How to Avoid Pest Infestation at Home

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During the rainy season, especially after days of continuous downpour, ants are visible inside the house turning up even in the most unlikely places such as atop the washbowl or under your water jug spout. This is quite odd since we know ants hate water.  However, if it is wet and soggy outdoors, so the pests must forage for food indoors where it is warm and dry. 

You watch the train of black ants skillfully avoiding the droplets of water in the washbowl as they reach towards a tube of toothpaste.  Somebody forgot to replace the tube’s cap, and its sweetish contents attract the tiny creatures. 

How much more if it had been left-over food, or plain sugar?  Following are measures to control infestation of household pests such as ants, cockroaches, bedbugs, and silverfish:

• Keep cereals, grain products and powdered food in tightly covered containers.
• Dispose waste food because its odor will attract crawling insects into the kitchen.
• Cover the garbage bin well.  You may spray a surface insecticide into the garbage container.
• Try to find the location of the insects’ nesting place and their point of entry.  Treat it with insecticide including the paths where they crawl on.  If the area is washable, clean it with soap and water regularly.
• Check all grocery purchases before storing them.  Many crawling pests find their way into the kitchen thru grocery products, fruits, or beverages.
• After the rains, clean up the yard.  Remove decayed leaves and other debris with standing water in them as these are breeding places of flies an mosquitoes.
• Move heavy furniture and appliances away from walls.  Clean the surrounding area especially behind and under these. Cockroaches love to hide in these areas.  Then apply surface insecticide.

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