Pest Control And Home Renovations
A very common question we get is ” We just bought a new home, and we see some mice. Should we treat before or after renovations?”. Since Brooklyn is becoming such a desired place to live, people are buying up home and renovating like never before. We commonly get this question and thought we would post a small article about it, so you new homeowners out there can get a better understanding. When buying a new home, you may not understand that there is a pest problem until right after you sign the papers. Before doing anything DIY, consult a professional. Always get an new home inspection either before you sign the final papers, or right after. Here are a few reasons why you need to call a pest company before you take your next steps. When your moving into a home with:
- Bedbugs- Don’t even try to attack this on your own. Depending on the duration that the building has been empty, this is a very tricky problem. Normal bed bug behavior is harbor in rooms where people sleep. But when they have gone months without a meal they may begin to investigate other rooms for their meals. Please take care of this before the renovation. We will usually recommend a treatment prior to renovations, Monitoring, then if found suitable you can renovate. After the renovations a treatment may be needed again.
- Rodents- An important thing when treating for rodents in a vacant home is understanding their food source and entry points. Rodents are known to survive on very little as long as their is a little water and something for them to nibble on. In this situation an inspection would be appropriate followed by recommendations for the contractors to seal up any obvious entry points. Try to work with the contractors, and use this to your benefit during a time like this. Locking bait stations could be used during construction. Make sure contractors do not leave their lunches around at the end of the day. Construction is known to stir up mice problem, but if done correctly it can be eradicated.
- Animals (Squirrels, Racoons, Birds)- Many times due to breeched entry ways (broken doors,broken windows etc) animals may make a new home, out of your new home. This is another one that you cannot do your self. Many people think by patching the hole and trapping the animal, it will take care of your problem. Simply put, hire a professional who will trap the animals properly. There are many things they must take into consideration like the sex of the animal, season, entry point, and if they have a litter. Just trying to poison animals will not work, so don’t try it.
- Cockroaches- Depending on the type of roach, multiple treatments are available. Renovations could be done after the first treatment, but proper construction may be taken into consideration. There are ways to make a very roach un-friendly environment so consult with your exterminator and they may have some tips.
- Flies- Again, depending on the type of fly there could be a quick fix with no application of any products. We will take a look at pipes, drains, basements, garbage areas and try to understand what the origin of the flies are.
