Don’t Let Your Holiday Guests Be Pests

As fall dwindles behind us and winter comes into season, many people will begin making travel plans for the holidays. That means plenty of people will get their homes ready to have guests. Yet the reality is that we don’t always have human visitors in our homes during the wintertime. Pests can also come to join us for the holiday season.

Nobody wants to walk into their home can see insects like crickets, spiders, bedbugs, termites, ants, or cockroaches. This can be disturbing for company and extremely embarrassing for a homeowner. Keep in mind to that when bugs can get into someone's home other visitors might join them. That could means rodents like mice, rats, or even bats. Sometimes a snake will even slither into a person’s house. Clearly these are not the kind of guests that we want to be hosting for the holidays.

When a homeowner is faced with a pest control problem, it’s best to start with the basics. First of all clean your home and eliminate the reasons the pests are there in the first place. Usually it’s food related so take out all of the garbage, sweep, mop, and then secure all food in the refrigerator or in cabinets. Wash your bed sheets or replace your mattress if it is over eight years old to help eliminate bedbugs. This will go a long way to removing pests.

Next follow up by pest proofing your home. Check to make sure that doors and windows close securely or fix them if they do not. Use window screens to keep insects from getting in or replace window screen that have holes. Finally make sure there is nothing in the basement along the foundation that allows for entry.

Cleaning and proper maintenance will go a long way to helping to prevent pest infestations. But it’s often impossible to prevent all pests and bugs from entering homes, especially older homes. Many do-it-yourself remedies exist that allow the homeowner to take care of basic pest control on their own. Mousetraps, baits and various solutions are available at grocery stores, big box retailers and hardware stores.

However, it’s sometimes important to hire a professional pest control applicator to help solve the problem. They will be able to determine things such as the cause of an infestation and work out solutions that will eliminate pests in your home. In some situations pest such as ants or termites might have a colony that will need to be dealt with in order to completely remove such pests. Other pests like bedbugs might live inside of your mattress or other furniture. The nice part about using a professional is that they will be able to eliminate such pests and make your home presentable for the holiday season.

Safety is another reason to contact a pest control professional. Many off-the-shelf treatments available to consumers include strong toxins that can cause serious health issues. For example, termite and bedbug treatments can require use of hazardous chemicals. Pest control professionals can also best identify pests and develop targeted treatment plans tailored to that individual pest.