A Simple Way to Make Our Community Greener

We’re all looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact where we can. One easy but often overlooked way to be greener is to make our pest control efforts more eco-friendly. 

Often when most people think about pest control, they think of an exterminator spraying chemicals around foundations and baseboards. But pest management has come a long way in the past few decades. Pest management professionals now have a much broader range of treatments and strategies that are much more friendly to the environment while being decidedly unfriendly to pests.

“The most important component of green pest management is prevention,” says Dr. Ron Harrison, an entomologist with pest control company Orkin. “Pests make themselves at home when the essentials to their survival – food, water and shelter – are present. If we can remove these elements, or block access to them, you may not need chemical treatments at all.” 

You can help our community be more eco-friendly – and help keep pests out more effectively – by restricting their access to food, water and shelter in and around your unit. Orkin recommends the following simple tips:

• Don’t let dirty dishes sit in the kitchen sink or let food sit out after a meal – it takes just a few hours to attract pests.
• Clean up any spills immediately, even if it’s just water.
• Wipe down counters and other surfaces daily.
• Regularly remove trash – trash to you can be a tasty treat for pests.
• Keep non-perishable food items tightly sealed, especially sugar, flour and other items that may not close well in their original packaging. 
• Vacuum regularly in the spaces beside refrigerators and in any cracks and crevices to clean out any food that may attract pests. Vacuuming can also eliminate pest allergens and even pests themselves.

If you do see signs of pests anywhere in our community, please alert our office immediately so we can have a licensed pest management professional inspect and address the problem before it spreads. We want to help you live in a pest-free home, and be greener, too. 

For more tips on how to make your home or business less hospitable to pests, visit orkin.com.