If you are reading this, you are probably a homeowner or a gardener dealing with pests and rodents on your property. They present a big dilemma to homeowners that want to keep their phones best free without harming the ecosystem. On the one hand, you have to worry about keeping a well-maintained and manicured lawn. You have to think about the safety of the rodent and their role in the ecosystem.
The yards in our homes often contain the necessary conditions for common pests to survive, including food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, the easiest and most effective way of getting rid of pests and rodents invading your home is extermination. That makes it challenging to maintain the perfect balance between humaneness and effectiveness when controlling pests.
Humane pest control does not necessarily mean that you love pests. It only shows that you want to get them off your property but appreciate their right to life and the role they have to play in our ecosystem. To conserve the environment and sustain a thriving ecosystem, you need to find a peaceful way to coexist with every creature without killing them cruelly.
You may end up hurting an animal that does not do any damage to you or your property. Even when you need to intervene, the most humane methods of pest control are more reliable than the extreme means you prefer since they do not address the cause of the problem. Whether you are dealing with roaches or need help getting rid of geese safely, humane pest control methods should always be preferred. In this article, we cover some of the most humane methods of pest control.
1. Rodents
When dealing with rodents, the most effective solution is prevention. Poisoning is both inhumane and ineffective, especially when dealing with rats. Putting out poison to kill rodents on your property does not work. They eat a bit of the poison potion, go away to determine its safety before coming back.
In some cases, it may even make the problem more severe. Most of the poisons used to control rodents are designed to attract them. When used over extended periods, the rodents end up developing tolerance to them. To proof your property from rodents, you need to find the entry point and block it. It may sound simple and complex at the same time. Even a grown rat can fit in a hole similar to the size of a coin.
If you live in an apartment, you may have a hard time finding an external access point. If that is the case, ring-fencing the house from inside can work effectively. Find rodent droppings and work backward. Check any gaps where heating and plumbing connections connect to the floors and walls. You can use steel wool to block the holes and cracks since rodents cannot chew through them.
If you already have rodents to catch within the property, purchase humane live traps with many rooms. Ensure you place the traps where they get their food and use the food they are attracted to as bait. Check the traps every night before you go to bed and every morning to ensure that any trapped rodents do not develop stress or dehydration. Release the trapped rodents close to a natural food source, water, and shelters such as a riverbank or an abandoned building.
2. Ants
An ant invasion is quite interesting. A single ant will find its way into your property through a small crack. If they find any sugar, they will carry it back to their nest following the same route they used to enter. They will come back later following the same trail. Going along the same path lays down a stronger scent that attracts more ants, developing a colony.
To control ants, locate their access point and wait until dark. Ants do not come out during the night since they go back to their nests. You only need something to block the hole, after which you will have to clean the surrounding area or any kitchenware that might be dirty with a mixture of hot water and lemon juice or vinegar.
By cleaning the entire area, you get rid of their scent trail, making it difficult to find their way to the previous location. If you clean the invaded location the same night, you remove any food that may have attracted the ants. Even if they happen to come back, they won’t find any food, so they will find a different place to invade.
3. Wasps
For the better part of the year, wasps are not a problem. They only become a big challenge for homeowners during the two months of summer where females have to look for food. It is during the same time that most people spend time outdoors. Even if you come across a wasp nest in your home, you do not have to act on it. If you are not using that part of the property, it will not harm you to leave the nest. If you are passionate about gardening, wasps are a good friend since they eat insects that would otherwise destroy your garden plants.
If you leave wasps on their own, they will eventually complete their life cycle and die. You may have to remove the nest if you or someone in your household is allergic to wasps. Just make sure that you do not approach the nest independently since you risk triggering their defenses. If you have to do it, do it at night with a face mask, so the carbon dioxide you exhale does not trigger their defense systems. Maneuver the nest into a plastic container and find an old wall or tree to make it easier for the wasps to adapt to the new surroundings.
However, it is not advisable to take action on your own when dealing with wasps. Make sure you contact a professional that has the right equipment and gear to remove wasp nests.
In conclusion, Some of these creatures have an essential role in our ecosystem to support our lives and other animals. In turn, we have a role in protecting them by adapting humane pest control measures, some of which we have mentioned above. Humane pest control methods are an excellent way for you to contribute to environmental conservation, so take action today and help improve the world we live in.
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