Australia is rich with a varied range of animals, insects, birds and natural elements unique to its geography and topography. Some of these animals live in the wild yet a few stray into human habitation and live and co-exist within human living spaces almost symbiotically. Pests are the unwanted insects and small animals that often gain entry into homes causing casual disturbance to serious health risks and property damage. While they may be prevented or removed by professional Pest Control Richmond services’ intervention, identifying these common pests is integral to minimizing their presence and taking the right action towards complete removal through personal and professional efforts.
At day end whenever we spot a creepy cockroach or irritating ant, we might first reach out to attacking them ourselves with full vengeance. This is a natural instinct. Many others would call in a reliable pest control service Melbourne expert to execute a thorough extermination permanently. Let us look at the common pests that frequent homes in Australia-
Ants
Ants usually lurk around food and also bite through plastic wiring. They are normally harmless but a few could give bites that produce allergies. Carpenter ants eat through wood making them hollow and they carry and spread bacteria and cause salmonella infection and dysentery.
Cockroach
These are really creepy and often found roaming freely and in large numbers in many kitchen floors at night. They prefer dark damp places and feast on anything and everything and carry Salmonella and other germs that cause infections. They multiply rapidly and can damage hose plants inside a nursery when their movements are restricted in cool seasons. Sprays can be temporary control for them but eventually you need outside help by reaching out to Pest Control Richmond professional services to contain them permanently.
Termites
These are destructive and multiply rapidly damaging wooden articles and framework bringing a lot of expenses. They carry dangerous diseases like typhus, gastroenteritis, dysentery, and polio. Their feces cause asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Rodents
Rodents can tear and gnaw through insulation, destroy wood surfaces, causing structural damage. They also carry disease causing pathogens that cause Tularemia, Salmonella, Hantavirus, and Leptospirosis.
Spiders
Most varieties of spiders in Australia are harmless except a few like red back spiders, funnel-web, mouse and white tailed ones. However, spider bites might cause itching, redness, nausea, abdominal pain, burning sensation around area of bite and vomiting in some cases.
Flies
They are common in our homes and kitchens especially fruit flies which carry germs and transfer them from dirty surfaces to our food and cause infections from E coli, Salmonella resulting in food poisoning.
Mosquitoes
They are irritating uninvited elements who can disturb by their high pitched drone and cause bites that may cause dengue, malaria, Ross river virus all which are serious disease.
Bed bugs
These are difficult to detect and stay within bed linen, carpets, mattress, bed frames, skirting boards, sucking blood off humans and pets.
Bees and wasps
These infest homes and when threatened can give painful stings especially wasps who are very aggressive and can attack and give fatal bumps multiple times. It is never advisable to tackle bees and wasps, but call in reliable pest control service Melbourne professionals to do a safe eradication.
Fleas
These irritants can hurt pets and those who come in touch with them. They multiply rapidly and they need professional pest control whose experts can fully remove them.
While pests can be prevented and removed by using professional services but there are a few DIY tips that can come handy and minimize their presence.
A few natural remedies for controlling house pests
Our houses are time and again coming under pest infestation. There are a few household remedies mostly natural that can prove useful in containing them.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is great remedy in controlling fruit flies that are common in your kitchens. Pour some apple cider vinegar in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and pierce a few holes through plastic. The fruit flies will go inside bowl but cannot come out and die.
Onion: Onions are an old home remedy. They have a strong pungent odor that can prove effective in keeping spiders away. Slicing up onions and keeping the slices in a bowl full of water near common spider entry areas keeps them away from your homes making this a very eco friendly remedy.
Banana: Banana peel can have its uses especially if you have aphids in your garden. Just placing a banana peel under the soil and near plant stems repels these aphids and also makes the soil nutrient rich.
Coffee grounds: Left over coffee grounds may be used in spots around the external areas of your homes which are the entry points of critters and other pests. They get repelled by the smell and stay out.
Cornmeal: This is a simple method of keeping ants away. If you find ants coming in, place small piles of cornmeal in their path. Ants love it and carry it back to their colonies. They cannot digest it and it takes a few days. This will keep them away for some time.
Fresh herbs: Rosemary and sage when burnt can be a huge turn off for mosquitoes.
Basil: Sweet basil repels off flies making it a very useful house plant.
White vinegar: Ants leave trail for others to follow that and find the food. To erase this trail use a solution of ¼ cup white vinegar mixed with 2 cups water and ten drops of eucalyptus or peppermint oil.
Essential oils: Make your essential oil spray to ward off dust mite by mixing eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint or clove oil with water and use this to mist your linens and furniture allowing spray to air dry.
Cloves: Has ladybirds infesting your home? Then the answer is very simple. Cloves have a strong odor that repels these bugs who escape quickly. For this sprinkle clove oil or place a few cloves in a cloth bag near areas of infestation. The insects leave in no time.