Long time Mississauga homeowners know exactly how stressful it can be to have your home infested with pests. Depending on the pest you have the displeasure of sharing your home with, it can be quite costly to exterminate them and repair damages they have done to your home. Even more worrisome than the financial burden imposed by unwanted pest infestations is the fact that some of them can pose serious health risks to you and your family.
The best way to handle pests is always with preventative measures to minimize your chances of having an infestation in the first place. Making your home pest proof and keeping it clean to deter pests from entering your home are two examples of common preventative measures you can take. Even the most prepared people, however, are susceptible to having a pest infestation in their home. Once this happens you can always try do-it-yourself pest control methods, but for the best results it is highly recommended to hire a professional pest control company like Pestend Pest Control Mississauga. If you are a Mississauga homeowner and would like to learn everything you need to know to keep the most common pests in Mississauga at bay, continue reading this article.
Termites in Mississauga
Mississauga pest control companies
know all too well how serious of an issue termites can be to your home. They can severely damage the internal wood structure of your home making it more dangerous for those living inside and lowering the property value significantly. Every year it is estimated that termites cause approximately $120 million in property damages throughout the GTA.
Risks of Having Termites In Your Home
Luckily termites do not pose a serious health risk to humans. They can bite and sting you but these are harmless bites since they do not have any sort of venom. The main risk associated with termites infesting your home is the structural damage that they can impose by feeding on the wooden structure, usually going undetected for long periods of time. These damages can be very costly to repair, and in extreme cases can even cause your entire house to collapse.
How to Avoid Having a Termite Infestation
To minimize your risk of having termites infest your Mississauga home you need to reduce any favourable living conditions for them. Knowing that they feed on wood and need moisture to survive, here are some tips to minimize your risk of an infestation:
- Make sure that all water sources such as sprinklers and downspouts are facing away from your home
- Get rid of any standing water near your home’s foundation
- Do not place mulch or firewood against the exterior of your home
How to Get Rid of Termites
Even with taking preventative measures, termites can still infest your home quite easily, often going unnoticed. If you do realize that termites have infested your home, call a professional exterminator. It requires special skills to locate and eradicate these pests from your home, and if not done properly can lead to further damage of your home’s structure. For professional termite and ant control in Mississauga contact Pestend Pest Control Mississauga.
Bed Bugs in Mississauga
In the last 10 years bed bug infestations have been increasing throughout Mississauga homes and buildings. These blood-sucking pests are notorious for hitching rides to new locations going unnoticed and multiplying very quickly in your home. Bed bugs are also very good at hiding and thus it can be very difficult to spot them in your home.
Risks of Having Bed Bugs in Your Home
Bed bugs bite their hosts while they sleep, often leaving very ugly bite marks on the skin. Although they feed on your blood, bed bugs are not known to cause any serious physical harm to humans aside from the odd allergic reaction. The biggest risk associated with these pests is the psychological distress they can impose on their hosts. Knowing that you have these tiny bugs sucking your blood while you sleep can be very distressful, often causing sleep disorders and even depression.
How to Avoid Having a Bed Bug Infestation
As mentioned above, bed bugs are notorious for hitching rides to new homes in people’s clothing and luggage. If you are in a bed bug infested place you can easily fall victim to these blood suckers without even noticing until it’s too late. Here are some suggestions for minimizing your chance of having bed bugs infest your home:
- When travelling, examine the mattress seams and other common bed bug hiding spots of your hotel room
- Use a protective cover on your box spring and mattress designed to keep bed bugs out
- If you are buying secondhand furniture, examine it carefully to ensure no bed bugs or eggs are present
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are very difficult to spot in your home as they are notorious for hiding in small, hard to reach places. On top of that, they are not easy to kill either since they have strong exoskeletons and have developed a resistance to most pesticides. If you suspect that bed bugs have infested your home, call a professional bed bug exterminator in Mississauga who has the necessary knowledge and tools to eradicate them like we do at Pestend Pest Control Mississauga.
Cockroaches in Mississauga
Another nasty pests that is common in Mississauga homes and apartments are cockroaches. They are often found near food sources in your home including your kitchen and bedroom, or in warm damp areas such as garages and basements. Once they invade your premises they can spread quickly and go relatively unnoticed since they are nocturnal creatures that like to stay away from bright lights.
Risks of Having Cockroaches in Your Home
Cockroaches, unlike bed bugs or termites, do not bite their hosts or cause any type of structural damage to your home. The danger that they pose to is a result of them being very dirty insects which can potentially contaminate your food. When cockroaches come out to feed at night, they typically walk all over any exposed food in your home, defecating and leaving other traces of bacteria behind which can make you very ill if ingested.
How to Avoid Having a Cockroach Infestation
By simply practicing a basic home maintenance regimen around the house, you can significantly reduce your chances of having a cockroach infestation. Same as other pests, you have to begin by understanding what attracts cockroaches to your home in the first place and eliminate as many of these attractions as possible. Here are some tips to reduce the risk of a cockroach infestation:
- Have your garbage in a sealed bin and remove it from the interior of your home frequently
- Keep your house clean of food residue, especially in dark and damp areas such as under kitchen appliances
- Wash dishes immediately after use or leave them in the sink with soap and water
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches
Exterminating cockroaches in Mississauga is much easier than bed bugs and termites. If the infestation seems like a small one you can usually do the job yourself by purchasing a cockroach bait or by making your own natural cockroach bait from 3 parts boric acid to 1 part sugar and strategically placing the bait around the home. The sugar will attract roaches to the bait while the boric acid will kill them once ingested. If, however, the infestation in your home is a serious one, your best bet is to call us – your local cockroach control company in Mississauga who will be able to eradicate the pests from your home completely.
