Keeping Your Home Free of Pests and Harmful Pesticides

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Keeping Your Home Free of Pests and Harmful
Pesticides

• Steps to a Healthy Home Series

Educational programs of the Texas AM AgriLife
Extension Service are open to all people without
regard to race, color, sex, religion, national
origin, age, disability, genetic information or
veteran status. The Texas AM University System,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County
Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.
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Are You Bugged by Pests?

• Cockroaches, flies, rats, mice
• Dust mites
• Fleas and ticks
• Spiders
• Ants
• Mosquitoes

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Keeping Your Home Free of Pests

• Easier to prevent pest problems than to control
  infestations once they have become established.
• Pests need water, food,
  and habitat to flourish
  inside a home.

4
Why Do You Have Pests?

• Broken, loose, or torn screens
• Gaps or holes in home, especially around plumbing
• Dirty floors, counters, and dishes
• Spilled foods
• Storing garbage where pests can reach
• Roof or plumbing leaks
• Storing food in containers without lids

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Keeping Your Home Free of Pests

• Sanitation remove what attracts pests
• Exclusion keep pests out of house
• Elimination of hiding places get rid of places
  where they can hide
• Extermination kill the pests

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Sanitation

• Regularly clean floors, windowsills, and other
  surfaces
• Wipe up spills and crumbs right away
• Eat at the table or at least in the kitchen
• Clean up dirty dishes right after eating
• Clean and disinfect bathroom surfaces
• Keep a tight lid on trash cans and empty often
• Store food and pet food in sealed containers

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Exclusion

• Seal cracks and crevices around pipes
  electrical wiring
• Check bags and boxes for pests before bringing
  them inside
• Keep window screens in good repair
• Keep pets either inside or outside
• Place screen wire over vents and
  other points where pests could enter

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Elimination of Hiding Places

• Get rid of clutter
• Store clothing in chests or covered plastic
  containers
• Wash bedding weekly
• Dispose of old newspapers, magazines, and
  plastic bags

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Extermination - Control

• Control can be with non-chemical methods
• Control can be with chemical methods
• Control can be with pesticides

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Non-chemical Control

• Trapping devices such as fly paper, mouse traps,
  or roach prisons
• Use a vacuum cleaner to help control pests such
  as fleas, moths, or beetles and to remove food
  sources

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Chemical Control

• Baits are safe and effective
• Use gel formulations along cracks crevices
• Insecticide sprays may be used in cracks
  crevices and along baseboards

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Control with Pesticides

• Buy only pesticides labeled for the pest and area
  you are treating
• Read follow all label instructions use only
  the amount listed more is not better
• Keep children pets out of treated area until
  the product is dry
• Never apply pesticides to food
• Protect your skin, eyes, and lungs while using
  pesticides
• Wash hands with soap and water

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Storing and Disposing of Pesticides

• Store where children and pets cannot reach them
• Store only in the container they came in
• Follow the label directions for disposal
• Never reuse a pesticide container
• Never pour a pesticide down a drain or toilet

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Tips for Controlling Household Pests

• Clean food and grease from stove daily. If
  possible, clean under and behind stove.
• Clean up food spills, crumbs, and liquids on
  countertops and floors immediately.
• Empty trash daily. Clean and disinfect garbage
  cans and recycling bins weekly. Let the cans dry
  out before you put in a new garbage bag.
• Keep the cabinet under your sink dry and clean.
  Have leaks repaired.
• Clean the outside and inside of the refrigerator.
  If possible, vacuum underneath.
• Wash and dry dishes as soon as possible after
  eating.
• Wash floors at least weekly.

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Tips for Controlling Household Pests

• Cockroaches are attracted to food and moisture
• Remove or tightly cover all food
• Clean up spills on floors and counters
• Dont leave water sitting in open containers
• Use baits or gel products to get rid of
  cockroaches.
• Seal any cracks around the walls or cabinets
  where cockroaches can get in.
• Throw away paper grocery bags and stacks of
  newspaper. Roaches like to live in them.