Eliminating sources of food, water and shelter is the first step in pest control. Clutter should be removed, garbage should be stored in tightly-sealed containers and leaky pipes should be promptly repaired.
Physical barriers, traps, and devices that alter the environment are used to suppress pest populations. These methods often reduce the need for pesticides. Contact Nature Shield Pest Solutions now!
Pests like flies, spiders, ants, rodents and cockroaches can pose a significant health and safety hazard to people. They are known to carry disease-causing pathogens that can contaminate surfaces, food and air quality – leaving businesses facing costly operational disruptions, loss of customer confidence and reputational damage.
Preventative measures help to prevent and eliminate pest infestations before they become a major problem. This is often easier and less costly than trying to control an existing pest infestation after it has already taken hold.
The best way to prevent pests is to keep the house clean and remove food, water and shelter sources that can attract them. Regularly wiping and mopping floors, counters and tables helps to reduce the crumbs and spilled food that can attract pests. Tightly sealing food and storing it in containers helps to minimize pest access. Regularly disposing of garbage in tightly closed trash cans also helps to discourage critters from finding a home inside the home.
Screening vents and doors, sealing cracks and gaps in the walls and foundation and repairing leaky pipes and drains can all help to prevent pests from entering the home. Trimming shrubs and keeping them away from the home’s structure helps to prevent pests from using them as a bridge to the property. Inspecting the roof and fixing any areas of leakage can also be a preventative measure because pests often look for moist places to nest.
Some homes also use natural repellents that do not affect humans or pets to keep pests away from the property. These products are usually based on plant oils or natural substances that emit a scent that repels certain pests. They can be sprayed on plants or around the home.
Pest Solutions has a variety of preventative services for both residential and commercial properties that can be scheduled on a quarterly basis. These include interior pest treatments, exterior treatment for cockroaches and ants, a wasp and hornet service that includes removal of the hives and webs and the application of a granule to prevent re-infestation, as well as an outdoor service that includes spraying with Novacide aerosol for quick knockdown on active pests and an insect growth regulator that keeps new populations from forming for up to seven months.
Suppression Measures
Insects, weeds, nematodes, pathogens and vertebrates that cause damage or interfere with production, can be considered pests. They can also affect human health, the surrounding environment and even natural ecosystems. In order to keep pest populations in check, a wide range of control measures can be employed. These include cultural, physical and chemical.
Cultural control refers to practices that disrupt the pest’s habitat or prevent movement. Plowing, crop rotation, cleaning greenhouse and tillage equipment, removing infected plant material, mulching, and managing irrigation schedules are all cultural controls that can be used to deprive pests of a comfortable home or to inhibit their spread.
Biological control uses natural enemies of the pest to keep populations low and to supplement other control methods. This can be achieved by releasing predators or parasites that naturally occur in the environment, or by genetically altering insects to make them less attractive as food for other organisms or as prey for birds and mammals.
Chemical control involves the use of insecticides, herbicides and other chemicals to kill or repel pests. It is a last resort approach that should only be used when all other control methods are ineffective, and it is advisable to consult with a Pest Solutions provider before using any chemical controls.
Pest Solutions can utilize a variety of chemical and non-chemical pest control techniques that are safe for both you, your family, your pets and the environment. They are careful to evaluate each situation, understand the underlying causes of pest problems and utilize a combination of tactics to accomplish their objectives.
Before applying pesticides, Pest Solutions providers follow product labels and all safety precautions. Basic personal protective equipment (PPE) is often used to minimize exposure risk to you, your family and pets. This includes long sleeves, closed-toe shoes, gloves and face protection. This, along with a thorough understanding of pesticides and how they work, helps to ensure your safety and that the pesticide is used properly and responsibly. This enables a greater probability of success and a positive impact on the environment. The Pest Solutions team is trained in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is a proactive, integrated approach to pest management that balances prevention and suppression strategies with the goal of maintaining healthy crops without damaging the environment.
Eradication Measures
Pest infestations can cause significant damage to your home, reducing its value and resulting in costly repair bills. Early detection and eradication of pests protects you from expensive structural damage and repairs, while safeguarding your family’s health and safety.
Threshold-based decision-making involves scouting and monitoring. For example, a few wasps seen flying around doesn’t warrant control measures; however, the presence of a large number of stinging insects in a specific area indicates that action must be taken. The best way to achieve effective eradication of pests is through integrated pest management (IPM), a combination of physical, biological, and chemical control methods that are tailored to your situation.
Using the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach reduces the amount of chemicals used in your home, decreasing environmental pollution and the risk to human and animal health. IPM employs a variety of low-risk techniques such as cultural controls, habitat manipulation, physical barriers and other non-chemical treatments. Chemicals are used only when necessary and when other control strategies have failed.
Preventative actions include closing gaps and cracks around doors, windows, vents, and walls with caulk, sealing, and mesh wire wool. It’s important to store food in sealed containers, dispose of garbage regularly, and keep outdoor items such as toys and garden tools away from the house to prevent pests from accessing them.
Physical traps and baits can also be used to rid your home of existing pests. Sticky traps and glue boards use flat or folded paper with sticky adhesives to capture pests, while live traps contain tilted containers or cages to hold pests until they can be safely relocated.
A wide variety of natural predators and parasitoids can help eliminate unwanted pests. Praying mantis and ladybugs eat cockroaches, beetles, flies, and mosquitoes in the home, while spiders remove rodents from gardens. Biological insecticides such as bacteria, viruses and fungi can also be used to control certain pests.
Sanitation practices can reduce the carryover of pests from one area to another, including good crop and soil handling and cleaning. It’s also important to clean and decontaminate equipment, vehicles, and animals before entering a pest-free area or moving from a pest-infested field. Increasing the frequency of garbage pickup and properly managing waste materials can also lower access to food, water, shelter, and other resources for pests.
Post Treatment Monitoring
Pest Solutions offers a variety of services that prevent and control household pests, including termite inspections, bed bug treatment, and rodent control. It also provides mosquito management, saving customers from costly home repairs and unnecessary energy costs. Its technicians are qualified and experienced, and they use integrated pest management methods to deliver results that save homes and businesses money.
Upon the completion of a pest control treatment, it’s important to take steps to ensure that the solution is fully effective. For example, it’s critical to understand when it’s safe to clean treated areas of your property. In some cases, you may need to wait for a certain amount of time to resume normal activity.
Insight Pest Solutions offers several guarantees, including a re-treatment guarantee and a smile guarantee that ensures every technician will greet customers with a friendly face. The company’s general pest control plan covers ants, spiders, wasps, cockroaches, and termite monitoring and inspection. However, the website offers little additional information about the plan. It is unclear whether it addresses other pests, such as sugar ants and rodents.