Pests of all kinds can be a major problem for home and business owners alike. South Africa, being warm and temperate, is prone to various pest infestations.
Pest removal can be costly, complicated and time-consuming, often requiring repeated treatments over time to ensure that they are eradicated.
Whether you’re dealing with rats, mice, cockroaches, ants, termites, spiders, bedbugs or any other pest, prevention is always better than cure.
Let’s take a look at some steps you can take to minimise the risk of a pest infestation.
Remove Food Sources
The biggest reason pests invade a building is that they have discovered food there. Every living thing needs to eat and, as such, will go wherever the food is.
The best way to prevent pest infestations is to eliminate exposed food content or ensure it is properly sealed off. Store edible content in sealed plastic tubs or tins rather than in plastic bags or cardboard boxes, which pests can chew through.
Where possible, store all foodstuffs in the fridge or the freezer.
In the same vein, it is important to regularly take out the trash ‒ especially when the trash contains discarded food and other organic material that will attract pests. The trash should be kept in sealed containers far away from the building and collected regularly to avoid infestations from occurring.
Control Vegetation And Water
Another major source of pest ingress into a building is through the surrounding vegetation. All sorts of pests love to use trees, vines and other plants to find shelter, build nests and gain access to otherwise unreachable areas.
Good pest prevention practice involves regularly cutting trees and vines back well away from the structure or possibly removing them entirely.
Having large swaths of ivy vines growing on your property, for example, even if it is well away from the house, will attract rats, spiders and more. Those critters will, in turn, come looking for food in and around your house, creating a neverending battle.
Another thing to control on your property is water. Standing water, whether in a pond, a pool, a tank or just random puddles, will attract various pests looking for a drink or somewhere to breed. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, as well as some breeds of spiders.
Keep Everything Clean And Introduce Natural Predators
Regularly cleaning the building, especially bedding, carpets and upholstery, is critical to ensuring that infestations don’t occur. Most infestations occur where there is dirt, and they can live undisturbed. Therefore, it’s vital to vacuum often.
Cats and, to a lesser extent, dogs are great at helping control rodent infestations. However, they must be kept clean and free from ticks and fleas so that they do not spread infestations themselves.
Other predators to introduce are frogs who like to eat all manner of bugs and attract various birds into your garden as well.
At Enviro-Safe, we specialise in keeping environments hygienic and free from pests. Contact us to find out how we can help you control your pest problem today!
