Homeowner's Guide To Earth-friendly Pest Prevention

Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management is an environmentally-friendly approach to pest prevention and control. It employs common-sense techniques based on pest lifecycles and how they interact with their environment. Using this knowledge of pests can help you successfully prevent pests in the most economical manner, and in a way that poses the least risk to other people, your pets, your home, and the environment. Good housekeeping is a great example of Integrated Pest Management.

Pest-Prevention Housekeeping Tips

1. Vacuum. Vacuuming not only helps your carpet and floors look better; it also helps eliminate pests and their food sources. When you vacuum, you suck up crumbs and pieces of food that are normally nearly invisible, thus taking away sources of nourishment for pests. Small pests, such as fleas and bedbugs, may also be in nestled in your carpet or in the corners of a room. It only takes a couple of pests to cause an infestation, so it is to your advantage to thoroughly vacuum your home on a routine basis.

2. Food storage. Exposed food on a kitchen counter is an open invitation to hungry pests. Store all unrefrigerated foods in airtight plastic containers or sealable plastic bags. This includes cereal, flour, pasta, cornmeal and rice.

3. Crumb patrol. When preparing a meal, clean your counters and cutting boards as soon as possible. Wash dirty dishes after every meal. If you are not able to wash them right away, rinse each dish well before leaving them in the sink.

4. Throw away trash. Trash provides hiding spots pests may find welcoming. Throw away your trash on a regular basis. When throwing food away, only place it in a trashcan that has a lid. If you are throwing away spoiled food or food you think may spoil in the trash before the next pick-up, consider leaving it in your freezer and throwing it out shortly before your trash pick-up is scheduled.

5. Clothing storage. Moths, silverfish and cockroaches eat clothes made of natural fibers like silk, cotton and wool. Before storing sweaters, blankets, fabrics and other materials made of natural fibers, wash them well. Then, store them in a lidded, airtight plastic bin or in a sealable plastic bag with a pack of silica gel to keep out any moisture.

6. Humidity control. Roaches, silverfish and other pests thrive in humid conditions. Pest prevention techniques that help control humidity include fixing leaking plumbing, not allowing water to pool (such as in houseplant trays) and using the fan in the bathroom when you shower. It's also wise to use fans and dehumidifiers in your home to help keep the humidity at bay.

7. De-clutter. Any clutter in your house, such as the kind commonly found in garages, can be a home to an unwanted pest. Keeping a cluttered home can make effective integrated pest management difficult.

8. Seal holes in the wall and floor. Pests can enter you home through holes as small as 1/16-inch wide. Use caulk to fill in cracks in your walls, baseboards and cabinets. Wire mesh can also aid your pest prevention efforts-fill holes where pipes go through the floor, ceiling and wall.

9. Woodpiles. Never leave piles of firewood in your home or stacked on the ground next to your home. Wood-eating beetles and termites can easily hide under the bark of firewood, and you can inadvertently introduce these pests into your home by leaving it in your home unburned. Keep firewood away from your home and elevated off the ground to keep it dry.

10. Landscaping pest prevention. Keep your gutters free of debris, clear your lawn of leaf piles and twigs, and cut back trees that overhang your roof.

Integrated pest management is about knowing what pests want and not giving it to them. Pest prevention, however, may be ineffective if you already have an infestation. If your home is already infested with pests, take the next step in integrated pest management and contact a green pest control service to remedy the situation.
Looking for Lakewood pest control experts to help get rid cockroaches or other pests in your Colorado home? Alpha Ecological is the place to find eco-friendly pest prevention program information.