According to over 90% of people in the United States, there is an immediate concern of discovering insects and other types of pests within the home. Most individuals indicate that if they discover just one spider, one cricket, one rodent, or one cockroach within the home, they would be prompted to purchase pest elimination products or contact a pest control company for assistance.
The fact of the matter is, most pests – specifically insects – make their way into the home by flying or crawling indoors. This means that the ultimate pest control technique is to deny entry. If you have an interest in pest-proofing your home, continue reading to learn the 10 most creative and easiest methods.
1. Minimize the Conditions Needed to Survive
The first step to optimal pest control in the home is to understand that which pests need to survive. That is, water, food, and a place for sheltering. If you want to prevent pests from wandering into your home, simply ensure that all areas of your home are designed and set up in such a way that they minimize the conditions that pests need to survive.
In other words, do not make water or food accessible and make certain that there are not areas in your home where pests may be attracted to go – in terms of creating shelter.
If you keep this clear in your mind while pest-proofing your home, all other methods of pest prevention will come naturally to you.
2. Play a Little Game of Imaginary “Hide and Seek”
Now that you know that pests make their way in the home – typically – by crawling or flying and that they need water, food, and shelter to survive, it is time to play a little game of imaginary “hide and seek”. The goal here is to inspect your home for obscure locations where indoor access may be found by pests that are on the outside of the home.
Common areas include where pipes and electricity enter the home, screens, doors, cracks, and other openings. Once you have found all the hidden places where pests may seek access to your home, seal them up, repair them, or whatever you have to do.
The secret to success in this version of hide and seek is to keep those creatures hidden outdoors, with no method that can be used to seek out the conditions they need for survival in your home.
3. Purchase and Place Beautiful Bird Feeders on Your Property
Birds are gorgeous creatures that inspire awe among all. The beautiful colors, the catchy sounds that they make, and their incredible level of absolute cuteness are enough to make anyone want to use whatever means to attract them. Best of all, though, they eat bugs! Many of those insects and other pests that you are attempting to keep out of your home are meals for the birds! Simply place bird feeders on your property to attract the birds. The birds will then see the insects and have a little snack! These are cheap and way better than putting out a bird bath because the water in those products will attract even more bugs!
4. Keep Those Vampires and Werewolves Away and Enjoy a Little Good Luck
If you are reading this and are trying to uncover solutions for pest-proofing your home, I can almost guarantee that you want to keep vampires and werewolves away, too! Mosquitoes, mites, flies, aphids, caterpillars, cutworms, slugs, armyworms, and beetles are all repelled by garlic. Oh, and it is said to repel those vicious vampires and werewolves, too!
Simply place minced garlic around pest-prone areas on the outside of your home. If you would like to experience a little good luck, you can place garlic braids directly above your door – according to many old belief systems. The Korean folklore states that garlic will repel tigers….so, regardless of how you use it, you will benefit!
5. Get Creative and Make a Homemade Firewood Rack
If you have some basic carpentry skills, a knack for creativity, and store firewood on your property, pull out some supplies and create a gorgeous firewood rack! Once completed, place it away from the home and ensure complete elevation. You will find that you do not attract termites, cockroaches, ticks, and ants this way.
Do a simple internet search on “creative homemade firewood racks” and you will see many ideas!
You can make triangle-shaped racks, circle-shaped racks, those that look like old outhouses, honeycomb-shaped racks, racks with wheels, racks with shelves, sectional racks, and more! Why not have a little fun and get creative while pest-proofing your home?
6. Minimalize Your Home
The Minimalism Movement is taking hold in the United States. In short, this is making a point of living with only those items that you need.
The goal is to surround yourself with as few material-based items as possible so that you are able to spend your time and your life doing more of what you love.
In addition to reducing the amount of time you have to spend cleaning and caring for those items, it gives pests far fewer places in your home to take shelter.
Simply clean out everything that you can. Donate, recycle, or trash those items – your choice. In turn, it takes away all of those hiding places that pests absolutely LOVE in your home! Less hiding places equals less pests!
7. Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables
Now, what does YOU eating your fruits and vegetables have to do with pest-proofing your home? Well, if you eat them, they will not become overripe. If they reach this point, they will attract flies and a variety of other insects that are seeking to enjoy all of the wonderful health benefits from consuming those items.
Why nourish THEM? Nourish yourself! Avoid keeping fruits and vegetables out in the open for long periods of time or you may find yourself with an infestation that is difficult to eliminate!
8. Pamper Your Indoor Pets
If you have an indoor cat or an indoor dog, you should place a special emphasis on completely pampering them! One of the easiest and most cost-effective means of doing so is creating a luxurious dining area for them. In addition to making your pet happy and adding a sense of beauty to your home, a designated dining space will actually repel pests!
Despite how much practice animals have eating and drinking, they are bound to get a little food and water on the floor, sometime.
While this may not seem like too big of an issue, it could attract a wide assortment of pests. Simply place the food and water bowls on a rubber mat. Use elevated bowls when possible. You may even put their food bowl inside of a bowl with a tad of water so that insects will not cross the water to access the food! Your pet’s fine dining setup is sure to keep the bugs away!
9. Rotate Outdoor Plants
Plants are highly attracted to outdoor plants. In fact, they will come to know which plants are being grown in a certain area and will make their way to that area. The secret to combatting this problem is to rotate your outdoor plants. Not only will your property take on a new and exciting look, the soil will have an increased level of fertility and the pests will magically just…go away!
10. Practice Your Wizarding Skills by Specializing in Essential Oil Potions
Do you want to pest-proof the home? Are you fascinated by all things magic – such as spell casting, potion brewing, or just the creative world of Harry Potter? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, it is time to practice your wizarding skills by becoming a potions master! Numerous bugs and insects are repelled by oils that possess certain properties.
By mixing 30 drops of a magical oil to a cup of fresh, sparkling water into a spray bottle, you may use the potion outdoors, indoors, and other areas to repel bugs and insects. The magical essential oils include lavender, citrus, tea tree, peppermint, citronella, and eucalyptus!
Contact Us Now
Sometimes, even the most creative and simple strategies to pest-proofing the home will not prove to be effective. If you find that you are struggling with a certain type of pest infestation or would simply like to have your home protected from the possibility of an infestation, contact us here at All Pest today! We can handle any and all pest problems instantly!
