Winter Household Pest Management Strategies

As we get closer to winter, the cooler days and nights bring welcome relief from some annoying summer pests like mosquitos. However, in the warm South African climate, many household pests hang around all year – venturing indoors as the weather cools and they search for a warm, protective spot. Instead of letting them turn your home into a hive of pest activity, here are some of the bugs you might find in your home and sustainable solutions to deal with them.  

Ants and cockroaches

Wherever you live in South Africa, ants and cockroaches are common household pests. These and other crawling pests are attracted to moisture and food, which brings them out of their nesting spots to scavenge in your kitchen, dustbins and anywhere food is left lying around. Black ants prefer sweet foods while the coastal brown ant prefers to feed on meat products and grease. While ants aren’t usually harmful to humans, they can be extremely annoying and can cause damage to wooden cupboards and skirting in your home. Cockroaches can contaminate food with diseases and can spread germs and bacteria throughout a home very quickly.

Keeping food out of reach to avoid temptation is a great place to start when it comes to getting rid of these pests. You can also use essential oils such as peppermint to repel them, and keep your home clean and free from food leftovers. A simpler option is the sustainable, easy-to-use solution from Insect Science®. Just place the Insect Science Household Crawling Pest Glue Traps in areas close to where these pests are nesting and you’ll attract ants, cockroaches and other creepy-crawlies, such as earwigs and fish moths.

Pantry moths

While pantry moths breed and spread more rapidly in summer, they can be found in your pantry at any time of the year.

Although you may notice moths in your pantry, did you know that it’s not the moths that eat your food? The moths lay their eggs on, in or close to their preferred food source (dried grains and cereals as well as other dry stored foods like flour and pasta). Once the larvae hatch, they use this food source to feed and grow. If you notice holes in your food packaging or webbing across the food or boxes, there’s a good chance you have an infestation.

Use the Insect Science Household Food Storage Pest Glue Traps to make sure that doesn’t happen by catching and killing the moths and beetles found in your household food storage areas before they reproduce and create new larvae. The trap can be placed anywhere in your home storage spaces to trap Indian meal moths, Raisin moths, Mediterranean flour moths, Tobacco moths, Almond moths, Cigarette beetles and Warehouse beetles.

Flies

If you’re tired of having flies in your home, the good news is that winter is coming and they will soon be much less abundant! But with a bit of warm weather left, we aren’t quite there yet – and if you keep pets, house flies are likely to hand around a bit longer. House flies are a nuisance, but more importantly, they can be a carrier of many diseases, such as typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhoea and tuberculosis, as well as parasitic worms. Not the sort of things you want flying around your home!

Flies use natural light to navigate and will fly towards sunlight, causing them to congregate in windows. Apply Insect Science® Sticky Window Traps to any window or surface in your home, office or commercial space to get rid of flying insect pests. Traps are available in packs of 10 large clear sticky traps, as well as  in packs of 10 small sticky traps, printed with attractive designs.

Window traps are odourless and easy to use.

Get rid of the goo

If you’re worried about all these sticky traps, Insect Science’s Glue Remover is the simplest way to clean most sticky problems. Designed to remove sticky residues found in your home, shed or workshop – from leftover sticker glue to wax crayons on your walls – you’ll have no need to worry!

The sustainable approach

Insect Science follows a responsible approach to sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) that focuses on achieving more with less. The Home & Garden range isn’t only there to help you manage pests in your home – it targets garden plant and crop pests as well. The products are all quick and easy to use, providing a no-mess, no-fuss responsible alternative to keeping your home and garden pest free.

Find out more at www.shop.insectscience.co.za