Choosing a Pest Control Professional

Pests are not just a trifling nuisance to your home that you can easily ignore or take care of with some basic quick fixes. If left unchecked, these could pose a risk to your family’s health, as well as degrade the overall living conditions inside your house. This is why pest control, as a necessary component of home maintenance, should best be left to a pest control professional to ensure complete protection from pests.

The Pest Professional Homeowner’s Guide To Pests

Indoor Pests

• Termites

Termites (also called as “white ants” due to their appearance) usually enter houses through wall cavities and minute cracks in concrete and wood, especially in areas located near electrical conduits and plumbing.

Though a lot of people treat the soil around their houses with chemicals to deter termites, this kind of treatment still requires reapplication every five years or so for maximum effectiveness.

• Rats, rodents, and mice

No matter what you call them, these creatures still pose the risk of carrying diseases to your home as well as the potential to severely damage electrical wiring by chewing through them.

• Cockroaches

Cockroaches are pretty much on par with mice in regards to the severity of the health risks that they carry (e.g. they can be carriers of the polio virus). These insects usually procreate quickly, especially in warm, humid areas.

• Fleas

Fleas usually enter a home via a pet (e.g. a dog or a cat), then lay eggs and infest objects like beds, carpets, and couches.

• Bed bugs

Bed bugs are often the cause of many a discarded mattress. These parasites, which can enter homes through pets or clothing, like to live in beds and sofas.

Their usual source of sustenance is human blood, and when they bite, they can leave ugly welts on the skin, as well as trigger allergic reactions in some people.

• Silverfish

Silverfish are relatively less harmful than the other parasites on this list, but still they can produce considerable damage to clothing, books, wallpaper, and other such materials in your home.

• Ants

Ants are the most common house parasites, and they have the potential to also be the most destructive. Ants feed on food waste and scraps, and often live in spaces between walls and roofing.

Outdoor Pests

• Wasps

Wasps have a very painful sting (which is even more harmful to those allergic to wasp venom). They can sting both humans and pets, and often live in trees, wood piles, and spaces in between walls.

• Spiders

Spiders build their webs near gardens or in spaces inside the house where there is little foot traffic. Though the majority of spiders are harmless, there are a few species that are inherently dangerous, like funnel web and red back spiders.

• Snakes

Snakes, by nature, avoid humans as much as possible. Some do manage to build homes near or even inside human homes if the conditions are right, and this can be a problem especially if these snakes are of the venomous variety.

Do take note that some native snakes are protected by law, and would require a pest expert to capture and release it (in a safe area).

• Rabbits

Rabbits can be considered as pests too, especially so if you live in a rural area or keep a garden in your home. These animals can cause damage to vegetable patches and gardens in a blink of an eye.

• Possums

Possums’ droppings can cause unsightly stains on your ceiling (these pests usually live on high places like chimneys, ceilings, and roof eaves). More info can be found on possum removal from one of our recent articles.

• Birds

Birds during mating season can be one of the most annoying things to ruin anyone’s day. They make an incredible amount of noise, their droppings (which can also carry diseases) are everywhere, and their nests can clog gutters.

Deciding on Pest Treatments & Finding a Pest Professional

In Australia, most pest treatments involve the use of insect traps and pesticides. The chemicals are sprayed inside and outside of the client’s house, and the effectiveness for these usually last for around a year until reapplication.

A competent pest expert will use pesticides with the lowest amount of toxicity to get the job done, so there’s no need to worry if the treatment would have any harmful effects on your health and home.

If you’ve decided to finally hire a pest controller for routine work on your home, then make sure that you get someone with the necessary licenses and who carries proper insurance.

It’s important to note that pesticides DO require a license to use, and the controller’s inspection and treatment plans should conform to the standards set by the Australian Standard 3660.

And before hiring anyone, make sure to ask for a written quote. Any pest professional worth his salt would usually give out a quote free of charge.

While the size of your property and the kind of pest infestation that it has play a huge role in the total cost, the going rate for pest control services in this area is around $100 per hour, so it’s best to prepare your finances accordingly.

How to Keep Your Home Pest Free

Prevention is better than cure, as the famous saying goes. Regular cleaning ensures that the pests won’t have anywhere to build their homes.

Don’t leave food scraps out in the open, empty your trash bins, keep your lawn trimmed. It’s also important to keep tabs on your pest treatments, and make plans for their reapplication as needed.