You are such a pest! Why are you pestering me? Pests, this is a word we reserve for people who get on our very last nerve. We all have such people around us. Ever wondered why people like these are called by this name? Simple, they are as troublesome as the creatures that go by the name.
What Exactly Are Pests?
Historically, the word was used to describe deadly epidemics and diseases. As time went on, the definition was gradually refined until it is now used to refer to any organism – animal, insect or plant – that poses a threat or nuisance to human existence. These include the destruction of plants and crops required for human livelihood and of course the transmission of diseases. It should now be a bit clearer why we call some humans by this name.
Why You Should be Wary Them
Like we stated above, these creatures cause harm to humans either directly or indirectly. They can usually be much smaller than humans and even the other organisms they attack. To put things in proper perspective, we will look at a few definite examples of these pests and how they might affect humans.
Like we stated above, a pest can be an animal, insect or plant. We will however only give examples of a few animals and insects.
Animals
A lot of these creatures fall under this category. There are those that carry diseases and those that decimate plants and crops.
Disease Carrying Animals
A few examples of animals under this category include pigeons, seagulls, feral dogs and cats. Some of these eat human or other wastes and then become hosts for disease causing pathogens.
Plant Destroying Animals
Birds like crows; mammals like rats, mice and rabbits can eat crops and stored food produce. Rats and mice can also carry disease causing pathogens with which they can contaminate the stored foods they eat, making the remaining produce unsafe for human consumption.
Others
There are other animals that do not eat food produce or carry diseases but cause other problems. Examples are woodpeckers that can eat into wooden beams in a home, causing structural problems. The same goes for grey squirrels that can live inside the walls of your home, attic spaces and roofline also causing structural instability. Examples include mosquitoes which can cause malaria, beg bugs which carry diseases as well as cockroaches. Other examples like termites can cause damage to furniture in the home or even the structural integrity of a building.
All of the examples we have listed above do not represent a significant percentage of the pests you may have to deal with. You can learn more about these creatures here: https://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/quiz_09pest/topic2_part1.html.
How to Effectively Eradicate Pests
There are a few ways to go about ensuring your home and any space you operate from is totally free of these creatures. Let’s look at some of the most effective methods.
Keeping Your Space Clean and Dry
Pests do not thrive where they are not well-fed and comfortable. To ensure your home is free of these inconveniences, keep it clean and dry. Do not leave left over food lying around, do not leave your waste bin carelessly and do not leave puddles of water everywhere.
Once you can ensure that they won’t find any food and your space won’t be comfortable, they will have no choice but to leave.
Employing Natural Preventive Methods
There are a few natural methods you can employ to keep some pests away. Examples include cats that will keep rats, mice and their like away. You can also encourage bats to come into space by placing bat houses around the place. If bats can come live in your space, each bat is estimated to be able to eat over 1000 mosquitoes in an hour.
Even more shocking is the fact that these flying mammals save American farmers about $3.7 billion annually because they feed on crop damaging pests, saving crops and also reducing how much farmers spend on pesticides.
Having Your Home Treated Periodically
There are times when regardless of your best efforts you still find a few of these cretins sneaking in. In fact, pests like beg bugs can be brought into your home by friends whose homes have infestations. In such situations, you may have to call in the cavalry.
Go online and search for an exterminator that operates in your area. They will understand the challenges of the terrain the best. For example, if you live in Northern Vancouver, search for North Vancouver pest control companies and you should find a list of companies you can consider for the task.
Conclusion
These creatures are not your friends. Imagine the figure that American farmers can lose if bats were not working in their favor. Note that there are some other pests that bats cannot combat. They can really be a menace so you need to ensure they are far from your space.
Remember to keep your home clean and dry to ensure they cannot find comfort and food. Should you find any signs of these unwanted visitors, call in the professionals so the issue can be dealt with before it because deep rooted.
