Pests & Our Pets: Keeping Companion Animals Safer
With all the damage that pests can cause to businesses, agriculture and even the environment itself, sometimes it’s simply a necessity to use things like pesticides and other ways to keep their populations at bay. But rather than waiting until they’ve become a problem, either in our homes or towards our pets, it’s better to be on the offense, rather than the defense, when it comes to dealing with these often dangerous dilemmas.
For those of us with pets, small children and even certain types of landscaping, pesticides and certain types of animal traps are simply not an option. Here’s some more natural and non- intrusive ways of keeping pests away from our homes and pets:
Keeping The No Vacancy Sign Out
One of the most effective ways of keeping pests at bay, large and small alike, is to keep our homes and yards from becoming places they would like to live and eat. For example, most homeowners know to keep standing water out of their outdoor areas to keep disease ridden mosquitoes and other biting buggers away, but this also an attractant for larger critters, raccoons, rodents, even snakes and other insects looking for some Hâ‚‚ 0.
Keeping food out of this area is also vital, whether it’s fruit from trees or vegetables from the garden, these should either be picked up immediately or well-fenced at all times. If you have pets that you feed outdoors, don’t leave their dishes outside and never store this food outside, even if it’s sealed, unopened or inside fitted containers – animals are remarkably resourceful when it comes to getting what they want.
Natural Remedies
If you perform an online search for “natural” insect or pest repellents, you’ll find a plethora of recipes for chemical-free alternatives to today’s more traditional pesticides. Some people swear by the use of simple soap around around doorways, entrances and trash receptacles, while others will use scents to drive pests away. Powerful odors like garlic, peppermint, vinegar, coffee grounds and even tabasco sauce have been mixed with water to be sprayed near possible entry points.
Speaking of entry points, if you have outdoor spaces, a fenced yard, garden or patio, make sure your “defenses” are up and running. Check these areas regularly for faulty hinges, bad latches and problems with fencing including loose nails, missing, missing or cracked boards and chain netting. Also be on the lookout for holes at ground level or low-lying branches that are near fences – these are easy access points for wildlife.
Educate To Help Eradicate
Depending upon where you call home, this is also where certain types of wildlife reside and you can better protect yourself and your loved ones if you know where they also call home. In wetland regions, gators can be a problem, while those in desert climates could encounter reptiles of a completely different species and threat. Be sure you know what you’re going up against so you’ll be better prepared to ward them off or encounter them in the wild.
The more you know, well, the more you know and that will only serve us well when it comes to warding off wildlife and other pests. This in turn will protect our pets, our children and our homes from the many types of dangers that nature can present.
Author: Amber Kingsley – Journalist and lifetime pet lover. amberthekingsley@gmail.com
Category: Animal Health, Public health
