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Do It Yourself Pest Control

Do It Yourself Pest Control Tips (Without Pesticides)

The YardDoc philosophy for do it yourself pest control involves minimizing chemical applications by incorporating non-chemical approaches.

Follow this formula:

Sanitization (clean up)
Exclusion (close up, mesh, caulking)
Mechanical (traps)
Cultural (plant types, drainage control, etc.)

Making Your Home Less Attractive to Pests

If your habitation spaces are less attractive to pests, they have less reason to want to get into your space. And should they get inside, they are less likely to stay and less likely to flourish.

The converse is that if your spaces are attractive to pests, they will stay, start breeding, and soon you could have a serious pest issue.

There are many actions that you can take to make your spaces less attractive to insects, some of which include the following:

Structurally:

Install screens on all windows, doors, vents, and floor drains.
Place weatherstripping on windows and doors.
Consider Air Doors and strips for doors that remain open for extended periods.
Caulk and seal openings, crevices, and holes.
Install LED lighting/yellow lighting instead of incandescent lighting around opening doors/windows.

Inside your home:

Store indoor and outdoor garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids.
Remove all indoor trash daily.
No trash should remain indoors overnight.
Scrub indoor and outdoor trash cans regularly.
Keep outdoor trash cans at least thirty feet from the building.
Don’t overwater indoor plants – can be a breeding area for many insects.

In your kitchen/pantry:

Empty and clean grease pans regularly.
Clean stove exhaust regularly.
Pour boiling water down drains monthly.
Never store food on the floor.
Store food in plastic, metal, or glass containers.
Clean food preparation areas after each use.
If you leave dirty dishes in the dishwasher, be sure to close the door properly.
Wash all dishes after use, never leave overnight.
Clean out the food disposal system regularly.
Ensure fruit is not kept when overripe – and store it in the fridge rather than a fruit bowl when possible.

Give YardDoc a call, if do it yourself pest control is not for you

One of our certified Pest Technicians can arrange a no-cost inspection of your home and help develop a personalized solution for you.

Do it yourself pest control Regarding your pets:

Don’t leave pet food or water out overnight.
Ant-proof pet dishes.
Vacuum pets sleeping area regularly.
Wash pet bedding frequently.

In your landscape:

Clean lawn and landscaping of debris regularly.
Maintain a thirty-foot band around the building.
Keep the landscape free of organic debris, stumps, and unkempt plants.
Destroy diseased plants, remove fallen fruit, clean up pet droppings.
Look to eliminate standing water bodies.
Look to eliminate overwatering of your landscape, particularly in shaded areas.
Store wood in above-ground framework at least fifty feet away from the building.
Trim tree and shrub branches away from the building.
Securely seal the compost bin.

The above are relatively easy actions to make your space less attractive to pests, such as Carpenter Ants, and bed bugs, which goes a long way to reducing or eliminating your pest problem.

Do it yourself pest control doesn’t have to be complicated, but you do need to stay on top of it constantly. Therefore, it is a good practice to inspect your home or premises at least quarterly for tell-tale signs of pest issues so you can get on top of them before your pest issue gets out of control. Look for animal droppings, chewed up items, nests, or dried blood spots in and around the perimeter of the home. If you decide to use pesticides yourself, it’s also important to use, store, and dispose of pesticides safely to prevent pesticide poisoning.