Steps To Prevent Pests

Pests are the most disgusting thing in our lives. Thus it's very important to get rid of them. This can be done in two ways. You can either contact a local termite control Central Coast Sole or try to maintain cleanliness in your house in order to avoid the breeding of these critters. But it is always advisable to appoint some professional and experienced pest control services to get a good result. You can also use some home remedies to get rid of them. Try some of the stated options given below:

                            

1. Clean the Yard of Your House:

Studies say, that at first pests colonise the yard before entering inside a house. Thus it is always important to maintain a clean and clear yard in order to prevent the pests from entering in your house. Remove the dead plants, fallen fruits, weeds, fallen brunches from the yard. Trim and cut your plants because all these things are very dear to the pests and they love to reside there.

 

 2. Clean the Rarely Visited Places and Storage Places:

Some of the ideal places for pests to breed and build their nests are the boxes, closets, containers, drawers etc. So it is very important to clean them up timely. Never allow dusts or any waste material to be stored inside the boxes. Also clean up the places of your house that are rarely visited by you. By this way, you could prevent the pests to build their nests in your home.

                            

3. Free the House from Scraps of Food:

Removing scraps of food is a must in order to maintain a pest free home. Food is the main and actual reason for the pests to occur in your house. If they find it they would love to reside in your rooms, especially inside the kitchen area. But if pests don't find any food, there would be no reason for them to reside inside your house. So, to drive them away, you must deprive them of food. This way you can easily avoid pests infestation in your house.

 

4. Seal the Holes and Cracks:

 Apart from cleaning, sealing of the cracks and holes in the house is also an important remedy to get rid of the pests. Like for example, mice always try to enter inside the house through a small hole. So if the holes are sealed properly it will be impossible for them to enter and disturb you.

 

 

5. Appoint a Professional Residential Pest Control in North Sore:

All the remedies that have been stated above are some simple and common DIY methods to get rid of the pests. If you think doing these are a hectic thing for you, then you can get in touch with an Integrated Pest Management company in North Shore who can control and eliminate pests for you with an affordable cost. They are experts and know what exactly needs to be done for controlling pests infestation in house.

What Are Mice?

Mice are common household pests but they can turn out to be of great concern to the homeowners. They basically enter homes through a hole for finding food or shelter. Once they are in they make their homes in quiet spaces using spare materials like string & insulation and eat spare food, seeds, sweets and grains. They are usually three to four inches long and have long tails that are hairless, round small ears and pointed noses. Generally, they are light grey or brown but you can also find some species that are darker or lighter in colour. They are carriers and transmitters of diseases.

Mice infestation

Although natural habitat of mice are outdoors, when they enter homes or buildings they prefer to dwell in quiet places like garages, basements, attics, behind walls or crawlspaces. Signs of infestation include small holes in cardboard boxes and bags, loose nests of cloth, paper or other materials and the sight of a mouse in and around the property.

Mice are threatening pests
Mice infestation should be seriously taken because they are capable of carrying a lot of diseases. Diseases like Salmonellosis, Hantavirus & Lyme are some common diseases, which mice may carry & transmit. A few diseases such as Hantavirus may be transmitted by just touching the infested mouse or by breathing in the fumes, which are released in the mouse urine.

These creatures can even bite. They bite only when they feel threatened. So, be careful of these creatures. The area where they bite needs to be washed with antispectic soap and a doctor needs to be consulted with immediately.

Mice are also known for their destructive nature. They can cause huge damage to properties by gnawing in electric cables, eating food and contaminating them with their hair, faeces and urine. They also damage books, appliances, structures and a lot of other things.

Getting rid of them
So, considering the harm that these creatures can do, it is very essential to get rid of them once they infest the property. But eradicating them from the property is a hectic task and needs a lot of effort. The entryways need to be blocked & sealed and since a mouse can enter through a dime sized hole, ensuring every entry point is sealed may be difficult. All sources of their food are to be put away. An expert who specialises in Pest Control in Collaroy should be contacted with for best results.

5 Types Of Common Pests Found In North Shore

Pests are very common in North Shore. You cam find  a wide variety of pests in both commercial as well as residential structures here. However, at the same time there are a number of companies that offer Pest Control in North Shore as well. So, all you need to do is just get in touch with one of them to make sure there are no pests in your property.

Pests that are most common in North Shore include:
Cockroache : There are about four hundred species of cockroaches found all over the world. Around six kinds of cockroach species are commonly seen in North Shore. These pests invade homes as well as commercial structures to a great extent. They are basically nocturnal creatures and are thus seen mostly at night. At daytime, they conceal themselves with cracks, crevices and warm places. It is very important to get rid of these pests because they can transmit harmful bacteria by contaminating human food.

