The Easiest Tactics to Keep Mosquitoes Away From Your Home

 For most homeowners in Melbourne, the problem of mosquitoes is not too uncommon, especially during those hot summers that you can’t seem to bear without cracking a window open while being a feast to a swarm of mosquitoes!  Melbourne’s hot summers have every house owner or resident wishing they can just keep the mosquitoes very far away from their homes.

It has always been easier to prevent mosquitoes than to have to get rid of them or kill them so the most important way to ensure your home isn’t infested with more mosquitoes than you are equipped to kill, is to prevent them from being attracted to your home in the first place.

Keeping Mosquitoes at Bay:

Getting mosquitoes to stay away from your home does not need to be difficult; in fact, it can be quite easy when you understand how to make a few simple changes here and there to help you achieve a mosquito-free environment at home. So without further adieu here are a few ways to keep these pests away and achieve a more peaceful environment in your house.

• Maintain Your Garden: If you have a garden or even just some grass ensure that it is regularly trimmed and maintained instead of letting it grow. Overgrown plants and vegetation are the perfect hiding place for mosquitoes to get away from the scorching sun rays and prolong lifespan. A good way to make sure your garden is not overgrown is to keep a check on the grass length and cut it every time it exceeds 3" in height.
•  Say Yes to the Fan Plan: We all know fans help to cool down a room and make it instantly windier but did you know that they can keep mosquitoes away? Due to their weak wings, mosquitoes find it difficult to fly with the continuous wind provided by a fan and often rush out of the room because of the same. So investing in any kind of fan is a good choice to make to keep mosquitoes away.
  
  
  
•  Say No to Water: Well, not too literally! The only water you need to say no to is, excess waterlogged or standing in areas that it shouldn’t be in such as drains, buckets, etc. Standing water is a breeding den for mosquitoes and hence a major attraction for these little menaces. In order to confirm that you aren’t unknowingly inviting these pests into your home or onto your property, check to see if any such standing water sources exist and get rid of them immediately! 
• Let Birdbaths be Birdbaths: Bird baths can be a form of standing water and start attracting swarms of mosquitoes onto your property looking for a home to lay their much-detested larvae, This, However, is not necessary and can be stopped by regularly changing the water in the bird baths to ensure that they will still be bird baths and not the new breeding place for many homeless mosquitoes.
• Don't Let Them Take Over the Pond!: So yes Ponds do count as standing water and yes mosquitoes will start getting attracted to them; however, pond water cannot be changed so the only thing you can do to ensure that mosquitoes are not taking over your pond is to not let the pond water rest. The water in the pond will need to have some motion to repel mosquitoes from taking over it, which means that adding a fountain or a water agitator is not splurging, but maintaining your pond.
• Protect Your Pets: Not from mosquito bites, but from drinking mosquito larvae! The water in pet’s dishes can turn to be a type of standing water attraction to mosquitoes so it is essential to regularly change the water in your pet's dishes! Because let’s be honest sick pets can carve a hole in our hearts...and our pockets!
• Fine Mesh is Fine Protection: Fine mesh can be a great way to keep mosquitoes out of your home while still being able to keep windows are doors open especially during those hot summers. Having Fine mesh screens fixed to your windows and doors will keep mosquitoes and other bugs out of your house but allow the fresh flow of air circulation into your home.

Taking the time to ensure you follow these simple tactics can help make the process easier with practice. These will certainly help keep these bloodsucking pests away from your home. It is important to also know when the situation is not in your hands anymore and realise when you need professional help.

Once your home already infested horribly with mosquitoes it is better to give the professionals a call and seek their help to get rid of the same.

About the Author: Muzi Tsolakis is the proud founder of the renowned pest control company: Protech pest control that is one of the most efficient pest control companies that provides various pest control and removal services in Melbourne.

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4 Common Bad Habits that Invite Pests to Your House

Pests such as mosquitoes and cockroaches are hard to remove once they have made a home for themselves on your property. But why would they pick your house? The three main factors that are essential to pests are food, shelter, and water.

If your home provides that, then it would definitely invade the place. Cockroaches living on your premises will not only affect the health of your loved ones but also create an undesirable and unliveable atmosphere.

You may not intentionally want pests living in the house, however, there may be a few habits that may be attracting them. What could they be?

Here are a Few Habits that could be Considered as a Welcome Sign for Pests;

1. Piling Dirty Utensils on the Kitchen Sink All Night

If you are a midnight snack lover, this one is for you! Your midnight snacking routine shouldn’t end without you washing and clearing up the dirty dishes in your sink.

A kitchen sink full of dirty vessels will not only provide cockroaches with leftover food to munch on but it will also lead to them crawling all over your kitchen, which wouldn’t be hygienic and could cause an infection.

To avoid a cockroach infestation or attracting cockroaches, keep your kitchen sink, table and dishes clean and inside the cabinets.

