No matter what type of pest has invaded your home, all of them can be quite the nuisance. Getting an exterminator to your home can cost a pretty penny. You should learn to handle them on your own and save some money. This article is filled with valuable tips that will help you keep your home free of pests.

Do not leave any food out or unsealed and make sure that you clean up any crumbs or food scraps. Bugs, especially roaches love to get into food scraps that have been left out. Put used food in a tightly sealed container or in a baggie that bugs cannot break into.

Eliminate pests naturally. Sometimes you don’t need to resort to chemicals to control pests. Removing sources of water, food and shelter is one way to get rid of them. This is particularly effective in the case of rodents. If you have pets, don’t leave food or water bowls outside, and ensure that you don’t have any holes or cracks in the exterior of your home.

Are you having problems with ants around the house? Use a mix of borax and sugar to eradicate them. Borax in the sugar will kill the ants. Just make a half-and-half mixture of sugar and borax in a one-quart jar. Poke holes through the lid and then sprinkle the mixture around the foundation of your home and along baseboards.

Pesky mosquitoes are known to multiply in stagnant water. If you have a birdbath in your yard, change the water every three days. Many people also suggest adding lavender to a birdbath to help combat your mosquito population. So, try adding it to your birdbath each time you refill it.

If you’re using mulch, don’t mulch all the way to the side of your home. Leave a gap about half a foot in length between the mulch and your outdoor wall. This will give you (or any exterminator) a better ability to see if any pests (like termites) are crawling from the mulch onto your outdoor wall.

Don’t rule out your pets as sources of pest problems. Bathe them regularly to take care of visitors hitching a ride from outside. In addition, know that pet food and water can attract ants sometimes. Clean up messes and bowls regularly. Furthermore, make sure that you store pet food in sealed containers.

In order to permanently eliminate pests from your home, it is vital that you properly identify what pests are in it. If you aren’t aware of which pests you have, there is no way you can come up with a proper method of getting rid of them. Identification is the key.

Around the exterior of your home, there are tiny cracks next to your pipes, in your foundation, and in your siding. These cracks may seem small, but they are big enough for the bugs to get inside your home. Use a good quality exterior caulk to seal these cracks and keep the bugs outside.

Keep standing water at a minimum if you want to keep mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water, so if you have a small puddle in your yard you are giving them a perfect place to breed. To prevent this you can walk through your yard after rain storms to ensure that your yard does not become their breeding ground.

If you have a problem with mice, use peppermint. Mice hate the smell of peppermint, so simply start growing some around the perimeter of your home. You can also leave dishes of peppermint oil in your kitchen and around your house. Soon you will discover that you no longer have a mice problem.

If you see ants in your home, follow them. This should help you discover where they are getting in at. Most of the time they will find a crack or crevice near a window or the molding. Once you know where the problem is originating from, put down a little laundry detergent (assuming you don’t have children or pets that can get to it) to create a temporary fix.

Keep your home clean. Food is the most common cause of pests infesting the home.
It basically lures them inside. Be sure to clean the counter tops and floors and clear out any food debris after eating and cooking. Keeping your surfaces clean can help prevent pests from entering your home.

If you use pesticides, make sure you do it according to directions. You may think you need to use more when you really don’t have to. You can seriously cause harm if you apply these in the wrong way.

As mentioned earlier, any sort of pest can really cause you great pain and frustration. Before spending exorbitant amounts of money on professional exterminators, see if you can tackle the problem yourself. Use what you have learned here to help you deal with eliminating pests on your own.

What You Should Learn About Pest Control was originally published on Spring