Keeping pests out of living spaces is always a challenge. Multifamily homes pose an additional challenge. Different living habits among the occupants, community garbage containers, difficulty in maintaining a building and easy access into the space all contribute to the challenge of keeping an apartment complex pest-free.
There are ways to do it. Apartment managers, maintenance personnel, and occupants must work together to reduce the places that pests can enter, nest and breed. If pests such as ants, rodents, termites, cockroaches and spiders are seen, the apartment manager or maintenance personnel should be immediately informed. Using a pest management professional is the best, and safest, way to ensure that pests don't become permanent members of your community.
Dangers of Pests
Pests cause a number of problems. Many, such as cockroaches, mosquitoes and rodents, spread disease. Several, including termites and some types of ants, destroy property. Other unwanted invaders cause allergies or bring on asthma attacks for those who suffer from asthma. Some animals carry rabies, and birds are a potential source of avian flu. Keeping pests out is the first step in controlling these dangers.
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management uses several techniques to eliminate pest infestations. Rather than using blanket applications of pesticides, IPM uses logical, proven methods to prevent pests from entering a building, reducing or eliminating food and water sources and using chemical treatments only if necessary to destroy colonies and keep infestations from reoccurring. IPM uses fewer harmful substances that can affect people, pets, and the environment.
Hiring a Pest Management Professional
A pest management professional will evaluate your apartment complex to identify the specific types of pests present. The technician will also do a thorough examination of the property to determine places pests are entering and nesting, such as through electrical outlets or around plumbing pipes. A treatment plan will be drawn up that details how to make repairs to keep pests out and how to eradicate the pests that are present.
The technician will look for sources of food and water, such as leaking faucets and wet areas behind bathroom tiles. Pet owners may be asked to keep pet food bowls covered. Outdoor trash receptacles should be covered. Adequate numbers of waste receptacles should be present to prevent overflow of trash and be emptied regularly. Residents will be shown how to keep food stored to prevent ants and cockroaches infestations.
Treatment varies according to the pest. The technician will recommend a number of treatment protocols, such as repairs to the building, moving dumpsters to better locations, setting baits and traps and using chemical treatments when necessary.
My Pest Pros is a family-owned business with a decade of experience in northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. We work with both residential and commercial properties using the least harmful treatments that get the job done. We provide free estimates and guarantee our work. Call today to talk to one of our certified pest management specialists about how to keep your apartment complex pest-free.