2. Leaving Your Full Trash Bin Uncovered

Rodents and cockroaches are a few pests that love the sight of an uncovered and overflowing trash bin. It not only provides them with a variety of food items, but it also allows them to explore as much as they want! Since mosquitoes are known to spread various diseases, such as Dengue, Malaria, etc. having them flying around your house will only result in a family member getting sick. Keeping your trash bin covered will also prevent any odour problems as well as prevent any of the pests inside the trash bin from escaping and entering your kitchen.

Keep in mind that if a cockroach rummages through your dustbin and then enters your kitchen, covered in dirt and bacteria, and crawls over your utensils, it would make the food and vessels unclean without you even knowing about it.

3. Hanging Your Dirty Clothes on the Bedroom Door for Days

Did you know? Mosquitoes love resting in dirty clothes as they like the human odour and sweat smell. This is why hanging dirty clothes behind your door or leaving your wet or dirty towel could attract more mosquitoes. The more you have around, the higher the chances of you or your family member getting infected.

To prevent getting an infection and a pest infestation, avoid hanging your dirty towel or clothes on your bedroom door or laundry basket and keep away your freshly laundered clothes at once.

4. Stacking away Unused Items at Home

Less clutter is much better! Hoarding old magazines, newspapers, or boxes, will only attract more cockroaches to your house. Cockroaches love hiding among the clutter and munching on cardboard or paper items, this is why if you don’t get rid of the extra clutter, it could lead to an infestation.

Hoarding a lot of items, also provide the perfect hideout for cockroaches, making it difficult for you to see any early signs of an infestation. You can avoid a cockroach infestation by inspecting your storage rooms, attics, and garage every once in a while to check on your stored items and see if there has been any cockroach activity. Get rid of excess clutter as much as you can and for the items that you choose to still keep with you, ensure that you store them securely in sealed boxes.

In a nutshell, it is always best to take extra precautions and maintain hygiene within and around your premises. Adopting good habits, practicing good self- hygiene, as well as the maintenance of cleanliness of your property, can ensure a pest-free environment which will prevent the chances of you or your family member getting infected or with a pest infestation.

About the Author: Muzi Tsolakis is the owner of Protech Pest Control, known for their efficient Mosquito Control services and Pest Control treatments in Melbourne.

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What Do You Know About Possums?

Source: https://www.protechpestcontrol.com.au/blog/possums-infographic

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Tips to Keep Possums Out of Your Roof

Screeching sounds in the night, missing food, overthrown garbage cans – do these symptoms sound familiar? Well if you answered yes, you probably have a possum infestation at home.

Possums are quite pesky and do significant damage to your home and property. Their control and removal demands immediate attention. There are several ways in which you could go about for treatment against the possum removal and control of an infestation.

They may be larger than other pests but the good news is that there is a solution and better still if all fails there are reliable professionals who will deal with the matter.

Since your home is not meant to house possums, they naturally become an enemy to your investments as well as your peace of mind.

There’s a saying that goes, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer’. Of course not literally, but you will have to be acquainted with their behaviour and habits.

This way you will be able to take more successful measures for their removal and control. It only becomes an infestation when the situation gets out of control.

However, to start with, here are some tips of how to safeguard your home and roof in particular from possums.

Learn Important Tips to Safeguard Your Home and Roof from Possums

Where to find Possums?

If possums have found your home to be suitable it’s because of 2 reasons – food and shelter! You know how some people actually begin their day at night?

Well possums are like those people – nocturnal! They love the dark and when I say love I mean to the point that they hate the light.

Now think like a genius and tell me - which is the darkest place in your home with the least amount of human activity? The roof right! And that’s exactly where you will find possums!

Considering that most Melbourne home-owners use the roof for storage and only visit the spot from time to time, it becomes paradise to these pests.

Do All Kinds of Possums Head to the Roof?

Well, the most commonly found possums are Brushtail and Ringtail possum. No points for guessing that they probably get their names from the way their tails are.

They both are known to nest in the hollows of trees WHICH I might mention is dark and cosy – just the way they like it! Since urban areas lack these kinds of trees, they search for the next best thing – a place that is dark, comfortable, and quiet, with the least amount of human activity to disturb them. So in answer to your question – yes you’re likely to find any one of the types hiding out in your roof.

What Can I Do With Them?

Obviously you don’t want them to continue with the chaos they are causing. But at the same time you cannot harm them since they are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975. So the next best thing to do for their control and removal is relocation.

You need to take measures to firstly trap them and you can release them within 50m distance as they remain within the property after sunset on the day of capture.

Measures to Take for Their Control and Removal

Think of it this way – why do you enjoy staying at a place? It’s because the place has everything you want, right! So if you have a possum or possum family residing in your home, it’s because your home is easy and comfortable to live in and has everything the possum needs.

