No one wants to discover pests in their home. They come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny insects to larger mammals, such as raccoons or even deer. Whatever they are, we see them as pests because they damage our homes. They can pose a health hazard, eat our crops or affect the structure of our properties. However, just because you don’t want them in your home, it doesn’t mean you want to hurt them. Many people want to deal with pests in a humane way. After all, they’re just trying to find food or somewhere warm to live. If you want to avoid methods such as traps and poison, here’s what you can do.
Avoid Attracting Pests
One of the primary ways of getting rid of pests is not to attract them in the first place. It’s easy to keep them away from your home than it is to make them go away. There are lots of ways you might do this, depending on the pests. Keeping your home clean and tidy will help to tackle many different types of pest. Things like mice, raccoons or foxes might be attracted by garbage or unclean areas outside. Ants could be drawn to your kitchen if you don’t keep it clear of spilled food. Take precautions to keep pests away as a first measure. Pestkilled have a detailed guide on what to do if your home is suffering from a termite infestation.
Block Points of Entry
The next thing you can do is block pests from getting in. Sometimes it’s difficult to avoid them coming near your house altogether. For example, you might be growing vegetables and you don’t want to stop just to avoid pests. In these circumstances, you should create barriers to protect areas of your home. For example, you might put up a fence in your garden. You can use a bird exclusion product to keep birds from landing on your roof. You can survey your house to find any small holes where mice and other rodents could enter.
Keep Pests Away with Pets
Another thing to consider for outside your home is a cat or dog. They can help to keep away animals that might bother you, from mice to gophers. However, there are a couple of things to think about. Firstly, it’s best not to get a pet purely to keep away pests. They do require looking after. Secondly, there is a risk that pests may be brought straight to your doorstep as a present from your furry friend.
Use Humane Traps
If you do discover pests in your home, you might need to use traps to catch them. This is likely with things like rats or mice. However, if the idea of killing them doesn’t appeal to you, you could consider humane traps. Some experts will warn that this method isn’t as effective. However, you can try it if you would rather stick to live traps. After using them, however, you need to take steps to prevent the pests from getting back in.
You don’t have to use poison or traps to combat pests if you don’t want to. Just remember that prevention is the best cure.