Rodents : Rodents, especially rats & mice, are pests that cam damage both residential and commercial structures severely. Other than damaging properties they can also transmit a number of diseases. Some of the diseases even resulted in deaths of human beings. They are creatures that have evolved as well as adapted themselves to live in close proximity of human beings for food and shelter. They are typically nocturnal creatures and go about looking for food mainly at night. This doesn't mean they are not visible during day time. Only when human activity is less or their nest is overpopulated do they appear at day light.

Bed bugs : Bed bugs are one of the most notorious pests to humans. The adults can grow up to a length of 4 to 5 millimetre and have rusty red oval shaped bodies. They are mainly nocturnal and feed primarily on blood. Their bites can trigger itchy skin rashes and allergic reactions. Bedbugs are most likely to be found in the sleeping quarters of motels, hotels, backpackers’ hostels, etc.

 Fleas : Fleas are tiny bloodsucking insects and often exist as parasites on the bodies of dogs, cats, pigs and other mammals. In households, they can be annoying pests for their nasty habits of biting humans on lower legs and ankles. The bites may result in irritations that can last for days, because the saliva of fleas is an anticoagulant.

Matured fleas are usually about 4 millimetres in size, having brownish bodies and jaws equipped with sucking and piercing mouthparts.

Wasps :  The major pest among the different types of wasp found in North Shore is the European wasp. It can be easily recognised by its bright yellow coloured bodies covered with black bands. Their favourite nesting places include bottom of trees or areas near the ground. They can deliver multiple excruciatingly painful stings when disturbed. Wasps are more common during the months of January to March.

How to Free your House from Termites?

If you are thinking about how to deal with termites without spending much, at first calling up the professionals in Central Coast and seeking their help to chase the pests away from your house might seem like an expensive affair. But think again. Do you really want to take a risk and try to save the situation on your own? Most professional exterminators have adequate knowledge and the right tools for controlling the nasty wood borers and prevent them from coming back again.

However, if you are adamant about going for a DIY, here are a few measures that might probably work out for you.


Orange Oil

Obtained from orange peels, orange oil contains an active substance called D-Limonene which can kill a wide range of insects by destroying their exoskeleton and cell membranes. Drill tiny holes into the suspected areas and inject a small amount of orange oil in each of them. Results may start to become conspicuous after a few days or even a couple of weeks.


Electrocution

This is another effective method to get rid of termites. Purchase an electric device and electrocute the pests through pre-drilled holes.

Sunlight

If the high activity areas of termites are wooden furniture pieces, then this trick can be what you are looking for. Take the furniture outside and place in a spot receiving direct sunlight. Because termites prefer moisture and darkness, the heat and light will definitely kill them.


Microwaves

Buy a portable microwave device and treat the infested areas for about 10 minutes. A couple inches of wooden board may require treatment for around 30 minutes or more than that.


Nematodes

Nematodes are tiny worms, that look for hosts and burrow into their bodies, killing them within an approximated duration of 48 hours. They are generally not a threat to plants, animals or pets, and are capable of destroying entire colonies of termites as well. Buy some nematodes from a local home improvement shop and spray them in the activity ground of the wood borers.


Cardboard Trap
You can even use cardboard as an excellent bait for termites. Take a few sheets of cardboard, pile them on top of each other and spray them with a little bit of water. Place them in the infested areas and when they are full of the pests, take the bait outside and simply incinerate as many times as needed.

Although the above mentioned tricks may just work, but full-blown infestations can be really difficult to tackle without the help of a professional firm dealing with termite control in Central Coast.

How to Control Pests in Food Industry?

Pest management is an important aspect of any food processing facility because infestations can easily put the product as well as reputation of the business into jeopardy. However, in order to achieve pest control in such environments, it is essential to take special precautions and implement the ethics of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) so that the treatment methods do not threaten safety of the food.

For an IPM to be successful in a food plant, root causes of the infestation must be addressed. Some fundamental tenets of an IPM program are as follows:

Inspection

In order to keep food processors free from the clutches of pests, weekly inspections must be conducted focussing on areas suspected as their activity spots - storage areas, receiving docks, break rooms of employees, recent ingredient spill sites, etc. Identification of the potential entry ways, sources of water and food, and harbourage zones is also necessary.


Preventive Action

Once the inspections have revealed vulnerabilities, steps must be taken imperatively for addressing them before real problems spike up. A compelling prevention measure is exclusion, that is, carrying out structural maintenance for blocking entry ways detected at the time of inspections. Proper sanitation should also be ensured for eliminating the water and food sources.

Identification

It is important to identify the most problematic species so that more efficient ways of elimination can be determined without causing damage to other harmless organisms. Most professionals dealing with pest management in North Shore always begin with correct identification of pests that are in question.

Treatment Selection

IPM encourages the use of natural methods for control, such as trapping or exclusion. Chemical methods should always be the last resort, and that too when nothing else seems to work. Even if chemicals are used for control, they must be applied in mild formulations only in the targeted areas. However, focussing on the natural options can ensure that least threat is posed to the food items and their surrounding environment.

