House Pests

Of ants, cockroaches and lizards...........mention them and I'm sure most of us hate them crawling in and around our homes. I find these crawlers a constant nuisance that I'm getting quite acquainted with their behaviours. And this is a plus for me because I can then use this knowledge against these crawlers without the need to use pesticides or call in the pest busters. It's good to tell these house pests that our homes are not their playground.

The ants are blessed with powerful sense of smell. They are able to sniff the presence of food, especially sugary stuff, from many feet away. But they don't see well. They don't see you even when you stand right in front. So just slap on them and kill them. You don't have to hide to get to them. As for your foodstuff, discard them properly using trash bags. You may need double layers of trash bags, if necessary, in order to confine the smell within the bags.

Cockroaches are dumb, real dumb but a great nuisance. They don't see well and they don't smell well. They will fly straight onto your face and happily crawl about without an apology. I think their only sensor are the feelers they have on their head. Even then, the feelers' sensitivity is restricted to very close range, probably in inches. They can appear, uninvited, even when there is nothing in your home to attract them. They release a pungent, oily substance when provoked as a means to help them escape from danger or prey. When they do release such substance, it's awful. You won't like the smell .... trust me!

Now, don't try to chase cockroaches because they are fast. And don't try catching them with your hand because they smell awful and you won't succeed. Instead, use a damp rag or cloth; damp enough to be of some weight. Use the rag or cloth to slap on the cockroach, weaken it, then try and catch it. Using a wooden stick or metal rod helps, too. Once the pest is weakened, use the stick to flip it over so that the cockroach lies on its back. You will find the insect struggling but unable to easily flip back to upright position so you can have all the time to decide how to get rid of the pest.

Lastly, comes the lizards. They are more intelligent. They can see from many metres away, so you have to hide your way to get to them. We hate the shit or wastes or droppings (whatever they call it) lizards left behind. Such droppings stick on your floors and walls. You just have to use detergent to clean up the mess. Lizards hide in holes and crevices in your home in the day and they are active at night. So patch up any hole or crevice in your home and you will see those lizards much less often.

Catching a lizard when it is high up on the wall or ceiling can be quite daunting. A mop or broom can help to chase the lizard away even if it doesn't get killed that way. Lizards have the tendency to shed their tails when they feel they are in danger. They do so in order to create a distraction while giving them time to escape. So don't be easily fooled and go for the lizard rather than the tail.

Of course, lizards also have a fair chance of escaping when under threat. When a lizard does managed to escape after shedding its tail you will need to dispose of the tail before the ants start arriving. The creature is more than happy to escape without its tail. And please don't think the creature is coming back to collect its tail!