When you have a family to take care of, saving money on professional services is a must – every dollar you save is a dollar you can put in your child’s college fund or savings account so learn these 5 tips to control pests on a budget.
Even though it’s great to save money, that doesn’t mean you need to cut corners.
When you need to control pests on a budget, there are several ways you can get the job done without draining your wallet.
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Use an insecticide
If you’re dealing with an infestation of insects, try controlling the problem with a professional-grade insecticide for residential use.
A professional-grade insecticide, like Talstar, will perform better than the stuff from your local grocery store and it’s more affordable than you think.
When you use an insecticide, make sure you read the instructions and safety sheet to understand how to apply it safely.
Also, make sure it’s designed to eliminate the right insects, and follow the application instructions to the letter.
If you need an insecticide for indoor use, be sure to choose a product that explicitly states it can be used indoors.
Never use an outdoor product inside your home.
Manage food scraps and spills
Certain foods attract pests and it’s important to keep your home free from these types of spills and crumbs.
For example, sugar and bread attract ants, peanut butter attracts rodents, and lemons attract bees.
With kids, it’s impossible to prevent crumbs, so at the very least, create a habit of sweeping the floor, cleaning the counters, and getting between appliances.
If there’s a gap between the counter and, say, your stove, you can bet there are plenty of bread crumbs and other spills in that in-between space.
Try humane mouse and rat traps
Sometimes there’s no need to kill the pests you’re trying to control.
If you’d rather catch them and relocate them, check out this 5-gallon bucket lid trap.
All you need to do is put some food that smells really good in the bottom of the bucket, pop the lid on, and wait for mice and/or rats to climb up and fall through the trap door.
You might not even need to bait the trap with food, but if you do, try using peanut butter or ripe bananas.
Both rats and mice love these foods and they’re safe for them to eat.
If the bucket idea doesn’t work, or if you have rats and mice in your house, you’ll need to try other methods.
There are various mouse repellent products that contain strong scents that mice and rats don’t generally like.
Many people swear by these products, but others say they don’t work.
It really depends on the product and the rodents. Just like humans, not all rodents will be repelled by the same scents.
Remove things that attract pests
The best way to control pests is to eliminate the things that attract them to your house in the first place.
For example, if you’ve got mosquitoes, remove all the standing water around your property.
If you’re dealing with rats burrowing in your walls, find the openings where they enter and close them off.
Ants can be particularly frustrating because it’s harder to see where they’re coming from, but you can usually figure out where they’re going.
Follow the trail until you find out what they’re gathering to bring back to their colony and then clean the area completely.
Shop around for deals
When you need to call a professional pest control service, don’t go with the first company you find.
Look around for multiple companies, including Turner Pest Control in West Palm Beach, and get quotes from all of them.
The cost of pest control services varies greatly, and they don’t always keep their prices in line with their competitors.
Look around for multiple companies and get quotes from all of them.
The cost of pest control services varies greatly, and they don’t always keep their prices in line with their competitors.
While you’re comparing prices, however, make sure to document what services you’re getting for the cost and find out what kind of guarantee you get.
If a service is guaranteed, they’ll usually come out a second time free of charge if the problem isn’t taken care of on the first visit.
Companies that offer this type of guarantee usually charge more, so you really do get what you pay for.
Be diligent about pest control
Pest control is an ongoing task, although most of the time you’ll be dealing with prevention rather than control.
However, when you’re on a budget, prevention is the best method to reduce the impact of any future problems.
