Many homeowners are nor sure what to do if they come across a pest problem in the home. Their first instinct is to grab the phone and call in the professionals. There is no need for this. You can exterminate these pests on your own. Keep reading to learn how.

Use hairspray to kill cockroaches. If you ever have a cockroach in your home and don’t have any bug killer on hand, try using an aerosol hairspray. It allows you to keep a significant distance between yourself and the roach, while being an effective means of suffocating and killing it.

Do you have a recurring issue with fruit flies? The issue may be your drain. To see if your drains are breeding grounds for fruit flies simply place plastic wrap over your drain. After a few days, check to see if your drains have fruit flies. If they do, try pouring boiling water down it and scrubbing it thoroughly. Doing this should get rid of the fruit flies completely.

Always have new homes inspected by a trained professional. Although some infestation signs can be recognized easily, understand that you cannot know for sure just what pest is inside your home until you’ve remained in it several days.

Critter proof mesh is something that you will want to install in your attic as this can prevent squirrels or mice from entering your home. This is important as these animals can carry different types of bacteria or diseases that you will want to avoid at all costs during the year.

If you are having a pest control problem, look to your cabinets in your home for where the bugs are coming from. Pests love these dark and damp areas. Clean all your cabinets thoroughly once a month. When you are spraying for bugs, make sure you hit these areas with a quality pesticide.

If you live in an apartment complex or multi-unit condo complex, unite with your neighbors. Anything you try to do to control pests in your own unit will be unsuccessful if all the other units in your building are infested. Get together with the residents of your building and schedule pest control for the entire building to deal with the problem.

Before you attempt to get rid of any pests, you must identify them. Not knowing what kind of pests you’re dealing with can lead to using ineffective methods or methods that make the situation worse. By properly identifying the type of pests you’re dealing with, you can develop control measures that can get rid of them.

Did you see some carpenter ants in your home? These ants are usually attracted by damp wood. There might be a leak somewhere in your home. Call a plumber and have your plumbing system entirely inspected. Once the leak is fixed, focus on eradicating the carpenter ants with some borax or a similar product.

Increase the frequency that you take the garbage out during the course of the year. Sometimes, you may not take the garbage out enough, which can cause odors that can attract pests. Instead of bringing the garbage out once per week, you can take it out once every two or three days.

Try sprinkling borax around your home to keep insects out. Borax is a chemical that can dry insects out internally, thus killing them. The great thing is that it is not harmful to humans or pets in small amounts. If you are sick of insects in your home give this trick a try.

Make sure that there is proper ventilation in all areas of your home and also the attic. This is important as pests will feast on low quality air, which can be caused by poor ventilation. Make sure that your vents are working efficiently and get them checked frequently throughout the year.

Avoid furniture from unknown sources. Furniture, especially upholstered furniture, can harbor pests. To keep them out of your home, avoid furniture from resale shops, trading websites, or the side of the road. If you bring an infested piece of furniture into your home, it can spread to all of your own furniture as well.

If you are about to wipe out pest with a chemical product, take the time to protect yourself first. Wear some gloves and find some protective goggles for your eyes. Place a scarf on your nose and mouth to prevent exposure to the chemical. If you get some chemicals on your skin, rinse immediately.

Dirty gutters and clogged drains are magnets for bugs and pests. These pests love the moisture, and the places where they can hide and breed. Clean your gutters and unclog any drains from around your home. This will eliminate the habitat that bugs love to hide in. When they are clean, there is no where for them to hide.

The cleaner your home is, the less likely you are to have bugs infest your home. Bugs actually feed off of the crumbs that are dropped on your floor or in your couch cushions. An unclean home is a perfect place for bugs and pests to breed and become out of control.

If you have a problem with bugs, buy a bunch of caulk and seal up every crack that is around the home. You cannot get rid of everything with a fogger or spray. Try caulking sinks areas, pipes and molding near the floor, as insects can infiltrate these places.

When you are having a flying bug issue, hairspray may do the trick. Perfume may also work, but it should not be sprayed near the eyes. Hairspray and perfume are flammable; therefore, you should never use these products near open flames. Remember this the next time you do not have regular bug spray in the house.

Pests will be a problem no more in your home. Any time there is an issue, you will know just what to do. You can take all that money you would have paid an exterminator and treat yourself to a nice dinner and come home to a home that is pest free.