Your Complete Guide to Getting Rid of Pests

You’ve done it. You’ve found the perfect home at the cheapest price. You’ve done all the work, convinced your significant other, checked the local schools and crime rates. Everything seems great. Then you get a strange inkling that maybe there’s something wrong with the place. It’s so modestly priced. Could there be a strange history? You google the address and nothing comes up. On paper and search, everything seems perfect. Fast-forward 6 months, and you notice little bites missing from your toast. You leave the pies out to cool down on the counter and there are mysterious holes in the crust. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing a serious pest problem, don’t panic. There’s always hope. There are professionals out there that are willing to survey, plan, and execute. Professional exterminators are good at their job. They’re trained and understand what you want as a customer, relative to the area you live in. Let's say you live in Manchester. Well, you’re going to find the best Pest Control Manchester has to offer, right? Of course, you are. So what exactly are the most common household pests? How do you know if you’re experiencing an infestation? Here’s a quick guide detailing the most frequently encountered vermin in modern neighborhoods. 

Rats

Rats are globally regarded as the harbingers of disease and pestilence. Why? Because they harbor disease and pestilence. It’s as simple as that. Some find them cute. Some find them cuddly. Some regions in Asia regard them as symbols of their religion. But in the modern, Western context, rats have brought dozens of diseases to people around the world. How? They’re similar to us. They react like us and move within the same circles, albeit underground and in the basement. This is why we use murine subjects in scientific experiments. There’s a pretty good chance if it works on them, it could work on us. So how do we get rid of them? The pros use a combination of traps, poison, and deterrents. There are supersonic deterrents that they can offer that releases an unbearable sound in the portal of entry into your home. Outside, remember to patch up all the holes you may have, keep your house clean, and close all pantries. That’s the most effective way to keep them out.

Ants

There are few things more strange and foreign to us than insects, particularly ants. When it comes to rats and other mammalian pests, at least we know there are some shared characteristics we can understand. With insects, they’re just aliens. Ants come in massive droves and seem to be impossible to get rid of. Why? Because they outnumber us, humans, almost two-million to one (literally). What we can do, though, is applying a similar strategy to rats but with more aggressive chemical involvement. The infestations stem from colonies. You seek out the colonies, completely eradicate it, and remove all inviting stimuli like food and garbage. You can try to seek out the colony on your own, but it will be so much easier if you hire someone to do it for you. You’d have to individually buy all those noxious chemicals and read the guidelines. How many of us are going to do that? But if you do, remember: always find the source. There’s not much use in constantly spraying the counter thinking the colony had been affected. If the numbers go down, this stimulates more and more ant production, leading to an even crazier problem. 

Cockroaches 

Nobody likes roaches. Unless you’re a biologist or an entomologist, chances are you’re not a fan of them, especially the big ones. Even if you can tolerate them, the second the wings expand, nobody is tough. The way you attract cockroaches is the same way you attract any kind of pest: food, crumbs, garbage, moist areas around the house, dark drawers. So the first thing you want to do to keep away cockroaches is to wash your dishes as soon as you can. It’s the prevention that works when it comes to these particular pests. If you properly store your food and wash surfaces, you can drastically reduce the number of cockroaches in your home. 

Of course, if you live in an old flat, there are chances that the whole building is infested and you’re just the latest victim of an old problem. In that case, the classic bait and boric acid may not do as well. Exterminators use a variety of techniques. They use a special gel bait to bring them out from the cracks and corners. They also often have to do a fumigation tent for large jobs. These are the most solid options available for getting rid of cockroaches. 

Mosquitos 

Pop quiz! What disease has killed more people than any other disease? No, it’s not Influenza. COVID-19? Goodness, no. Not even close to the top 100. Malaria. Malaria, the red blood cell parasite, clocked in at 228,000,000 cases in 2019. It killed 405,000 people in 2018 and 416,000 people in 2017. It has killed more people than any other disease in human history. So much so that people with certain hemoglobin mutations were selectively favored and that trait passed on. 

Mosquitos, particularly the genus Anopheles, carry malaria. But that’s not all. Other species have been responsible for the spread of Zika, Dengue, and yellow fever to name a choice few. That calls for eradication. Again, prevention is the best method. Install screen doors if you have access to them. Cover rain collecting vessels and pour out any open water basin. Make sure you fumigate the area immediately if you notice an increase in mosquito numbers. 

Getting rid of pests isn’t easy to do on your own. If you’re planning on doing it, more power to you. On the other hand, professionals who have been doing this for years have a set plan already. That's not to say you shouldn’t do your bouts of upkeep and maintenance. But for the big jobs, sometimes it takes big guns. That’s how you truly get rid of pests, permanently.