E
veryone will get some kind of pest at some point. It’s not a
hygiene issue, it’s just one of the facts of living. When it happens, we have to use
pest control methods to take care of it.
Pest control is much broader than just the
pesticides though. Here are four of your options to deal with those pesky critters.
Organic Pest Control
Organic
pest control merely is avoiding heavy chemicals in your
pest control. The pros of this method are that you avoid damaging yourself and the environment with heavy chemicals. Depending on the method chosen, it can also be cheaper than other ways.
The cons are that it’s not always as effective as the use of heavier chemicals. It can also take longer to work. In some cases, it can be more expensive as well.
Biological Control
Biological
pest control is a method that’s been used for thousands of years. The idea is you introduce something that is a predator of the pest into the environment to get rid of it. One method that nearly everyone has heard of is introducing ladybirds to your garden if you have an aphid problem.
The pros of this method are that often there is a minimal environmental impact (assuming you are careful about choosing what you introduce). It’s also very low effort, and usually low cost as well.
The cons of this method are that there isn’t always something you can introduce to take care of your problem. Another disadvantage is that it also isn’t necessarily as thorough as other methods. Many people also wouldn’t appreciate the introduced insect or animal running around inside their house either.
Chemical Pesticides
Chemical
pesticides are chemical agents that are designed to kill the pest in question. The pros of this method is that it's often very effective and fast acting.
The cons of this method are that
pesticides are often very harmful to
pets, the environment, and even ourselves. It happens quite frequently that chemicals we thought were safe are proven dangerous to our health. As such, it’s generally a good idea to explore alternative methods of
pest control first. However, sometimes the chemical option will be the best one.
Hygiene Control
Hygiene pest control is really just the practice of keeping your home
clean. Pests need food and water to survive. If you deprive them of that by keeping your house clean, and storing food properly, they’ll look elsewhere.
The pros of
hygiene pest control are actually quite numerous. There are many advantages to hygiene, so it should be practiced anyhow. It’s also completely free and doesn’t have a chance of negatively impacting your health. The con of it is that it’s not going to have as strong an impact as something like a
pesticide. It is still a great strategy to have in your repertoire though.
