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Pesty intruders are a pain for sure

OPERATION CLEAN-UP: Spraying chemical components in places likely to be infested with cockroaches or termites is one way of eradicating them.

It's only been months since you have moved into your own home, a nice, cosy two-bedroom apartment. Head- splitting haggling with the builder, mopping up finances, doing up the interiors, shifting.now, it's all behind you like a bad dream.

But, just when you begin to sink into your comfort zone, pesky pests start to surface. Cockroaches of a bewildering variety begin to invade every nook and corner, first in the kitchen, then the dining area, bathrooms and inside your cupboards. Sooner than later, other creepy little things also show up on your wooden frames.

And if you have been smug not noticing the brown patch, the entire woodwork can turn into dust. Silver fishes and bed bugs too can be another nuisance disturbing your peace of mind. If your home is an independent bunglow, you can bet on rodents too burrowing their way in.

Action begins

It's not just needling neighbours or overbearing owners that can make life irritating, pests at home can be more upsetting. That's when you should think of getting pest control treatment done. These days you have several noted firms and service agencies offering various kinds of specialised treatments to get rid of pests of all kinds.

Cockroaches come from the drain pipes and upper floors are no barrier to them. Drains are cleaned and two kinds of chemical compounds are sprayed in all the places where the creepy ones move around and appear to have made their home. These are usually found in the kitchens, dining room and bathrooms after carefully ensuring eatables are kept away and utensils are cleaned before being used again. Treatment could last from a few months to couple of years depending on the surroundings of the apartment or house.

Termites can destroy all your wood and any cellulose material like clothes, fibre, etc., in the vicinity if not checked in time as they could lying dormant inside the wood. There are two kinds of treatment, before actual construction and during construction itself to target subterranean pests and later, for those already hiding in the soft wood used for door-window frames and cupboards.

Prevention

"If you start treatment against pests before they became a pain, it will be more effective and those hygiene conscious opt for it. Termite treatment before construction can control the menace for at least a decade. Independent houses are more susceptible for entry of pests," explains K.V. Bibin Kumar, (Ph.9959050162) of Pest Solutions & Services, Ltd.

Otherwise, once your home is set, solution is to drill holes inches apart around each and every wood panel for the chemical to be injected.

These are later covered up with white cement. This treatment could last up to five years. Rodents usually haunt independent houses and they are either caught using glue pads or mechanical traps or chemical treatment is done at burrowing sites.

Bed bugs and silver fish problem too can be treated by applying chemical at their respective sites. However, there is no permanent cure. "Pests cannot be eradicated forever. They can be controlled with proper chemical treatment," says Mr. Kumar.

But, mosquitoes are different type altogether. Though there is spray treatment available, experts say there is no alternative to mosquito nets/mesh.

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