Effective Pest Control Starts In Determining Their Hideouts

Most experts will agree that the key to effective pest control is early detection. Whether or not you know what kind of pest you are dealing with, what’s important is that you find out where they are hiding inside your house, how they were able to get inside, and which areas of your house they most frequently visit.

The most difficult pests to look for are wood-destroying insects, particularly termites. You won’t know you cohabitate with them until you notice your foundations are getting weaker or until your floorboards start creaking. What’s worse is that these insects are the best at hiding and they generate the worst and most expensive damage to your properties and the entire house as well. In fact, it often takes 3-8 years before you see signs of termite infestation, at which point, your house has already taken a lot of damage.

To help you easily find where these common wood-destroying insects hide, consider these pest control tips.

Termites

One of the most common causes of pest control is termites. To find where they are hiding, you need to look for signs of infestation by tapping your wooden walls, foundations, door frames, floorboards, etc. Use the handle of a screwdriver to tap on your walls and floorboards. If you hear a hollow sound, you have an infestation in that area. You can also consider poking the screwdriver in your walls. If it goes in easily, that area is most likely hollowed inside because of termite infestation.

Another tip-off that would tell you have termites at home is when you see discarded wings near your windows and doors primarily during spring as this is their mating season. This is when termites go out to mate and start new colonies. When they find their mates they shed their wings and go underground.

Other pests

Aside from termites, there are other pests that require you to call professional pest control assistance. Before you bring them in, know what you’ll be dealing with. Here are some tips to help you find where common house pests are hiding.

Carpenter ants – These insects leave piles of mixed wood shavings and fecal matter as evidence of their presence in your house. They love to hide in damp and decayed wood and often make a nest out of it.

Powderpost beetles – This type of beetle usually comes out during the months of May through August. During these times, be on the lookout for small holes the size of a pinhead on the wood parts of your house. Powdery wood shavings near the wood are also sure signs that your house is infested with powderpost beetles.

Effective Pest Control For A Pest-Free Home

Pest control is not only about preventing pests from inhabiting your home or driving them away from your home. It should be a continuous effort to ensure your home is always pest-free.

Some homeowners may think that this involves a lot of work and may not be able to commit to it because of their busy schedules. They may find it difficult to find time to do these necessary tasks to ensure their house is maintained and pest-free. Fortunately, there are some simple and easy things that you can do to always keep the pests outside your home.

Follow these easy and simple pest control tips.

Keep the house shiny and clean.

Make sure you immediately clean crumbs and food spills as soon as they happen. Do not let these types of messes sit for several hours or even overnight or you risk the pests smelling them and being able to track the spilled food. They will then start to think of the area as a food source and will keep on going back to it until they decide to stay in that area.

It is also important to keep all unfinished food stored in tightly sealed containers. These also include your pet’s food. Make sure no food odor can escape from the containers so the pests cannot smell them.

Also, do not store firewood or any type of wood near your home. Rodents, cockroaches, spiders, and other types of pests can hide and take up residence in the wood. Having these pests live near your home is a risk because you are allowing them to be near your home and your food.

Conduct careful inspection.

Every time you bring in a package that you bought from the store or take out any items from the pantry do a careful inspection. What you need to keep an eye out for are pest droppings or chewed packaging. Look out for any signs of pest activity before using the contents of the package as you may bring out the pest inside your home where it will have more hiding places, making it more difficult for you to catch it.

Call in professional pest control to conduct an overall inspection of your home.

Don’t just opt for termite inspection. Go for the overall pest inspection. Hire a service pest control Myrtle Beach company that has expertise with all types of pests that may inhabit your home. You can opt for an annual or bi-annual inspection depending on your budget and where you live.

Tightly seal cracks and possible entrances around your home.

Walk around your house and look for potential passages of entry that rodents and other pests can use. Seal all these openings and ensure nothing can go past it. Conduct regular walks around the house to ensure the passages are not reopened. Also, look at the caulks and seals of your doors and windows and ensure they are tightly closed.

Conduct preventive measures for best results.

Instead of only having professional assistance conduct regular annual inspections on your home and calling them over only when you notice pests lurking throughout your home, have them visit your home to perform preventive measures. Although you can also seek professional advice and assistance from them by phone, it won’t be the same as having them perform the preventive tasks with you watching so you’ll know what to do the next time.