Fun fact (as one of my readers from Australia said) Australia may be the land of Oz, from the bottom of the world, filled with all kinds of poisonous creatures and unforgiving conditions, but residentially there are quite a few similarities to home ownership exigencies in the USA. For example, pests are very much the same in Australia. Rats, cockroaches, termites—you know the “heavy hitters” in the pest world!
Especially if you’re living the military lifestyle, it’s conceivable you could live in multiple countries throughout the course of your career, and it’s likely the diversity of pests will bear similarities all over the world. Though most military stints in foreign countries aren’t too long-term, you don’t have to be in a house long for pest issues to become a very serious problem.
Consider rats, as a for-instance. Whether you’re local to Oz or just traveling, these little blighters can breed out of control if you’re not careful. Especially given Australia’s conducive climate, you only need one area where you don’t realize the rodents have gained entry, and suddenly a dozen pied pipers wouldn’t be enough to whistle the vermin away.
Warning: Exponential Expansion
One pair of brown rats can produce 2,000 offspring in a single year. That’s…downright exponential. If you’re on a military base for five years, and some rodents get into a basement of your unit on the corner, creeping in through a pipe or something, you could come home one day to find an entire colony of these plague-bearing uber-mice ransacking your furnace room.
That’s bad for you, it’s bad for your family, it’s bad for the community, and it’s happened before. Just last year in southern California they had to shut down a commissary for this very issue! It doesn’t matter how conscientious you are; rats will sneak in under your nose. They’re a lot smarter than people give them credit for! They’re not the only “hidden” pests, either.
Hidden Offenders
Many infestations undermine you without you realizing there’s an issue until it’s too late. You’ve got to learn what signs of infestation are, and how to act before the problem truly gets out of control. Another pest which does this, and which can be stopped if caught soon enough, is the termite. But if you wait too long, damage can be insurmountable.
If you think you’ve encountered signs of termite activity in your home, let the experts put their knowledge and experience on the job to sniff out the little critters and put into action one of the most appropriate termite treatment and prevention methods for your home.
https://pixabay.com/en/fumigation-street-pesticide-insect-2772381/
Going With The Experts
When you get down to it, deigning to the experts is advisable for any kind of infestation; but there are also additional measures you can take. One, keep premises as perpetually clean as you can. Two, check your home for regions where pests could gain entry and fortify any vulnerable spots. Three, inspect areas of low usage and infrastructural necessity at regular intervals; once a month is recommendable, two or three times a year is probably fine—depending on the condition of your premises.
If you can get a cat, this can help. The cat will notice infestation before you will—though, at a certain level, the cat will be blind to the issue. Roaches are probably the limit of a cat’s usefulness in pet detection. Though that being said, cats can apprise you to the presence of moths as well; if you see your kitty crazily cavorting amidst the blinds, there are likely moths nearby.
The truth is, there are many different ways you can protect yourself and your home against pests. And there are many infestations which can balloon out of control almost overnight. So be careful to maintain your premises and inspect areas of likely infestation. Additionally, establish secondary measures of detection, like friendly domesticated felines.
Featured image copyright: andreypopov / 123RF Stock Photo
