10 Common Mistakes You Might Be Making That Attract Pests To Your Home

By Muk Khatri in Facts On 8th February 2018

Pests are awful for every home owner. Those creepy crawlies start creating colonies as soon as they appear in your home, and you aren’t likely going to get rid of them that easily. It’s highly unlikely that pests could just appear in your house by chance. Usually home owners make some common mistakes and attract the creatures to their houses. Let’s review the most common mistakes and learn how we can keep pests away.

#1 OLD TRASH – WELCOME COCKROACHES

The black beetle is said to be the most common pest all over the world. It’s attracted to any place where it can find some food and create a colony. They can smell the odor emanating from old trash from kilometers away and they will surely find a way of getting into your house. So, clean your trash bins on a regular, and, just to be on the safe side, create optimal ways of collecting and disposing of your garbage. Stocking up your garbage in a big bin out in the backyard for a one-time disposal process is definitely not a good idea. Cockroaches and other such pests will surely appear there, one way or the other, and then eventually sneak into your house.

#2 KEEPING BIRDFEEDERS AND BIRDBATHS

Unless you live in advance lands like the United States, Canada, and Europe, this point may be confusing. People living in these advanced lands, nature-loving people have a habit of setting out birdseeds or other such foods for birds in open containers close to their window. Some people go as far as do this with water; providing the birds with a bath and drink in one go. You should also pay attention to the placement of birdfeeders and birdbaths. Birdfeeders should be placed not nearer than 10 meters from your house. Make sure there is no food spoilage there, because that can attract bugs from all over the surrounding area. Also avoid placing birdfeeders on the branches of garden fruit trees. It may be harmful for a tree to bear all those pests.

#3 DIRTY GUTTERS AND POOR ROOF CLEANING

Gutters are defined as rainwater channels on roofs or roads. Dirty gutters are heavens for pests. While roof gutters tend to harbor insects, the road gutters are heavens for rodents. Gutters tend to hold moisture and so during summer, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and rodents make gutters their home. However, the question here is, where will they go to for food? It’s all too obvious! They will come right into your home, gradually populating it and creating stable colonies. It is important you clean gutters every year. Gutters that are clogged with old tree leaves might also be the source of earthworms climbing up to the roof of your house. It’s awful to watch and even realize that such things do exist in your own house. Therefore, always pay close attention to the cleanness of your roof.

#4 STAGNANT WATER

Leaving stagnant water out (bird baths, pop lids, water dishes, etc.) is one of the most overlooked errors in pest management. Pests need water and more water means more pests can live comfortably. In addition some are dependent on standing water e.g. mosquitoes to reproduce. In these instances, it does not take very long at all for a mosquito population to erupt from a bottle cap lid. Change water often and where possible, keep the water treated. Cover or fill up all dips and holes were water can collect around your home. Look out for puddles. They can be a major factor for attracting pests. It’s easy to prevent such kind of breeding for these insects. Just dump everything after gardening and keep an eye on places where water can possibly lie stagnant.

#5 DIRTY GRILL EQUIPMENT IN YOUR GARAGE

Many of us love to grill, procuring special grill equipment to feed our pleasure. The garage is where we usually pack away this grill equipment, always ready for use. Unfortunately, not many people like to clean their grill equipment after consuming all that tasty barbecue dishes. Consequently, grill equipment is a wonderful place for ants, cockroaches and other insects to feed and create colonies. Bits of meat fat fall onto the metal parts of a grill. After sometime, it becomes impossible to clean them out and insects will be attracted by the sweet smell from afar. For sure, they will want to know what kind of refreshments you left for them in your garage. And it won’t take them long before they find their way into your house afterwards.

#6 OLD ENTRANCE MAT

We all know that roaches and ants have the so called exoskeletons. It means that you actually can’t squeeze them to death that easily. These creatures find the narrowest of places and can easily come into the house through tiny holes. We are also aware that they have tracks which they follow all the time. Your entrance mat is the main thing to change if you are having trouble with pests. Health and environmental experts recommend changing the front mat at least once per year, particularly during spring. The moisture and warmth of spring makes the underside of your front mat a suitable home for pests.

#7 KEEPING ROTTEN FRUITS AT HOME

You better eat your fruits before they become overripe. If you notice that the fruits will probably not be eaten, just get rid of them. However, don’t put that brown banana into the rubbish bin as it will be somehow impossible to prevent fruit flies from coming down for the prey. These tiny but very nasty creatures (fruit flies) will find their way into your house at all costs, whether it's coming down chimneys or crawling through small gaps and cracks. There is no way in the world you will ever stop them from getting at that rotten apple, rotten oranges or old banana. If there are no means by which you can dispose of these rotten food or fruits right away, just put them all into an air-tight plastic bag and tie it up as tightly as you possibly can.

#8 BUYING SECOND-HAND FURNITURE

Sofas and armchairs are the most common habitual areas for nearly all known house pests. You will find them in most second-hand furniture being sold on many websites. If you decided to save up some money by purchasing a used sofa, call for cleaning services and have a special type of pesticide applied or sprayed on it. It’s a lot better to avoid purchasing any fairly used furniture at all, go for brand new ones if you can afford it. The issue here is not just having to avoid the big pests such as ants and cockroaches, even mice. There are billions of different microorganisms living within used furniture, which can be very harmful to your health and even ruin the cleanness of your house.

#9 INADEQUATE VENT UNITS

All up-to-date vent systems have the microcell nets feature for protection against even the tiniest pests. However, with use and the passage of time, these nets become worn or even torn in places. This causes loads of troubles for house owners because it is right through those leaky vents that insects will come crawling into the house, particularly during the autumn. Just keep a check on the ventilation system and change the accessories from time to time. Low ventilation door placement can also be an entrance route for rats and mice. Make sure that you find a way to prevent all those species from entering your house. This is important as it doesn’t only affect the comfort of your living, but it also compromises your health, safety and confidence.

#10 RELUCTANCE TO REPAIR CRACK AND LEAKS

Damages to your house’s flooring and siding can be yet another explanation as to how pests come into your house. Just a little crack on the wall would be a good home for a colony of ants. As soon as they get there, they will use the heat insulation to organize their permanent housing. To avoid the trouble of these ant colonies, make sure to have any leaks, cracks or holes in the roof, walls, and flooring of your home fix as fast as possible. If you encounter a few ants here and there in your home, it is most likely there is a colony in existence somewhere in your home already. Call in pest control services right away.

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