Pest Control

The term pest can refer to any unwanted living organism in your home. Pest control professionals (or exterminators) are adept at dealing with hundreds of unwanted house and office guests, including flies, birds, ants, termites, fleas, bees, hornets, wasps, roaches, silverfish, rats, mice, squirrels, moles, and raccoons.

Pest control is important because most pests combine exceptional reproductive zeal with an equally powerful likelihood for carrying disease. Without control, one pair of German roaches can expand to more than 2 million in less than a year. It's not unusual for bacteriologists to find salmonella bacteria on cockroaches. Additionally, cockroaches are believed to spread viruses, and they can cause allergic reactions for many people, especially asthmatic children.

Forms of Pest Control
Pest-control tools and techniques are as varied as their targets. Perhaps the best known of these are the fly swatter and the mousetrap, although more advanced solutions abound. Professional exterminators employ methods that include poisons, bottle and bag traps, glue sticks and glue paper, foggers, aerosol sprays, bait stations, and even ultraviolet light traps. Non-toxic pest control products are increasingly popular in recent years.

Exterminator service professionals emphasize prevention as an essential element of any pest control program. Among tactics they suggest are covering garbage cans, practicing extreme cleanliness in the kitchen, storing pet foods in sealed containers, and sealing all potential pest entry points. A mouse needs only a 3/8-inch crack or hole to get inside. Pay special attention to places where wires, pipes, or other utility lines enter a building.

Termites, Ants, and Other Bug Control
Other than mice, termites, ants, and other bugs are the most common form of household pest. Many pest control companies specialize in exterminating these insidious pests. Because of their smaller size and stealthy behavior, they may be difficult to identify right away. For the same reasons, they are also notoriously difficult to exterminate and remove from your home. The best forms of bug control are usually specialized chemicals that act with a delayed effect, allowing the poison to infect the entire population, including the queen. Even then, bug control may still require diligent, preventive measures to keep the bugs from returning.

Common Pest Dangers
Each pest can offer unique dangers. Squirrels and bats that get into your attic can damage insulation, wiring, and roof framing. They can create intolerable odors that are nearly impossible to remove and can introduce dangerous diseases to your home as well. Termites, ants, and other bugs can eat through wood and other building materials causing serious and costly damage to your home. Birds can spread disease through feces, and birds such as woodpeckers can cause property damage with their incessant urge to drill. Essentially, every pest offers a danger far greater than a simple nuisance, and dealing with the problem immediately can save you money and protect your family from potentially greater harm.