Monitoring

Since pest control is a persistent process, it requires constant monitoring of the facility to prevent further infestations and eliminate the existing ones. The staff of the facility must watch closely every day for any signs of infestation. They must also be aware of the sanitation issues affecting the IPM program.

Documentation

Documentation is also an important tenet of any IPM program. Important documents must be maintained containing information about scope of the service, pest activity, corrective action, trap layout, pesticide usage, etc.

Working of an IPM Program

Integrated Pest Management in North Shore is commonly resorted to for controlling pests using economical means without any hazard to the environment, property and people. IPM programs generally use current and comprehensive information on life cycles of pests as well as their interaction with environment. This information is then effectively combined with the available control methods. The approach is applied to agricultural settings, and also non-agricultural ones including homes, workplaces and garden.

An IPM program is not just any single control method, but an elaborate array of evaluated pest management measures. For practising IPM, professionals aware of potentials for infestations usually follow a meticulous four-tiered approach. Those four essential steps are as follows:

Setting Action Thresholds

Before taking any step to control a specific pest, IPM sets a threshold for action, a point where environmental conditions or pest populations will indicate that action has to be taken. It is not always necessary to exercise control measures if only a single ant or spider or any other pest has been sighted. The level upto which these pests are not a threat to economy is critical for guiding future decisions for control.

Monitoring and Identifying

It is important to recognise the fact that all insects, weeds or pests do not require control. Many insects and pests can be innocuous, but some are also harmless and even beneficial. An IPM program works to monitor and then identify the pests accurately, in order to make suitable control decisions along with the action thresholds. Effective inspection and identification can help to eliminate any possible usage of pesticides that are unnecessary or of the wrong type.

Prevention

Since prevention is always better than cure, IPM programs follow an approach to manage crops, lawns and indoor spaces so that the pests may not become threats. For example, in domestic and commercial settings, elimination of residue such as food spills and crumbs, sealing of cracks and crevices, and proper cleanliness must be ensured to keep pests away. In a horticultural crop, it may mean use of cultural methods like rotating between various crops, choosing varieties that are resistant to pests, and growing pest-free rootstock. These measures are, indeed, very effective and can reduce the expenses of pest management significantly. They also present very little or zero risk to human beings or environment.

Control

If inspection, identification and the thresholds indicate necessity of action, preventive methods can be of no use. A typical IPM program, on detecting an infestation, evaluates proper, less risky and effective methods for controlling it. Some can be used for disrupting the functionality of pheromones to prevent their mating, while other methods include augmentative control method or trapping.

Health Risks From Cockroach Infestations and their Prevention

Cockroaches are the most common, gross and nastiest among all types of pests that invade homes. Not a single household in the whole world is spared from the intrusion of this filthy insect. These disgusting creatures can be encountered in many places such as kitchen sinks, pipe holes, garbage piles, corners of heavy furnitures and appliances and toilets.

Besides bringing fear and social embarrassment, cockroach infestations also pose various health risks because they carry millions of bacteria and other infectious agents. These microbes can cause a wide range of diseases from food poisoning to diarrhoea. The various ways in which cockroaches can cause health hazards are as follows:

Food Contamination

Just like omnivores, cockroaches can eat anything for survival. Their diet consists of food materials, dead plants and animals, glue, paper, soap, leather, hair and even faecal matter. While rampaging around a household at night, they pollute open food sources by excreting in them, leaving behind egg shells and depositing dead skin.

Transmitting Disease-causing Bacteria

When cockroaches feed on exposed food, they vomit out sputum and other digestive juices which contain disease-causing bacteria and germs that live within their guts. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria commonly found in the saliva of cockroaches, causes various diseases to human beings like sepsis, digestive problems and rectum infections. Another bacterium known as Salmonella, causes typhoid and food poisoning.

Allergies

Besides contaminating food, cockroaches can also cause different types of allergies. Their body parts and sputum secretions are known to have various kinds of allergens that may trigger skin irritations or unwanted reactions. The common problems include watery eyes, sneezing and rashes. Sometimes the allergens can also worsen breathing problems in asthma patients.




Invading Body Parts

Cockroaches are known to enter body orifices of human beings when they are asleep. Small ones can intrude into nose and ears of sleeping people. Apart from that, there are some species which even bite humans. Sometimes they might even nibble on toes, fingernails and other soft body parts, leaving wounds.

In order to prevent these health risks, one must exercise suitable control methods for eliminating cockroaches from household and prevent future infestations. Regular cleaning is very important as well as effective for keeping them at bay. Garbage bins should be kept covered at all times. Food stuffs must be stored in sealed containers. In case of large-scale infestations, the responsibility of treatment should be handed over to a skilled pest exterminator in Northern Beaches.