5 Reasons Pest Control is a Necessity for Any Homeowner
According to a national survey, 84% of homeowners have experienced some type of pest issue within the past year. Because this is a common issue for homeowners, controlling and preventing infestations is an essential part of owning a home. Regular pest maintenance is necessary for your and your family’s health and for protecting your garden and property. Here are five reasons why pest control is essential:
1. Protect Your Family’s Health Against Pests Carrying Disease
The number one reason why you should use pest control services is for your health. A potential health risk is allergic reactions. If you have asthma or allergies, you are at a higher risk of getting sick from infestations because rodents, roaches, and other pests can cause allergic reactions from their droppings and dander. Another possible health concern is the spread of disease. Ticks, rodents, and mosquitoes also carry viruses and diseases and can spread them to hosts. Mice and rats carry Hantavirus, ticks carry Lyme disease, and mosquitoes carry Zika, Malaria, and West Nile Virus.
These home invaders can also make you sick by raiding your kitchen and getting into your food. They can contaminate food by touching it, eating it, and leaving their waste in it. Food contamination from pests can give you food poisoning. Around forty-eight million Americans become sick from this exact contamination. To avoid this, ensure all your food is stored correctly and all food-related messes are cleaned up as soon as possible.
2. Protect Your Home Against Insects Destroying Your Property
You spend a lot of money buying or renting a home. Pest control services like general spraying might seem like an extra expense, another phone call to make, or something on the bottom of your “to-do” list. However, scheduled maintenance sprayings should not be something you wait on if you want to avoid the risk of potential harm to your home. You may not always see the damage until has become an expensive consequence. Termites alone cause five billion dollars worth of damage to homes every year.
When pests invade your home, things like wooden furniture, couches, hardwood floors, clothing, bedding, and much more are at risk. There are many species of pests, and each one creates a different and sometimes dangerous issue.
- Termites and carpenter ants often cause structural damage and harm to the areas around windows and doors.
- Carpet beetles & Moths love to chew holes in curtains, rugs, and carpets.
- Honey bees are known to build hives under eaves, causing drywall issues.
- Rodents can cause damage to electrical wiring and home insulation.
3. Protect Your Garden Against Pests Eating Your Plants
Plant care and gardening are time-consuming and expensive hobbies. Studies have shown that maintaining a garden that can feed a family of 4-8 people takes 4-6 hours per week and could cost up to $225. All of this hard work could be lost without proper insect prevention. Pest control services are a necessary step to protect your time and investment in your garden.
When pests invade your garden, they can both damage and interfere with the growth of your plants. Some insects are also capable of eating an entire plant. If you see holes or chew marks on the leaves, stem damage near the soil, or leaves with yellow spots, there are bugs that need to be taken care of. Here are a few you should be aware of:
- Caterpillars and grasshoppers often chew through leaves, leaving holes.
- Spiders and flies suck on the plants, causing them to wither and wilt.
- Beetles leave holes in the leaves and spread diseases, causing plants to die.
4. Protect Your Furry Friends Against Harmful Pests
Another reason pest control is necessary is to ensure your pets’ safety and health. Many things can affect your pets’ health, including fleas, ticks, mites, flies, bees, and worms. They can cause many things, including skin infections, allergic reactions, bacteria, and diseases. Several of these insects are difficult to detect, so it’s important to check your pet consistently.
There are several ways to be proactive and protect your favorite furry friend from these unwanted hitchhikers. Make sure your yard and property are as clean as possible, avoid a lot of dirt and cluttered spaces in your home that can be breeding grounds for these bugs, keep up with immunizations, and clean your pet at least once a month. In addition, it’s essential to have regular visits from a professional pest control company. After all, it’s important to protect everyone in your family!
5. Protect Yourself from a Stressful Environment and a Tight Pocketbook Due to Pest Infestations
Overall, having pests in your home causes a stressful environment where you are supposed to relax the most. You may hear them moving around in your walls or chipping away at the wood. Having guests over with bugs and rodents crawling around your home would be embarrassing. There is also the financial strain of replacing floorboards, furniture, groceries, or plants that have been invaded.
Although there are many products on the market to help deal with these issues, there are many cases when you shouldn’t “do it yourself”. Instead, you should call a professional.
Hire a Professional Pest Control Company
Just like you shouldn’t worry about whether or not there are pests in your home, don’t worry about solving an infestation on your own. Hiring professionals like General Pest Control is the only way to confirm that the treatments are done correctly. Due to various health and safety issues, there are plenty of reasons to hire a professional company to periodically inspect your home and provide general maintenance against unwanted invaders. If you want to schedule your general spraying or want to talk through your options, give us a call!