When you’re selling your home, the panicked dash around the house before your prospective buyers arrive will be all too familiar. You sprint from room to room lighting scented candles. You diligently check every square foot of floor space to make sure there are no errant children’s toys. You obsessively check the kitchen counter tops for crumbs or streaks or smudges and make sure that there’s a pot of coffee on and a freshly baked loaf of bread rising in the oven. With butterflies in your stomach you see your potential buyers in with a smile. You guide them around your home room by room. But just as you’re starting to believe that this might just go your way, your buyer’s face drops as a line of carpenter ants troupes across your bedroom floor.
Boom! There goes your sale.
And you thought you’d thought of everything, didn’t you? Whether we like it or not, the pests are out in force this spring and if you’re to make your home look truly spotless it’s vital that you make a lasting effort to keep them out of the house. Since blowing your chances of a sale can have a knock on effect on your finances, cause you financial stress and make your home a much less pleasant place to live, you need to take decisive action. Fortunately, this no longer means the need to douse your home in harmful chemicals. Using a pest control expert like ByrdPest.com who uses organic products can rid your home of pests without endangering your family’s health. Here we’ll look at the common pests of spring and how you can rid your home of them safely and definitively…
Carpenter ants
Not only will the sight of them freak out potential buyers, they could potentially do real structural damage to your home. They will venture from their outside nests in warmer climes seeking new food sources. If they are drawn to your home they may have already set up a colony somewhere within the walls of your home. Guard against leaving food out after cooking and make sure that spillages (however small) are mopped up immediately. Caulk any cracks you find in your walls and floors and store firewood away from the home (and off the ground if possible).
Rats and mice
Nothing will put buyers off faster than the sight of mouse or rat droppings in the kitchen or bathroom. While rodents are a pain all year round they can be particularly adventurous in spring. Remember that mouse droppings can be very harmful to your family and pets so it’s important that you clean them away properly. Again, you must check your home for points of ingress and make sure that your foods are properly stored. Put humane traps down somewhere discrete or hide them away when your buyers arrive.
Bees and wasps
Every now and then we may see a bee or wasp fly in through the window, but if we encounter them frequently they may have set up a colony somewhere in your attic or wall space during winter. When they awaken they will roam the house looking for food. Taking them on yourself could be dangerous so make sure that you find a pest control company who will deal with them safely and humanely.
Remember that bees are a vital part of our ecosystem and should not be destroyed.
