Normally, a pest is simply an unwanted creature that causes some nuisance. This can sometimes cause great distress if the unwanted intruder is ignored or allowed to go about their business unchecked. Small, wild animals that run on all fours, and winged or crawling creatures with more legs than are normally included in this category.
Cutting off your food supply
Waking up from their hibernation in cold weather or returning from their ‘winter homes’, the pest population tends to increase dramatically as warm weather approaches and the days get longer. This is also usually breeding season, so appetites are voracious. If you don’t want pests to invade your home, don’t leave food around to attract them. Inside your home, make sure that your counters and tables are always clean and that food left out of the refrigerator is always well covered. Limit food to as few areas of the house as possible. Ants and cockroaches are particularly adept at finding any leftover food scraps.
Outside of your home, make sure trash can lids are tightly closed. Place them as close as possible to pick them up and bring them back as soon as the garbage truck has passed. Be sure to clean them often. Accustoming small outdoor animals, like squirrels and raccoons, to a clean yard will discourage future food forays near your home.
Covers any entry point
If you are cutting off their food supply, you must also deny them shelter. Leave small, self-enclosed traps for ants and cockroaches not only in the kitchen but also in the bathrooms, as well as in the dark corners of the closets. Replace them as often as the instructions indicate. Outside your home, cover any openings that small animals can access to gain entry. Chimney caps and attic vents are examples.
Trim tree limbs at least five feet from your home and clear gutters of all debris. Small animals can use the leaves and small twigs they collect for their nests and then it will only be a matter of time before they find their way home.
To learn to live together
Just because you have a pest-free home doesn’t mean you’ll never venture outdoors, especially on a nice sunny day. When you go outdoors, remember that you are venturing into ‘their’ territory. Protect yourself. Wear appropriate clothing for walking in the woods during tick season. Douse yourself with an effective insect repellent to ward off mosquitoes and other winged creatures when you spend most of the day outdoors.
Taking these common sense precautions goes a long way in allowing you to enjoy the warm weather as much as pests do.