Fighting the pest is all About timely actions

Fighting the pest is all  About timely actions
  • 3
  • 244
  • Oct 07 2020
  • by GCI Desk

Readers often write to Green Clean India asking reasons for creating a dedicated budget and time schedule for pest management in the residential compound. There are many who have approached saying there are no signs of a pest in the vicinity and why it still requires them to do some treatment. The answer to all these concerned queries emulate from a basic fact - health. 

The most important reasons why residential pest control services are needed is because of health. Pests can bring diseases that can be quite serious and unforeseen. They enter your home through tiny holes, gaps and cracks and might be invisible to you. They bring their whole family and continue to breed so if you see just one, you can be sure there are more. You don't see any presence of a pest in the premises, it is the right time to ensure that none must enter and there are many proven methods to do it. 

There are pest specific as well as generic Do It Yourself (DIY) and pest control services available today. But before we discuss the methods of control and curbing pests, it is important to know our uninvited guests better. Here is the Green Clean India team’s compilation of some basic things of our commonly occurring pests.

Cockroaches:These tiny yet ferocious looking creatures for some can contaminate your food. Availability of  moist surfaces and walls can be an added invitation to cockroaches in residential society. In a dampened surface or holes, gives birth to roaches. The proper control measures should be taken to abolish the growth and development of roaches in housing society.

Mosquitoes:It spread deadly diseases like malaria and dengue. That’s what makes mosquito control service so important. Mosquitoes in housing society are the sure sign of impending diseases. They are the carrier of many life harming diseases. It is required that you should take right and corrective measures for stopping their breeding. Seasons like summer and monsoon are very conducive for their growth. Regular fogging can prevent the growth of mosquitoes.

Termites:It is very common for societies to suffer from termite attacks. To stop the breeding of termite, regular fumigation and treatment is mandatory. Most of the housing society chooses for pre-construction pest control treatment. It is a wise step to avoid any complications in future building structure. 

Ants:The attack of ants is very common in the residential societies. If you wish to get over this then you should take corrective measures on time.

Bedbugs:Irritating and mostly a society hazard, they attack the human blood directly. They could be very dangerous for health. They are the carrier of dangerous skin diseases.

Rodents:It is most important for one to take the right measures for rats and rodents treatment in the housing society. They not just damage the property but also contaminate the environment and residential space making it unhealthy for living. 

Birds:There are also measures advised by the pest control teams to keep the premises safe from bird attack. It  keeps the society, parks and gardens safe and secure.

Ticks:Tick attack at the housing society is very common. Ticks can cause damages. The only way out is to go for pest control. You should hire a trusted company for tick management services as it's a very specialised service and not all treatments could be effective against it. 

Preparation is key to combat pests

In cases of attack of most of the above pests, an advance step towards avoiding a situation is more important than trying to combat the crisis after it has arrived. For example in the case of cockroaches,  it is mainly found in manholes, gutters and toilet chambers. A cockroach acts as a carrier for harmful bacteria. When cockroach populations burst they look for alternate hiding places and tend to climb up through drainage pipes and enter into a home. Cockroaches with harmful bacteria travel in the kitchen and other areas and spread diseases. In manholes there are other pests like millipede which mostly come through the sink in monsoon season. The residents living on ground floor are likely to become victims of these pests. A regular pest control treatment of manholes will help to keep those pests away. Here spraying by opening the manhole is very important. Surface spraying will not be sufficient.

Similarly, ants, lizards commonly found in the staircase are likely to move inside the house during dusk and dawn period in search of food. A regular repellent spray in the staircase and other areas will help to repel lizards and other crawling insects. Termite infestation in a building can reduce the life of structure by 5 years.

Most rats are found in gardens and other areas of compound.  Bandicoots make huge borrows and damage the plantation. Continuous borrowing can lead to weak structure. Rats can become a nuisance for car owners. Rats look for warm hiding points and car bonnet is the best and easiest place to hide out. They can damage the car by breaking cables and wires which can lead to serious health hazards. Roof Rats have a tendency of exploring new areas. They use the sewer pipes and cable to climb and enter into a house. There are cases of rats biting the earthling cable which lead to short circuit and fire hazard. A thorough baiting for rat control in the compound area will keep the rat population under control and help to avoid any serious hazards. In the parking area and driver rooms, bedbugs become a  menace. And the drivers and servants act as a carrier for bed bugs.

Steps for effective control 

After knowing a bit about the pests that could attack our society premises, it is important for us to know better the approach required to combat them. Every procedure combination may not be conducive for every premises. There is no straight jacket solution for a problem. The expert who is entrusted with the responsibility must mandatorily desist from following the same procedure for every home. Only after a thorough inspection can one come up with a plan to resolve your pest problem quickly and efficiently. 

Always remember, only experienced technicians with the proper tools, materials and knowledge to provide a long-term solution can help you get rid of these pests permanently. Short term solutions can prove costlier in the long run. Here are a set of ten advices by the Green Clean India team for effective pest control: 

1.   Residential society pest control is tough because it covers a large area. The bigger the area the more chances of pests breeding. To control the situation, regular inspection is required. It is all about denying the pests any opportunity to breed and grow.

2.   Keeping a regular watch with a regular trained team is key to nipping the pest problem in bud. Couples with the watch, regular pest control activity is to be done. Before you hire a pest control team for preventive care in a residential society, it is important for the management to gather more  information about them including checking their licenses and permits. 

3.   Choose a cost-effective company with adequate experience. Sit down in a team to note down your requirements before hiring and choose the one adequately after you know what are the areas of concern regarding pests.

4.    Always choose the company that has experience in your required field and have handled many cases of similar manner. There are also options of  herbal and organic pest control, choosing it would be safe for the children and vulnerable population living in society. 

5.   There are options of  odorless pest control available in the market too but when you make the decision always go for integrated pest control services rather than companies which are pest specific.

6.   Physical pest control is very much part of the chemical and other treatment, without that there is always a chance for the holes and difficult areas remaining untouched. So, insist for physical intervention as well.

7.   While negotiating on the costs, seek  pesticides used by the team to be  non-hazardous for human health. Natural insecticides options are readily available.

8.   There are multiple options available in the market in terms of payment options. The best choice these days are the single service options or AMCs (Annual Maintenance Contracts).

9.   Before finalising the deal, insist on the technician from the team to visit the premises and perform an on-site free inspection to determine the cause and intensity of the problem so that the right step can be taken with complete awareness. 

              10.Early identification of the presence of pests is very important to avoid further complications. Fix a quarterly schedule for the                  housekeeping teams to scout for pest concerns in the premises. 

Your living area and society is one of the most adorable places for your family. It is important to keep it irritant free. Keeping your society clean and pest free is related to hygiene and disease prevention. Each member of the society will definitely find value in your invested money into pest control service because the returns are manifold. For any further query or suggestion on this subject you may write to the Green Clean India team by mailing us at: editor@greencleanindia.com

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COMMENTS (3)

  • Patricia Shepardberg
    Dec 14 2020

    nice

  • Prabodh RWA
    Oct 20 2020

    Yes, Pests are real threat to health. Thanks for sharing. Please also write something on Termites as it is the biggest issue in India.

  • Prabodh RWA
    Oct 16 2020

    very nice article.

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