In his book, ‘The art of war’, Sun Tsu calls on every general going to war to understand and know his or her enemy. That is the first draw; he calls upon the generals then to go about killing the enemy with this newfound knowledge that is bound to throw the enemy into confusion while in combat. You can draw parallels in the fact that these ideas can be used to get rid of pests. By knowing what type of pests you are going against, you are rightly placed to use the right measures to completely eradicate the pest from your house.
Are there many pests found in your home or office area? All these pests are in one way or the other destructive and it should be your goal to mitigate against this destruction.
How do you kill something you do not know? The agenda of this article is to educate you on the various types of household pests and their control. Once you know what types of insects your home is prone to, you will be in a position to destroy them and be careful around harmful ones. The major household pests include
- Cockroach
It is rumored that cockroaches can survive a nuclear holocaust; however, it does not mean that they cannot die. There are about 400 species of cockroaches in the world but only 30 are found in domestic places such as offices and homes. They love sweet foods, warmth and moisture; you will find them in crevices in your kitchen and cabinets where they can breed and lay their eggs.
They are a major contributor in the occurrences of dysentery due to their unhygienic nature, their dangerous secretions and other germs they carry on them from different places they go to which are basically dirty places such as sewers and garbage sites.
To kill cockroaches and ensure they stay dead, you need to use pesticides that have the capacity to kill them. Another tip is to use different pesticides because they adapt very fast and they might adapt to your pesticide and continue breeding.
- Termites
Termites will destroy any piece of wood that they come across, they are underground creatures drawn to wood for one reason or another. Apart from this, they can cause painful bites and some species secrete a gas that can lead to lung failure with time. They are killed effectively by using fumigation or pesticides. It is more effective to destroy their habitats by removal of termite hills and submerging them inside water.
- Ants
This are perhaps the most common pests in your home, they are drawn to sugar and normally infest the house when there is no food in the surrounding, owing to dry conditions. Scientist put their specie numbers at 1200 or more and they are well known for their various migratory patterns, the truth is that they can go away for a while before they come back and cause havoc in your house.
They also come in different sizes and various defensive techniques. The most effective way to prevent their infestation is to put a tight lid on sugary things in your house, wiping the surfaces and using pesticides in case they soar out of control.
- Slugs
Slugs are in the same family as snails and are slimy pests that leave shiny disgusting trails in their wake. Some species have shells on their back as their homes. They are the major cause of bilharzias among urban and rural population. They can be killed using pesticides; however, the most effective way to kill them is by using table salt. Once you find their colony, you surround it with table salt and starve them.
- Rats
The rat has a reputation of being dirty, disgusting and vile. They can wreck havoc in homes, offices and anywhere they go. They eat almost anything, if they could, they could chew through metal. From the beginning of time, they have been the most hated household pests and one of the most sought after species to kill and destroy by the use of cats, traps and poisoned bait.