Pest Control Management: Mom to Mom

During our day, our roles as mothers change as rapidly as the colors on a stop light. We go from loving nurse maid to drill sergeant in the matter of seconds, from world class chef to arts and crafts director, from under paid accountant to tea party mistress. All of our roles are valuable and necessitated, even the roles that we don’t like. One of the motherly roles that we may not like is that of DIY pest controller, but with a few easy prevention strategies you can make that job as easy as hot dog night for dinner.

Therefore, mother to mother, I say embrace your role as pest controller! Do it with gusto and pizzazz, just like you do everything else. But work smarter and not harder, by following a few easy prevention steps to make your home as pest free as possible.

First off,

1-NO, and I mean, NO eating outside of the kitchen dining area. Yes, they will moan, yes they will groan. But, you know as well as I do that children are messy little creatures, who will leave trails of cracker crumbs, and sticky dribbles of grape juice where ever they travel without blinking an eye. They will not alert you to their Hansel and Gretel antics until the ants have marched on in looking for the witch’s candy coated house. So I ask you, would you rather fight off ants, roaches, flies, rodents and spiders in ONE room, or TEN? The choice is up to you. May the force be with You. Also, be certain to use sealed containers for everything bugs or rodents might want to snack on. (Translation: anything edible.)

Secondly,

2. There are SEASONAL duties that you already engage in for your home. Add pest control maintenance to that list. For the New Year cleaning, Spring cleaning, Summer clothes switch out, and Winter clothes switch out, take a few moments to check for signs of pests and to replace your pest bait stations. This helps to make sure that your baits are able to actively reduce populations of any pests who wander in. It would wise to have 2-3 types of baits so that your pest don’t get bored with the bait and keep wanting what you’ve got. Also, be sure to place your baits out of harms way for pets and little people. This could be under your fridge, dishwasher, the tops of cabinets, or under the washer/dryer.

Lastly,

3. When doing spring cleaning, wash anything that can be washed in a high temperature or steam setting. Take extra care to vacuum corners, crevices, baseboards and curtains. Make sure to EMPTY your canister into a sealed bag for disposal in case you did pick up anything. Inspect your home for leaks and any gaps in doors, windows, or screens that may be letting the pests into your home. If any problems are located, walk up to your husband, while offering a beer (or whatever treat makes him happy), hand him the report of deficiencies and then back out of the room slowly.

Following these simple techniques should save time and money and keep your house pest free.