If you have a baby, or you ever had one (of course we are talking about literal ones as our children will always be our babies), you will definitely agree that they are life's greatest blessings. They give us joy, and the love we have for them is pure and unconditional. Tell me if you cannot stare at your baby the whole day, and I would find it hard to believe. Everything they do seems to be a milestone that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. We love them so much that we will do everything to protect them; even if it costs our lives.
It is a good thing that as far as pests are concerned, giving our own lives is not necessary at all. Even though pests are dangerous to adults, elderly, adolescents, and babies, there are definitely ways we can do to handle them. Certainly, it is our responsibility to protect our babies.
Having pests in your house is an urgent matter. That is why lots of household owners resort to buying chemical pesticides from the store. While it is true that this can be an effective way to get rid of pests, it is not exactly the safest, especially if you have a baby.
This certainly puts parents in a predicament: to kill or not to kill—pests that is.
Go-Forth Home Services, the best pest control company in Garner, understands this and would like to assure everyone that no one has to sacrifice pest control for babies. In fact, they say that you need it all the more, for baby's sake. In this article, we will discuss with you how, but we need to know how to identify these pests and their behaviors first so that we can effectively apply pest control methods in your home.
What Are Pests?
First, let us define what pests are. Pests are insects or animals that negatively affect daily human activities. Because of that, we will all never get used to pests and we never really should, even if they will always be a part of our lives. If you count all pests, regardless of species or kind, insects and animals number by the billions and will never run out. Each one with different appearance, behaviors, diet, and skills. Getting rid of all of them can really be frustrating because they do know how to adapt. Some have even developed resistance to pesticides (shoutout to cockroaches and bed bugs).
Household pests can be mosquitoes, roaches, flies, weevils, bed bugs, poisonous spiders, moths, ants, and termites. They can also be animals like rats, mice, and birds. Whichever you have, it is impossible to cohabitate with them, since they all can either cause economic damage or health damage. Some can even be both.
For this reason, getting rid of pests is the only course of action. There are DIY's you can do for most, but if the infestation becomes severe, you would need a professional pest control company.
What Is Pest Control?
Pest control can be described as an activity in which pests are either prevented from going inside your home or out in your garden or exterminating them all together in case they were able to do so.
Pests are always in search of food, water, and shelter. If they find out that our houses can provide them with those, they would gladly live with us. In promoting safety pest control, here is why it is best to protect our babies from pests.
Types Of Pests
If you have a baby at home, do everything to protect him or her. There are many different kinds of pests, but we will talk about those that are very harmful to babies and the rest of the family. Here they are:
Mosquitoes
This is the number one pest you should be worried about, especially for your baby. Mosquitoes are known to be the most dangerous creatures on earth due to the fact that their species are responsible for the deaths of millions of people all over the world. Mosquitoes have killed more humans than all the wars in history combined. Every year, millions die due to mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitoes transmit diseases by biting humans and sucking their blood. These diseases include dengue fever, malaria, West Nile fever, encephalitis, and elephantiasis.
Only the female mosquitoes bite. Females have two tubes attached to their mouths: one is for sucking blood, and one is to prevent blood clotting. Female mosquitoes love to breed in stagnant water.
What to do when you have mosquitoes?
Protect your babies by applying mosquito repellent that contains the active ingredient DEET. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that this is safe for babies as young as 2 months old. Try to place a mosquito net over your baby so that mosquitoes would not be able to reach him or her. Then outside, remove old items that can hold water for a long time, like old cans, old tires, old gutters, and abandoned birdbaths. You can also avoid getting bitten by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Cockroaches
If mosquitoes are the most dangerous creatures, cockroaches are the filthiest creatures on earth. They eat anything, which includes fresh food, feces, decomposing animals, and garbage. They like to live in the dirtiest of places. They thrive in sewers or garbage bins, going inside houses from time to time. Cockroaches carry with them lots of bacteria and viruses, especially in their legs. They contaminate our food with their droppings, urine, saliva, and urine, or simply by crawling on our food. Eating contaminated food transmits several deadly diseases. These diseases are salmonella, cholera, food poisoning, diarrhea, and typhoid fever. Inhaling dust contaminated with roach droppings can cause allergies, especially in children.
What to do when you have cockroaches?
To get rid of roaches, you need to have regular general housekeeping. Regularly sweep and mop the floors. Wipe off food residue and drink spills on tables, tabletops, and sinks. Put a lid on your trash cans and regularly throw away your garbage. Put your food inside sealed containers. Use diatomaceous earth. This is made out of the fossilized remains of diatoms.
Rats
Rats are dangerous to have around especially if you have a baby. These are small to medium-sized animals that belong to the rodent family. They normally sleep during the day and are active at night. They can transmit diseases by contaminating our food with their droppings, urine, saliva, and vomit. Among these diseases are salmonella, leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. Aside from that, rats are known to chew on anything that they can. They have incisors that are always growing, and in order to stop them from growing, rats have to nibble on something. The danger here is that they may somehow get to your baby and bite them. What a terrible thought indeed.
They are very intelligent creatures, so it is always very tough to catch them. They are highly inquisitive and always remember things.
To get rid of mice, seal cracks, crevices, and holes around your house by caulking. These can be used as entry points for mice. Put your food in sealed containers. Put a lid on all your trash cans. Regularly dispose of your garbage.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are tiny insects that suck blood to stay alive. They are the size of an Appleseed. They are brown in color with flat bodies, but they turn red and bloat after feeding. They hide in mattresses, bed frames, headboards, and pillows. A bite from a bed bug is very itchy and will leave ugly marks on the skin.
Vacuum clean your beds, furniture, carpets, cracks, and crevices on the walls and bed frames.
Fleas
Fleas are tiny, blood-sucking, parasitic insects that have reddish-brown, narrow bodies. They have long claws on all of their six legs. Fleas normally attack dogs and cats, but will also attack humans too. Like with the bed bugs, flea bites are very itchy.
Protect your baby from fleas. Vacuum your carpets, rugs, and furniture regularly. Set your vacuum cleaner to the highest setting, and your brush to its most powerful. After vacuuming, remember to throw away the contents into a bag. Throw away the bag as it may contain the pupae. Dispose of it accordingly.
Use a flea comb. This can be an effective way to remove fleas from your dog or cat. When using a flea comb, bring with you a cup of soapy water, and do this outside the house. Dip the fleas into the soapy water to drown them.
Garner's Most Trusted Pest Control Company
If you already have infestation problems with any of these pests, then it is time to learn more about our pest control experts in Garner, NC, Go-Forth Home Services. At Go-Forth Home Services, we make sure that we not only get rid of your pest problems but make sure that they would not be coming back. For more information, call us now!