The best time to worry about pests is before you even move into your home. While the house is still empty, you and a pest control professional won't have to work around your items. Additionally, there will also presumably not be a food source for any pests yet, so even if there are pests, there may be fewer of them. So what pest control services should you have performed before you move into your new house? Take a look.
1. Trim back the bushes and shrubs.
If there are bushes and shrubs in the garden beds surrounding your home, make sure they are trimmed back before you move in. Homeowners often stop taking care of the garden beds once the home sells, so it is common for them to need some maintenance by the time the new owner moves in. Overgrown bushes can harbor bugs, and before long, those bugs may move into the house. You don't necessarily have to have your pest control company trim the bushes; you can do this yourself or hire a landscaping team.
2. Put down an insecticide barrier.
A pest control company can come put down an insecticide barrier around your home's perimeter. They usually inject pesticides into the soil so that they stick around a bit longer. These pesticides are usually effective against ants, cockroaches, stink bugs, earwigs, and many other common household pests, so they are a smart preventative measure. One application should last a few months, so you'll have lots of time to unpack and settle in before you need to worry about having the pest control company out to spray again.
3. Set a few rodent traps.
Your pest control company can also set a couple of mouse and rat traps, preferably in a hidden area such as your attic or basement. This way, if there are any rodents in the home, or if any rodents enter the home in the coming months, they can be caught before they have a chance to breed and cause any real damage. The traps are also a good "alarm" that will alert you to a pest problem early on. If you see a mouse or rat in the trap, that will mean you need to call a pest control company.
If you take the steps above before moving in, you can ward off most pest problems before they even begin. Contact a company, such as Kingsway Extermination, for more information.