Here are Some Tips to Tackle the Problem:

• Seal all garbage bins tightly so these pests cannot rummage through it.
• Place tree guards on tall trees near your home so possums can’t get onto your roof using trees.
• Do not leave the pet food container open and store/throw away leftover pet food.
• Ensure no trees are leaning into your home.
• Use traps in the roofs.
• Spray seaweed smelling repellent near any possible entry points.
• Build a possum box outside in a tree so that they will head there instead.
• Do not let piles of leaves lie around in your garden as they can act like comfortable nesting spots.
• Patch up any holes on ground level or any loose tiles so that the possums can’t use it as entry and exit points.
• Make use of an Ultrasonic Possum remover in the roof to track any activity. However ensure that the ultrasonic rays aren’t blocked by any objects in the way.

Possums are critters that will destroy your property and steal food from you as well as  your pet.

Once your residence becomes their place of safety and provision you might as well be sure that they’ll be breeding and taking over. Before you know it, you’ll be facing a full-fledged infestation! And that’s not even the worst of your problems!

Did you know that under certain circumstances possums do deliver an extremely painful bite in a bid to save itself! I’m sure you don’t want one, in fact nobody would! Besides being attentive and following the above measures there are certain treatments you can resort to.

However, these are best executed under the guidance or by a professional pest control service. An expert will be familiar and up to date with solutions to the problem. And most importantly they will know how to rid your home without harming the possum, which is of utmost importance.

About the Author:
Muzi Tsolakis heads Protech Pest Control. With their skilled experts and the latest technology, their pest control services rank among the most premium for possum removal in Melbourne. For any pest inspection services of your home or office you’ll be happy to have them on board.

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Most Common Pests Found in Commercial Building & Premises

Source: https://www.protechpestcontrol.com.au/blog/common-pests-found-in-commercial-premises

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10 Incorrect Pest Facts you Never Knew About

Who doesn’t want a pest free home? The lesser the pests in it the more comfortable you feel and the homelier it feels. But, this dream also brings along with it the pursuit for the same. From over the counter control and removal solutions, to DIY techniques, to voraciously reading all the tips, symptoms, signs and information on the same you really don’t leave any stone unturned, do you?

But are you aware of these myths that dictate so many property owners’ pest control measures? Filtering this information can help you understand how to carry out a thorough inspection, call for the right professional control and removal measures and protect your home in a better way.

Myth 1 - The Big Fat Myth Surrounding Termites

Everybody knows termites to be wood destroyers. Also known as ‘white ants’, they consume wood and if left unchecked by removal & control treatments, will quickly result in a full fledged infestation. However, most people think that a concrete floor equals no termite problems.

Here’s a real fact, 1 out of every 3 homes is susceptible to a termite attack. This is because they can quickly detect cracks, crevices, and entry points to get into a home, and from there on there’s no turning back. You’re better off with a watchful eye for termites at all times.

Myth 2 - Cleanliness is All That it Takes to Keep Pests Away

Nearly all control and removal best practices will talk about how you need to keep your property clean and clutter free. And while this has truth attached to it of preventing pests like termites and rodents from creating nesting places, it is no guarantee to keep pests out. Regular cleaning and tidying need to be followed by removal and control methods.

Myth 3 - Insecticide Usage

Again, an insecticide is almost every home owner’s go to solution, once they spot a bug, mosquito, or ant. But it cannot be the only thing you rely on. You either tend to spray so much that it makes the pests immune to its effect.

In other cases, it may even be toxic to your and your family’s health. More importantly, since pests are varied the kinds of insecticides that work on them too are varied. So you land up stocking several types insecticides. Plus, it only helps to get rid of them on a temporary basis.

Myth 4 - Ultrasonic Repellents/ Bug Zappers

We’re all familiar with ultrasonic sounds and how they work. However, there is no actual proof that ultrasonic repellents or even bug zappers for that matter, actually work.

Although backed by theory, you may want to spend your money on a solution that yields visible results. Insects like ants, bugs, mosquitoes are constantly in search of food and so move in that direction instead of the repellent’s or zapper’s as you might think so.

Myth 5 - Rodents are Dirty Creatures

The very thought of rodents in our homes and office automatically yield images of them transferring their filth all over the property. While it is true that they scavenge in search of foods in trash cans, gutters, dirty pipes, etc, they are known to be clean by nature.

In fact, they even have a separate place, which they use for urinating and pooping.Therefore, you need to understand they aren’t attracted to dirt but anything they can eat.

If you’re carrying out a pest inspection to locate their nest it might help to start tracing the steps to and from edible things in your home rather than any unclean areas.

Myth 6 - Call a Pest Professional Only if Need be

The age old proverb of precaution being better than a cure could not be a better way to phrase the clarification of this myth. Although you may think you’re saving on expenses by not calling for regular professional inspection until you actually spot a pest, this approach could land up burning a bigger hole in your pocket in the long run.

