Tips for pest control
Last updated: 21-08-2023
~ 4 min. read
How to control pests
Perhaps you shudder at the thought and would rather not hear about it. Pests. Yet it is very important to know how to act in the event of an infestation or nuisance. It is even better to take a number of preventive measures in advance. Prevention is still better than cure, or in this case, combat. Because no one wants a nuisance smell, electricity cables chewed through or a book eaten away.
Three types of common pests
In the following blog we will discuss three common pests.
Rats
Just that long tail. But that's not the only problem. Rats are a nuisance. They damage your home and transmit disease. You can prevent a rat infestation with a few simple tips. Controlling them is more difficult, especially since the use of rat poison is prohibited.
You can keep rats out by taking the following measures:
What you can do
Seal cracks, gaps and holes in floors and gables with special repellent. Place special repellent plugs at cavity wall openings. Rats only need a small opening to get in, which they can do through manholes, sewers and drainpipes. Make sure that there is adequate ventilation.
Do not leave anything edible lying around. Buy a lockable bin and store pet food in lockable plastic bins or barrels in the garage or shed. Remove fallen fruit from under fruit trees and never leave bread scraps behind when feeding the birds. It is better not to feed any birds at all.
Tidy up in and around the house
Rats prefer messy and sheltered places. Keep the front of your house and shed clear (don't pile anything against it) and prune bushes at the bottom.
Do you have an aviary or chicken coop? If so, close it with fine mesh netting all around to prevent the rats from feasting on it.
Still haven't managed to keep the rats out despite the above tips?
Then it's best to contact a pest controller. If several people in your neighbourhood are bothered by rats, contact the municipality.
Using poison to control rats is illegal, but you can use a trap on your own property.
Do you doubt whether you are dealing with rats or mice? You will probably find droppings. Rat droppings are 0.5 centimetres thick to 2 centimetres long. They are often stuck together like a pile. In places where rats walk a lot, they leave behind belly grease (a fatty layer).
All the above measures also apply to mice, of course.
Ants
Although ants are useful creatures, you would rather get rid of them inside the house. But they can also cause damage outdoors and can even disrupt an entire patio. Fortunately, there are some environmentally friendly ways to keep ants at bay.
What you can do
Seal off seams and cracks and cover ventilation holes with fine mesh (insect gauze). Ants are always diligently looking for food. Therefore, always ensure that the kitchen counter is clean and free of crumbs and leftover sweets, and always close opened containers properly. Clean the countertop and kitchen cabinets thoroughly with soap to remove the bait trail. An ant that has discovered food immediately makes a trail with odour, which attracts other ants. Before you know it, you have an infestation.
Next, it is important to take measures outside and to lead the ants astray. Ants follow their fixed route via a scent trail. That trail has to be interrupted. Ants in the garden do not like strong-smelling herbs and spices such as carrots, mint, basil, lavender and chives.
Ants like to nest under tiles. There they are safe and warm. So the fewer tiles there are in a garden, the less chance there will be of ants.
Less tiles is also better for the environment. More rainwater can enter the soil.
Ants can usually be combated with a few home, garden and kitchen remedies. It is certainly worth a try.
- Pour boiling water over the ants or the anthill.
- Sprinkle coffee grounds or pepper at the entrance of an anthill.
- Fight ants with strongly scented herbs/plants
- Put copper (e.g. pennies) in the garden
Do you want to control the ants chemically? This is only possible with an authorised pesticide that can be recognised by its approval number.
Please note that if you have to deal with tropical ants, a professional ant exterminator should be called in.