Can You Safely Do You Own Pest Control? (Yes!)

Did you know that cockroaches are scavengers? That means that any food left behind could provide them food. Not only do they consume food, but hair, leather, wallpaper paste, soap, glue, and more! 

If you have cockroaches, you might wonder what your next steps should be. Did you know that you could do your own pest control? 

It might seem impossible to take care of pests on your own, but it's not the case. Read this guide on how you can do pest control safely today. 

Avoid Pests

Creating a solid pest prevention plan is vital to keep bugs away. Always keep food in glass containers or sealed plastic bags. 

Food waste needs to go in a tightly covered trash can. Remove garbage from your home regularly. 

Don't keep clutter in your home. Pests love to breed and hide here. Remove stacks of cardboard, magazines, or newspapers. 

Check boxes and packages for pests before you take them into your home. Never let water build up anywhere in the home. Fix all leaky plumbing. 

Don't allow water to collect under your fridge or plants. Close off any gaps or spaces where pets can enter or hide. Use caulk to close up crevices around the home. 

Identifying the Pest

If you think you might have a spider infestation, the most common identification is seeing a live one. While one or two isn't necessarily a sign, watch out for ones you continually see inside and outside your home. 

If you keep seeing spiders, they might be reproducing. Most spider infestations take place outside. Over time, they could move their population indoors. 

Flying insects might be another sign of spiders. Spiders love flying insects, so they might gravitate toward your home. 

Look out for spider webs and egg sacs. If you see egg sacs, the spiders are reproducing within your home. Check dark infrequent areas of your home to find them. 

Also, check for bites on your body. If you have spider bites, you likely have an infestation. 

Ants

Check for nests around the home carefully since they're often hidden. Look for piles of dirt outside around your home. 

They leave small piles of dirt around their nests. If you have carpenter ants, piles of wood shavings are common.

Check for a pathway of ants; this is a common sign of an infestation. Many ants enjoy leaving a scent trail to food sources in the area. 

Crickets

Crickets love moist and warm environments within structures. Listen for the chirping that the males make. It's a way to attract female crickets in the area. 

If you hear this noise, it means you could have an infestation. Check for chewed fabric in the area. Look at chewed edges for any mandible marks. 

Scorpions 

The best way to look for scorpions is by visually identifying them. Watch out for an increased rate of insects, shade around your home, or displaying their tail outside. 

Keep the lawn maintained since overgrown areas could mean a pest problem. Never leave debris to pile up since they could attract them.

Don't stack leaves, wood, or rocks. Spiders and scorpions like the same type of food. If there are many spider webs nearby, there's a chance you might have scorpions as well. 

How to do DIY Pest Control Safely

First, keep children and pets away from pest control chemicals. Pesticides that aren't in traps or baits should be only applied to targeted areas as a spot treatment. They shouldn't be sprayed over the entire room. 

Read all label instructions and safety warnings so you know where you can and cannot spray.

If pest control products are used inside, ensure they're meant for indoor use. Never use outdoor chemicals inside. Once complete, you'll want to safely dispose of the pesticide and its containers. 

Many locations have household hazardous waste collections depending on your area. Contact the waste control authority in your area for more information. 

Picking Pest Control Products

Even after prevention and there's still a pest problem; you might need pest control products. First, decide on which pest you're trying to remove. 

Identify the pest by the signs they leave behind. For example, cockroaches might leave behind egg casings, droppings, or cause furniture damage. 

Next, decide which pesticide will work best for that specific issue. Some pesticides work better on certain pests than others. You can find a good, broad-spectrum pesticide can target most household pests without the need for many different products.

How Long Will Pest Control Take To Work?

While the spray itself should only take 15-30 minutes for the average sized home, you should give the products about a week or two to fully take effect and make an impact.

Benefits of DIY Pest Control

By taking care of the pest infestations yourself, you can be saving yourself some unnecessary headaches. While professional pest control companies can do a great job, you have access to most of the same pesticides they use regularly.

If you are doing the treatments yourself, you are not needing to deal with scheduling services with one of these companies. Sometimes the schedules are inflexible or you are given a multiple-hour window where you need to wait around for the technician to show up. This can be annoying and frustrating.

You'll also save money by going with the DIY pest control route. When you take a look at the numbers, it's much more affordable to go this route.

Things to Keep in Mind

Don't overuse the pest control products; follow the instructions. All pesticides have certain limitations on where the can or cannot be applied. There are also regulations that help to protect the environment from over-application or improper use so as not to affect organisms that are innocent bystanders.

Also, never transfer pesticides to other containers. Always keep them in their containers, and never use these containers for anything else. Even if you wash the container well, it might still contain the pesticide, so be sure to dispose of the container properly, usually poking holes in it so that it cannot be reused.

Determining if You Could Do Your Own Pest Control

After exploring this guide, it should be clear that you can do your own pest control! Are you ready to get started and say goodbye to an infestation? 

Save money, do it yourself, and have the infestation be a problem of the past.

A great option for DIY pest control is to check out our custom plans today!

Get started in four steps. We help to determine the products and frequency of application that you need for your climate and the pests you are dealing with. As mentioned above, these are the same products that the professional pest control operators are using.

We believe in the quality of our work, and that's why we offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed. If you continue to have a pest problem, contact us for a remedy.

 

 

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