In fact, if you’re seeing signs or symptoms of their presence or infestation, you’re already too late! Rodents, bugs, and other pests can easily take control of your home. The only thing that’s going to keep them out, is professional inspection and routine pest control and removal treatments.

Myth 7 - Mosquitoes are Only Active at Dawn and Dusk

Most home owners tend to shut doors and windows hurriedly as soon as it’s dark. And all because of the fear of mosquitoes entering the house. But have you ever bothered to question that myth? Like every other insect and pest, they too are in constant search of food. This means they’re active throughout the day. In fact, some of the deadliest diseases are spread through species that bite during the day.

Myth 8 - Rodents Consume Poison Indoors but Die Outdoors

This myth can be attributed to being popularised by advertisements, etc. However, apart from a casual coincidence, there is no way to prove this myth. The poison takes between 4-10 days to act on the rodent.

During this period, the pest will tend to wait out this uneasy period in a safe place, which may be a dark hole or crevice in your home. Basically, a place that’s not frequently visited by you or other members of your family.

Myth 9 - A Domestic Cat Keeps Rodents Away

Popularised by cartoons, the theory of mice being ideal meals for cats is hardly true today. Since cats feed on packaged food we put out for them, they do not feel the need to hunt, thereby posing no threat to rodents.

If you do decide to get a pet cat, the maximum it may do, is merely chase these pests and harm them for fun. But in no way, does it act as guarantee to keep your property rodent free.

Myth 10 - Pest Control Solves the Problem Once and For all

Even the most acclaimed professional pest control specialists will vouch for the fact that keeping your home pest free is a continuous process that does not get fixed in one shot. This does not mean that solutions were ineffective.

Rather, trusted pest removal technicians will advise you to opt for a pest control plan that eradicates the current problem and safeguards your home from it returning in the future. When signing a pest control company on to treat your property, do ensure you select a plan accordingly.

Tackling pests like rodents, termites, mosquitoes, bugs, etc. can be a huge task. So, these pest control myths are better busted and clarified than a part of your home care routines. And finally, your home is better off being serviced at the hands of trained and experienced pest control experts.

About the Author:

Muzi Tsolakis heads Protech Pest Control, the finest professional pest control service for termite inspection. With over 3 decades of experience in treating infestations, these technicians have been successfully earning the trust of property owners across Melbourne, Australia.

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But Where are the Ants Coming From?

"Learn to be hard-working like an ant", that was the key take away from the ant and the grasshopper. But do any of us home-owners really want the hard-working ant inside our homes? Of course not! They may be earnest and the perfect examples of team-work but that does not mean that our homes need to be their work-place.

For we all know, with one of these pests inside we're going to have a full-fledged infestation on hand. Whether its one of them you spot or a whole host of them, the question that plagues every mind is this – where did they get in from?

And often the answer to that lies in locating small cracks, crevices between walls and fixtures, etc. Oh hold up, it's not that easy to prevent their infestation and takeover of your home! It's not humanly possible to keep track of all these tiny entryways, is it? And that’s exactly why it is extremely wise to invest in pest control on a regular basis.

However, it's not entirely something that’s out of your control. There are certainly things you can do to keep ants at bay. And those start with certain lifestyle habits. Oh yes, little acts of detail coupled with a little attentiveness and you are bound to make a noticeable difference to an ant infestation problem. And it's not just us telling you this but any expert from a reputed pest control service would advice you the same.

It's a commonly known fact that for any living thing to survive its needs food and a comfortable place to stay. Ants too follow the same mantra. So basically, in order to make them 'uncomfortable' you need to cut off their food source and make your home a place less favourable for them to live in.

Here are some hacks to go about with this:

• Store all food in tightly sealed containers
• Avoid leaving pet food in the open
• Follow general upkeep practices to keep your home clean, tidy and free of grime.
• Ensure rooms, bathrooms, roofs and basements and properly ventilated (Psst….ants are attracted to moisture)
• Clean up any crumbs and spilled food/drinks in your home immediately
• Do not leave foods that are high in sugar and protein open and unattended
• Immediately repair any cracks, holes, broken screens, doors, or windows 

Now while the above is sure to make a massive difference there are still some measures you need towards treatment of ant control in your home. For that professional pest control is the best as they thoroughly analyse the depth of the problem as well the most effective way to tackle it. Because really it’s important to acknowledge that ants emerge from an ant-hill so you don't want to bring on an attack from an entire army of agitated ants.

Most reputed pest control services offer eco-friendly treatments that will tackle the problem and also not harm you and your loved ones.

About the author: Muzi Tsolakis is the founder of Protech Pest Control. Backed by industry expertise, same day service & the latest technology, Protech pest control offers the most reliable pest inspection and pest control services in Melbourne.

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