Pest Control Tips

A couple years ago I found some rat droppings in my garage and immediately called a pest control company to help me with this problem.  I ended up having to sign up for a year of service (costing over $500), which included a scheduled monthly visit and my "pest control man" on call.  My "pest control man" was a chatty guy, and I learned so much from him that I decided after my year of service was up, he was no longer needed.  Here are some of the great tips he shared with me:

1.  Catching the rats.  Our rat friends were lured into our garage because that is where we stored our dog food.  So, we got rid of the plastic containers and bought metal ones (they are actually small metal garbage cans that I bought at Home Depot).  He then sealed up any holes that lead in our out of our garage with wire mesh.  In areas that couldn't be completely sealed (like where the dryer hose goes out of the garage), he stuffed copper mesh in the gap.  The copper is poisonous to the rats.  Now for the traps.  This is where I was so squeamish and why I called him in the first place.  He used the snap traps.  If you are against them, then use what works for you.  For bait, he used peanut butter so they have to sit there and actually lick it, they can't eat and run.  He also squished a piece of dog food in there for an extra fun.  Here's the best part, he put the traps inside a brown paper bag on its side.  That way, once the trap is snapped, it stays in the bag, and no one has to actually handle the dead friend or clean up the mess.  My pest control man didn't use poisons because you can't control when or where the rat may eat the poison.  You could end up with a dead rat inside the walls of your house or your dog could find the rat first.

2. Spiders.  Spiders and other small bugs will always find a way into your house.  However, my pest control man taught me a trick to keep them under control.  You spray bug spray (like Raid) on a duster and dust all the corners and ceiling of your house.  The chemicals last a while and you've coated the places where the spiders like to hang out.  We started seeing a lot of spiders in our house last month.  After doing this, we've really cut down on the number of spiders we've spotted.

3.  Ants.  I've always seen tons of ants in my yard outside.  I just wash them away with water from the hose, but they seem to just reappear the next day.  My pest control man told me that a good home remedy is to find their ant hill and douse it with a couple gallons of boiling water.

4.  Bees. I have young children and it makes me very nervous when I see a bunch of bees (or yellow jackets) around.  I bought a bee trap and hung it in a tree away from where the kids play.  I filled it with apple juice (they like the sweet smell) and hot dogs.  My pest control man also told me that when we have a bbq and eat outside to make a small plate for the bees (with pieces of fruit, raw hotdog and/or bacon, no need to give them a slice of steak!) and put it away from where we are eating.  They should be attracted to the meat and leave the group of people eating alone.

 Hopefully I've been able to save you a buck or two...