Nobody wants ants, cockroaches, or fleas living in their homes. If you have pets, it can be difficult to spray for bugs without harming your furry friends. Here are ten pet-safe pest control tips to help you control the bugs without harming your companion animals!
Talk to Your Vet
It’s always a good idea to speak to your veterinarian first before using any insecticides. They have a greater knowledge of pet health and poisons than a layperson. You can discuss things like your specific pets’ allergies and medical conditions with greater nuance.
Natural Insecticides
Be wary of any natural insecticides that claim to be “healthy” or “green”. The term “natural” refers to a wide variety of substances, and even these can be harmful to your precious pets. Also, be careful about leaving out plants that can ward off bugs. Garlic, for example, is bad for termites as well as your cats and dogs.
Quick-Dry
Using quick-drying insecticides makes it less likely for your pets to contact enough poison to become ill. Once the insecticides dry, it’s very difficult for your pets to ingest any! What’s more, these kinds of pest prevention only have enough poison to harm bugs, not high enough concentrations to harm larger animals.
Identify Pests
Make sure you’re using the right pest prevention for the job. Figure out what kind of pests you’re dealing with first. Termites and carpenter bees, for instance, can leave similar evidence of their activities. However, the methods you use to remove them are quite different.
Birds are Your Friends
Birds already eat plenty of bugs without needing any encouragement. If you invite birds onto your property with feeders and birdbaths, you’ll likely find fewer pests on your property. Your feathered friends will absolutely devastate local pest populations—and they’ll do it for free!
So Are Garden Insects
While you’re at it, look into introducing beneficial garden insects like ladybugs onto your property. These helpful bugs will ward off pests without leaving behind any harmful chemicals. This is especially helpful if you grow plants and want to keep pests out of them!
Other Pets
Be mindful of your other pets, too. If you keep birds or reptiles, make sure any pest removal methods you use won’t harm them, either. Reptiles in particular are very sensitive to aerosol products. Make sure you also cover your fish tank or bird cage before spraying anything for bugs.
Bait Stations
One surefire way to get rid of pests without causing any harm to your pets is to use insect bait stations. These encourage bugs to enter with good-smelling bait and then poison or capture them, eliminating them from your home without introducing any chemicals to your pets.
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Antidotes
If you’re going to use poisons to control the pest population in your home, make sure you use chemicals for which there are antidotes. This gives you some peace of mind by offering a way to cure your pets in case they ingest the poison. It’s not likely for pets to become poisoned by the amount of insecticide needed to control pests, but it’s good to have a backup plan.
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Pet-Friendly Pest Control
For particularly stubborn pests, it’s often best to just call in the professionals. Make sure you contact a company that has experience handling pests without harming pets. In some extreme cases, you might need to just move all your pets out while the professionals do their thing.
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