How Do I Handle Pest Control in My Home?

The most effective pest control is making your home unappealing to pests in the first place. Pests need three things: food, water, and shelter. Remove the food by storing it sealed and cleaning crumbs promptly; remove the water by fixing leaks and eliminating standing moisture; and remove the shelter by sealing entry points and clearing clutter.

Seal gaps around doors, windows, and pipes, and repair screens. A mouse can squeeze through a surprisingly small gap, so the effort of sealing entry points is one of the highest-return pest measures there is.

Different pests call for different strategies, so identify the problem before treating it. Ants follow trails to food and often respond to bait. Roaches need sanitation plus targeted treatment. Mice and rats need exclusion plus traps. Termites, carpenter ants, and other wood-damaging pests need professional assessment because the damage they do is structural.

Over-the-counter sprays can scatter a colony or make the problem worse by driving pests deeper. Matching the treatment to the pest, and the severity to the right level of help, is the difference between solving and prolonging the problem.

Some pest problems are not DIY territory, and overusing chemicals can be worse than the pest itself. Misapplied pesticides can be a health risk to your family and pets, and can fail to solve the actual problem. Fumigation, wasp and hornet nests, and any wildlife removal are jobs for professionals.

If you treat yourself, follow the label exactly, use products intended for the pest and location, and keep children and pets away during treatment. When in doubt, a professional inspection is a modest cost that often saves money in the long run.

Call a professional when you have an infestation, structural damage, dangerous pests, or a problem that keeps returning. Termites, carpenter ants, bed bugs, and rodents in the walls all warrant professional treatment. A single sighting of a pest that causes structural damage is enough to justify a professional inspection.

Many pest control companies offer inspections and recurring service plans. A seasonal prevention program, paired with your own sealing and cleaning habits, keeps most homes pest-free year-round.