Prevention is the name of the game! It’s always easier to keep pests from even coming in rather than having to exterminate or get rid of them once they’re an issue. However, there are some easy ways to do both and keep your home pest free! And it just makes sense to keep any major damages from happening due to termites or other pests that greatly damage your home and its structural integrity.
Remember, your home insurance policy won’t cover for most pest-related damages to your home, because it’s largely seen as a maintenance and preventable issue, meaning you’ll have to foot the bill.
The only exceptions would be for sudden or accidental damages, so if pests were responsible for weakening a support beam and it caused part of your home to collapse, then your home insurance would probably cover the incidentals, but the actual support beam that fell due to pests would be yours to replace. Even if you were unable to prevent an infestation, early detection is always preferable before the situation gets even worse.
One easy thing to do when buying a new home is to get an inspection, if not mandatory, and make sure they also check for infestations or pests. And schedule regular or annual sprayings for the most common pests in your area; many times pest control firms will provide a year’s warranty so that if you develop an issue with pests, they will come back and retreat the problem. Even if you never have pests – best case scenario – you would be ensuring that any potential threats are caught early!
Many common pest control measures can easily be integrated into your seasonal home maintenance and repair:
• Trim back hedges, trees, and shrubs from sitting against the side of the house
• Seal all windows, doors, and cracks to prevent pests from getting in
• Caulk cracks along walls, cupboards, and ceilings
• Keep your floors and home surfaces clean and free of moisture
• If you have a basement or attic, make sure it stays dry and well ventilated
• Clear off your roof once a year, and clean gutters
• Keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator
• Any containers of food should be tightly sealed
• Empty the trash nightly
• Repair any rotted or soft wood quickly
• Keep firewood away from the house (20 feet)
Some pests aren’t necessarily hazardous to your health or to your property but they can be a nuisance, so you can use some simple DIY tricks:
Ants – coffee grounds, or a mix of borax and sugar
Roaches – sprinkle borax along kitchen and bathroom cabinets
Rodents – use traps baited with dried peanut butter, cheese, or raw bacon
Fruit Flies – a jar of apple cider vinegar, cover lid with plastic wrap, poke holes
Flies – cloves, eucalyptus and clover blossoms in a sachet
For a variety of insects, they’re repelled by the smell of lavender, peppermint, and citronella.
Remember, early detection is key and prevention is best! Be sure to employ some of these no-nonsense pest control measures to prevent having to pay for it down the road, and check to see what your home insurance policy covers or doesn’t cover in regards to pests. Typical policy exclusions often include: bats, rats, mice and other rodents, bees, termites and moths, vermin, birds, fish, reptiles, insects and spiders.
Do you have any pest control tips? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
