The Importance of Pest Control for Your Investment Properties

The following was written by guest blogger Tom Dunkle.

Pests aren’t just a nuisance. They can threaten your health and property. Without the right approach to pest control, many property owners may face unexpected repair and healthcare expenses.

To help protect your property from pests and the dangers associated with them, it’s essential to focus on pest control.

Read on to learn about the importance of pest control, why you need pest control, and how it can help to preserve your home and health.

Pest control to prevent damage to home and health

Pests are active 24/7 throughout the entire year. Some pests, like ants, can live for many years, setting up colonies and nurturing millions of young.

While it’s possible to eliminate pests once they take up residence in a home, prevention is the real key to pest control. As a property owner, you can help keep pests out by following a few simple tips:

How to help prevent pests from getting into a house

There are a few ways to help pests from invading your property. Tending to areas where they may enter your home from the outside is a good start in keeping pests at bay.

1. Seal all holes and cracks in windows and doors.
2. Cover vents with wire mesh.
3. Keep gutters and drains in good shape.
4. Minimize the use of wood for landscaping.
5. Manage any produce in your backyard so it doesn’t attract pests.

How to make your property less attractive to pests

While making sure the outside of the house and yard are not hospitable to pests, it’s also important to make sure that your property is as unattractive as possible to any critters who may be looking for a place to crash. Here are a few tips to deter pests from taking up residence in a home:

1. Clean the home regularly to eliminate food particles.
2. Wash clothes and linens often to help keep them clean.
3. Clean mattresses at least once per year.
4. Keep food covered, preferably in airtight containers.
5. Keep the garbage can closed, and empty it as often as possible.
6. Fix leaking pipes and faucets.
7. Eliminate clutter from corners.

While these can help tremendously, they still aren’t always successful. Unfortunately, pests can find the smallest opening to crawl through or survive on tiny amounts of food for weeks. If the neighbors have pests, no matter how well you follow the rules, those pests may make their way to your property next.

That’s why it’s imperative to arrange for regular pest control. Pest control experts can inspect your property for signs of infestations and determine what needs to be done to begin to eliminate the threat. They can also give valuable advice about preventing future pest issues.

Why do pests need to be controlled?

Many property owners mistakenly believe that they should deal with a pest problem only when they see evidence of it. However, pests may start infesting a home long before you ever see them. They need to be controlled because a small infestation can quickly develop into a much bigger problem.

They can cause health problems

Some pests can cause health problems. Not only can some pests, like cockroaches, trigger allergens, but others, such as rodents like mice and rats, can also carry pathogens that can cause serious diseases.

Rodents

Rodents don’t just eat and contaminate 20 percent of the world’s food supply every year. They can carry pathogens that can cause diseases like tuberculosis, salmonella, and leptospirosis. Their urine, feces, and saliva are known to contribute to the spread of disease among humans.

Rats and mice can also bring fleas, mites and ticks with each infestation, increasing the number of pests in a home.