to eradicate them quickly and efficiently. However, you will need to talk to them about their techniques. Pesticides are very effective but they are potentially harmful to humans as well.

The obvious answer is to get your family out of the house for a couple of days and let the experts do their thing. You will need to consider what items are left on display that may get pesticides on them.

If you feel like tackling the issue yourself there are several options open to you.

Traps

All pests can be trapped. Flies are generally attracted to sticky traps, such as flypaper or the electric fly killers that emit blue light. Rats and mice can often be caught in standard rodent traps, with a little piece of bait to ensure they are enticed.

In fact, you can also set traps for termites and other pests. Bait traps literally leave bait somewhere the pest will find it. The bait is poisoned and kills the pest. It should be noted this is particularly effective when dealing with a colony, such as termites. Specific termites source food and test it. When it proves to be okay they return to the trap and take more, this is for the colony.

By putting good food down first, followed by poisoned bait, you can effectively destroy a termite colony.

Soap

Pest can be picked up anywhere, even when your kids are playing in the garden. To help prevent the entry of pests into your home you should teach your children to use soap properly when they wash. They should wash after they have finished playing. If you are out they can even use anti-bacterial hand sanitizers, helping to eliminate the disease from pests getting into their systems.

Food

Pesticides are commonly used in foods because farmers are struggling against pests and need to ensure they don’t destroy entire crops. However, this does mean you and your children could be consuming pesticides.

Unfortunately, there is not yet enough research to confirm the long-term effects of consuming these different pesticides. The best way to keep your kids safe at the moment is to encourage them to eat organic food. These are non-processed foods that shouldn’t contain any pesticides.

The Experts

While there is plenty you can do yourself to prevent and eliminate pests in your home. It is always worth giving the experts a call. They are highly trained and ready to help you!