Keeping your home insect-free
This time of year is commonly associated with romance and love. The last thing you want, however, is pests sharing in the love and breeding on your property. Pest problems make it difficult to feel comfortable in your home. Today, we will go over warning signs that pests are starting to infest your home and measures you can take to prevent them from multiplying further.
If you see a rat or mouse on your property, you should never just ignore it as a one-time thing. Rodents are mainly nocturnal, so if you see one rodent during the day, it can mean that there are hundreds of other ones hiding out of sight. Once rodents have established themselves in your home or yard, they quickly reproduce and grow a colony. A single female rat can produce around 56 offspring in one year, causing the rat population to quickly get out of control. It won’t be long until you have a full-blown infestation on your hands.
The breeding cycle starts when a male and female rodent come in contact and breed. Gestation usually lasts around twenty days, and each little can produce between six to twelve babies. After giving birth, females usually quickly become pregnant again. She could have different litters within a month of each other. Some animals have a certain period when breeding takes place, but rodents mate around the year. These activities may be slowed during the winter when it’s colder, but if the rats have moved into your home, then they won’t have that issue. They will be warm and have access to food, water, and shelter, meaning there’s nothing stopping them from reproducing. As you can see, placing a couple of mouse traps is not enough to get rid of a rat or mouse problem.
Rodents are excellent at staying hidden, although you may notice signs of their activity, such as droppings, chew marks, greasy stains, and hearing scurrying and squeaking. Rats and mice are able to fit through any holes their skulls can, meaning that they can squeeze through tiny gaps. Sealing potential entry points into your home can help to keep rodents out. Independent Pest Solutions’ team can inspect your property to identify and seal up cracks and holes. Our expert pest control technicians will also remove debris, waste, and nesting materials. It’s important to not leave food sitting out and to have secure containers in your pantry so that rats and mice cannot use your food as a resource. Clean up crumbs and spills as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
Another type of pest that could be breeding on your property is cockroaches. Some people don’t know that cockroaches do indeed live in the Pacific Northwest and can infest your home. They are attracted to food in the same way that most pests are. These bugs are able to eat pretty much anything they can get ahold of, whether that be scraps or crumbs, organic material, or even packaging. Cockroaches especially like warmth, which means they may try to gain access to your home for shelter. They are notoriously hardy critters that can survive under harsh conditions. Cockroaches like to breed in areas that are warm and secluded. Make sure to clean the dark corners of your cupboards and basement to keep them at bay, as well as make sure they cannot access any food.
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Bed bugs are another type of pest that can quickly breed and take over a space. Bed bugs breed through traumatic insemination, where the male bed bugs inject sperm into the females through a wound in their abdomen. Female bed bugs are able to lay clutches or one to seven eggs daily. These eggs take between six and ten days to hatch, and another three weeks to become adults. Bed bugs are able to lay 200-250 eggs during their life, rapidly infesting homes. Even just a few female bed bugs in your home can create thousands of individual bugs. Bed bugs don’t just breed on beds, despite their name. They can live in gaps in the floor. This type of pest lays eggs in crevices in headboards, bed frames, mattresses, and more. They can quickly spread from room to room as well. It’s important to have a professional pest control service deal with a bed bug problem and break their lifecycle so that they can’t come back again.
If you see any signs of pest activity, it’s smart to reach out to a pest control company as soon as possible. Independent Pest Solutions’ team is knowledgeable about the breeding habits of a wide variety of local pests. It’s important to keep the pests from breeding so that the infestation does not become larger. Not only will we get rid of the pests, but we will work to eliminate the conditions that allowed them to live in your home in the first place. This means sealing off entry points, doing a deep clean of the space, and eliminating food and moisture resources that the pests were relying upon.
If you attempt to get rid of hardy pests such as cockroaches, rodents, or bed bugs on your own, it’s likely that you will not be successful. Many pesticides only kill adult bugs, leaving the eggs and pupae unharmed and able to hatch and continue infesting your home. Even just a couple surviving individuals can make the pest problem return. Independent Pest Solutions knows effective pest control methods that will exterminate pests at every stage of their lifecycle. We will come to the property for follow-up treatments to ensure that the pest problem is resolved. After getting rid of the pests, we can perform a full attic or crawlspace cleanout. This means cleaning out waste and nesting materials, replacing the insulation, and making sure that the pests don’t have a chance to come back into your home.
Independent Pest Solutions’ pest control technicians are licensed and highly-trained. They will swiftly identify the issue and get rid of the pests. We apply our years of experience to every job that we take on. When you need help with a pest problem, we are the ones to call. Independent Pest Solutions is on standby to serve people in the local community.
