Home Swimming Pools: A Care and Maintenance Guide

4 Stubborn Pest Problems (And What To Do About Them)

3 February 2015

Ruben Franklin

Owning a home isn't all fun and games, as anyone who's ever had to deal with a pest problem can tell you. If you're feeling bugged by tiny invaders in your property, you may be wondering whether to call an exterminator or try to handle the problem yourself. Here are four common pest issues and some possible answers to them.

1. Bedbugs

Bedbugs have become something of a national epidemic. Today's frequent travelers pick them up in hotels or on public transportation and then carry them home on their clothing -- to the point that some surveys have labeled these tiny parasites as the single most difficult kind of pest to control. 

Fumigation techniques such as "bug bombs" won't do anything to kill this type of pest. Luckily, however, bedbugs die under two hours of exposure to temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Some electric bedspreads include a special heat setting for just that purpose. You can kill bedbugs in your laundry by using the highest heat setting on your washer and dryer. But if bedbugs have invaded other parts of your house, you'll need to have the property heat-treated by a pest control company. 

2. Ants

If you see orderly lines of ants forming across your kitchen counters or floors, you may be able to keep them at bay, at least temporarily, through certain time-tested home remedies. These can be as simple as putting adhesive tape along their usual routes to trap them, or enticing them (with sugar) to consume baking soda, which is lethal to ants. 

Ants will plague your home year after year if you don't figure out where their colony is and resolve the problem at its source. Households play host to a variety of ant species, each with its own preferred environment and food source. Your exterminator can examine your home and come up with an ant control strategy for the particular species you're fighting.

3. Termites

Termite control could save your beloved home from destruction. These wood-chewing pests can migrate into your home through neighboring foliage or cracks in your foundation, and they find damp wood especially inviting. A severe termite infestation can weaken the structural beams in your home, so you can't just wait until you know you're overrun with termites -- you need to have exterminators inspect for them periodically.

If the inspection yields bad news, it's time to wage wars against your termites. It's best to leave this to the pest control professionals, since many of the chemicals used are quite toxic and some can even damage your home if used improperly. But you can reduce your vulnerability to termite infestations by:

• Installing proper drainage so the soil around your home can stay dry
• Keep some distance between the home's exterior walls and any shrubbery, tree limbs, or piles of dead brush
• Address any plumbing leaks, roofing leaks, or foundation leaks as soon as possible

4. Cockroaches

Few sights are more disgusting to the average homeowner than a cockroach infestation. These pests are obviously attracted to food leavings in the trash or on countertops, but they're also drawn to the chemicals other cockroaches have left on paper products -- so don't forget to throw out old newspapers and other paper clutter regularly. Cockroaches seek out water, so avoid leaving standing water in sinks, and check faucets and pipes for slow leaks. 

If your cockroach problem is a minor one, you may be able to kill off the intruders with "over-the-counter" roach traps, boric acid, and contact sprays. For large-scale infestations, however, you'll have better luck calling your pest control company. These professionals can recommend and implement the most effective solution for your situation, from special substances that dehydrate the roaches to full-room fumigation.

Bedbugs, ants, termites and cockroaches are common problems, but that doesn't mean you have to live with them. Contact your local exterminator from a company like Ace Walco & Sons Termite & Pest Control for additional tips on how to keep your home as pest-free as possible.

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