Summer is the preferred season of most of the UK population. However, the long summer days and warm nights do give rise to certain pests, wh...
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With summer well and truly here, it is important that the pests that come with this time of year are effectively controlled. This can be a relatively easy and straight-forward task if we adhere to the advice given to us on how to deal with cockroaches and other summer pests.
The main pests found in households especially during the summer period are flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches. The most important advice is to keep the household rubbish areas clean and preferably away from the main building.
Cockroaches usually tend to accumulate in areas previously polluted with cockroach excreta. For this reason such areas need to be extensively cleaned, particularly using antibacterial disinfectants.
Cockroaches can survive for months without food but need water daily, so it is important that water is not left in the sink, in unwashed plates or in other areas around the house. Similarly, all possible sources of water leaks should be checked, for example dripping pipe-works, humidity under the refrigerator or any humid plastered walls. Food scraps and crumbs should also be cleaned thoroughly from the upper surfaces of tables and counters.
Regarding use of chemical insecticides, it is recommended that gel-based products are used as they are quick, effective and long-lasting. They do however require 1-2 days to come into effect, but they are odourless and safe especially around children and pets.
Glue traps are also successful in dealing with cockroaches but these are most effective in hard-to-get-to areas. Aerosols and microcapsule insecticides may be used for more severe cases.
Some natural remedies may also be used to fight cockroaches. The cheapest, simplest and least toxic treatment is considered to be that of stirring together equal amounts of sugar and baking soda. The cockroaches eat the sugar and the baking soda creates gas in their stomach which ultimately kills them. It only takes a small amount of the mixture to treat a house, placing bits in strategic spots like behind or beneath appliances, under sinks, in closets or near wastebaskets.
Pesticides can also be used against flies, especially in enclosed spaces. As regards to mosquitoes, these are best confronted at their source, in swamps and still waters, where they are found in hybrid nymph forms.
In the UK, flies, mosquitoes and three types of cockroaches are the main pests that can be found in households. All are responsible for the transmission of diseases. However, cockroaches are the most unsafe, as they may transmit a food poisoning virus which may lead to salmonella, and are believed to contribute to the transmission of hepatitis and typhus.
SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre",
Bluntisham Road,
Needingworth,
St. Ives,
Cambridgeshire
01480 465684