MAIN Home Life Home Improvement Insect Control

Insects may be among the smallest creatures on the earth, but they pose one of the biggest problems for home owners.

Anyone who has hunted a cricket in the floorboards at 3 AM can testify to the annoyance factor of having insect visitors.There is a reason people say that something bugs them!

Infestations by ants or roaches can make your kitchen a nightmare, and biting insects like fleas, bedbugs, ticks, spiders, mosquitos, some ants and even tiny flies can be an even bigger threat to the health of the people who live in your home.

Then there are the dreaded termites, happily feasting on the wood that holds your house together...

Getting rid of insects takes more than swatting one when you get a chance. Home owners who are serious about living bug free need to start outside the house. Standing water in children's toys may seem harmless, but a few warm days can create a mosquito paradise in that small pail hidden in the hedges.

Making sure that your yard and garden are not open invitations to pesky bugs is the first step to keeping them away from your home. There are natural and chemical products that you can apply to your grass to prevent insects from living close to you. Policing the area for any items that might become mosquito attracting pools after a rain is also important.

Check the outside of the house for cracks and spaces. Crawling insects may see these as an invitation to move in with you. Get the message across that uninvited visitors are not wanted by sealing up the openings. You may want to spray the perimeter of the house, windows and doors as well as the base of the foundation, with a chemical barrier to prevent crawling insects from wandering across your threshold.

Make sure that the window and door screens are in good condition and use them. Remind kids that leaving the screen door open means mosquito bites in the morning!

If you are against chemicals, which kill all of the good bugs along with the pests, you may want to consider some natural alternatives. While a bat colony in your trees will help control bugs, you may decide that putting up a bird feeder is a more pleasant idea. Birds eat many times their weight in insects daily and are pretty to look at!

A bit of powdered boric acid scattered in places where ants and roaches travel - they have "roads" around your kitchen - will get rid of both the ones you see and the ones hidden in nests behind the cabinets. Be careful with the boric acid around children and pets, Make sure to spread it only where they won't accidently eat any or get it on their paws - or hands.

Turn off those bright lights that attract flying bugs after dark or at least change to dimmer, yellow lights. Some folks praise bug sappers that attract insects and provide a jolt of electricity for any that land, others don't find them very helpful.

If things get really bad, calling a professional to give you a hand in the fight is recommended. You'll find many exterinators who are willing to work with organic bug control products as well as the better known toxic chemicals.

There are endless remedies for ridding your home of unwaned pests. If you do have a bug problem, you'll need to find what worked for other home owners in your area. You may not want to discuss a roach infestation with a neighbor, but you can find plenty of anonymous help online to make insects go away for good.

Get the information you need on termites, ants, houseflies and other creepy crawlies usually found in and around the home, with facts and stats on their biology, eating habits, and experts tips and methods for prevention and control...

termite.com - Extensive local coverage on the subject by U.S. state, along with additional info on insect and animal pests by area and suggested treatments.

Pest Information Central - Illustrated do-it-yourself advice on what to do about squirrels, bats, rats, ants, roaches, termites and more.

Symbio's Non-Toxic Pest Management Index - Garlic, eucalyptus, and other practical non-chemical treatments and prevention relating to a host of household pests running the gamut from ants to whiteflies.

bugspray.com - A virtual encyclopedia of home pest control with everything you ever wanted to know about insects and pests from aphids to woodchucks, along with the products to keep them at bay. Excellent mix of facts and salesmanship.

About Bugs - Good multi-part overview of the biology and health threats posed by ants, cockroaches, fleas, dust mites, houseflies, lice, mosquitoes, spiders, ticks, wasps and bees with related info on lyme disease, West Nile virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Termite Control: Answers for the Homeowner - Illustrated Q&A from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and check out the related Termite Baits: A Guide for Homeowners.

also in House & Home--> Pest Control

also see in Gardening --> Garden Bugs & Pests