Effective pest control often requires multiple approaches. A pest control service may spray the perimeter of your house, set up monitoring stations, use traps, and seal up gaps in your home. Another type of pest control that can be effective, although it's slower acting, is bait. Here's a look at how pest control bait works.
1. Baits Are Used to Target the Nest
Bait can be used on a variety of insects such as roaches, termites, and ants. The goal is for a bug to take the bait back to the colony or nest so the poison can kill other bugs and wipe out the entire colony. For that reason, bait doesn't kill right away. It's slower acting so the bug has time to carry the bait back to the colony and spread it around. It might take a few days before you notice a reduction in bugs if you rely on bait alone.
2. Bugs Should Be Allowed to Eat Freely
When you put out insect bait, you want the bugs to eat it or take it back to the other insects. Instead of smashing a roach or wiping up a trail of ants, let them come in and dine on the bait. Avoid using repellents because you want the bugs to find the bait. Also, clean up all other sources of food so if the bugs look for food the only thing they'll find is the bait.
3. Bait Should Be Positioned Properly
Pest bait comes in different forms, like gel or powder. It should be placed where kids and pets can't reach it but where insects are known to travel or nest. Choose the right bait for the bugs you're trying to eliminate. Read the label to see the type of bugs the bait is supposed to attract. Some insects eat about anything while others are drawn to specific foods such as sweets or fats. Matching the bait to the insect can help improve your efforts and hopefully help you deal with the issue faster.
4. Baits Can Monitor or Kill
A pest control service may set up bait stations for termites that monitor for the insects. These stations are buried in your yard and they're checked periodically for signs of termite activity. If termites are found, then termiticide may be added to the bait. Bait used indoors is for killing the bugs. Insects may carry the bait back for the queen to eat or the bugs may ingest the bait themselves and poison other bugs that eat their dead bodies.
Your pest control service can help you decide on the right way to use baits and what treatments to use along with them. If you have an infestation of roaches, you may want quicker-acting treatments to get rid of them and then use baits to keep the roaches away. However, for gel bait to be effective, it needs to be applied regularly so it's always fresh.
When you come upon an ant in your home, what do you do? Maybe you kill that one ant and then set some traps to catch any others that come with it. Perhaps you spray some insecticides along the baseboards or in other places where ants tend to congregate. Sometimes these measures might take care of the problem, but other times they don't. If ants continue to be an issue, you'll need to call a pest control company. The same goes if you are dealing with roaches, mice, or some other pest. Learn more about pest control and what these companies do as you explore this website.