For a pest free life...
21 June, 2008
Mosquitoes and flies are often a persistent problem in our homes. Krithika Sukumar meets Sam Easaw, Managing Director, Rentokil India, and returns with some tips on pest-control.
Mosquitoes are a very common problem in Chennai. While installing mosquito nets help keeping mosquitoes out of your home, it is essential to make sure that your doors and windows remain shut before sunrise and after sunset to lessen the chances of mosquitoes entering your home altogether. Most pests are carriers of diseases. Some are fatal, like dengue fever, which can be carried by a mosquito. Read on for tips on how to free your home from pests...
- Getting wall treated with chemical anti-mosquito solution will keep mosquitoes away for a longer period. Generally, walls must be treated once every two months.
- Make sure that the solution used on your walls contains certified chemicals from reputed companies. Otherwise, they may be harmful to inhale.
- Termites can eat their way through wooden furniture and sometimes even roofs. They originate from the soil, so it's best to use an anti-termite treatment in your home before the concrete is laid.
- If your house is near a gutter, or if there's no proper disposal of garbage, there are chances of having rats invading your home. Homes can be treated with an anti-rat process, but that must most certainly go along with setting up rat-traps.
- The most effective way to rid your home of rats is to find the source from where the rats are coming. rats usually breed in dark and moist areas. If they are infesting your home because of an improper drainage system, it is better to deal with the problem by getting the drainage system fixed, rather than merely using anti-rat treatment processes.
- Flies are sometimes seasonal, and increase in number during certain months of the year. Although they have a 30-day life cycle, they can breed very quickly in areas where garbage is not properly disposed off.
- You can get rid of cockroaches by treating walls with chemical solutions, but general cleanliness of the home can ensure that cockroaches do not breed further.
- Lizards feed on mosquitoes, and hence keep your home free of mosquitoes.
- Using anti-insect sprays can sometimes be harmful, as some of them contain aerosol. Care must be exercised when choosing sprays, coils or mats.
- For gardens, insect repellents may be used to diminish their number.
- Pests cannot be eradicated; they can only be controlled. Besides, surroundings have a bearing on the persistence of pestilence inside your homes. So, cleaner roads, better disposal of garbage, and active participation from the municipality towards keeping the city clean can ensure that pest menace is reduced in general.