No matter how long men take to come home, their wives will still wait for them to take care of the hideous spider in the bathtub. Battling pests is still largely a man’s job, and if you’re struggling with arachnophobia, there are things you can do to get rid of the critters even while you sleep.

Sprays or baits?

Bug sprays can be harmful to humans as they are to bugs. Exterminators now use slow-acting gels that the insects bring back to their hideaways and share with their colony. You must know which spray or bait works for which insect, as there is no single substance or tool that works for all types.

Sprays and baits are most effective when placed near the insects’ homes. These are the nooks and cracks in your kitchen, bathroom, and dining room. They proliferate, too, behind the stove or refrigerator and in small areas between cupboards.

Before applying baits such as boric acid powder, try to find where they live. Shine a flashlight onto these crannies and look for telltale signs. Sometimes you’ll find antennae sticking out of the refrigerator motor. Or black specks left around the corners of a crack. These are insects’ feces, so make sure you place the chemicals around this area.

Never apply insecticide along open spaces, especially if you have pets, small kids, or toddlers in your home. Also, if you prefer to spray insecticide, make sure all food products are protected and that no one is inside the house during spraying time. After a few hours, ventilate the house well before going back in.

When applying powdered insecticide near where the bugs live, wear a protective mask and gloves. Avoid ingesting it and keep it out of your eyes. After application, brush any scattered powder into the cracks.

It’s sometimes better to simply vacuum the insects instead of mass-crushing or poisoning them. This is recommended for flying insects. Be careful when disposing of the vacuum bag, though, as they may escape and create a bigger problem.

Prevention is better than cure

1. Suffice it to say that a clean home deters house pests, and homeowners need to habitually clean up after every meal to keep pests from proliferating. Ants, cockroaches, rodents, and other pests feed on what we eat too, so wipe-ups should be standard operating procedures after every meal.

For instance, wipe off the honey that drips off the jar lip. Rinse empty beer bottles that you’ve set aside for recycling. Throw away paper bags that you don’t intend to use, or store them in the garage or outside the home. They’re excellent fodder for cockroaches.

2. Fix all leaks. Leaky drains and faucets can help an entire colony of roaches survive. It takes just a few days for a leaky drain to turn the area below the sink into a haven for bugs.

3. Seal all cracks. Because pests love burrowing into dark crannies, you need to caulk them to deprive them of a comfortable home. You’ll usually find these cracks in cupboards, pipe openings, and air-conditioning units.

4. Protect your pet from pests. Fido can’t always keep an eye on his food, so you have to help him keep the ants and the roaches off his dish. To do this, create a moat around the dish by placing it in a bowl with soapy water or some other substance that would deter insects from crawling onto your pet’s food.

5. Keep your gutters clean and in good condition. Clean them out while the weather is fair and make sure that the downspouts are equipped with splash guards that would keep water away from the side of your home. This will keep water puddles from forming near the house’s foundation.

6. Check your screens. Any rip or hole on your screens, no matter how small, is an open invitation for insects to migrate to your home.

7. Clean your yard. A well-manicured lawn won’t be conducive for breeding pests. Get rid of unused piles of bricks and lumber, don’t store firewood near your home, keep mulch a good distance away from your house’s walls, ensuring they’re no more than 2 inches thick, and trim shrubs and tree limbs regularly so they don’t touch your walls or roof.

8. Install weather strips. If you already have weather strips installed on the bottom edge of your exterior doors, check to make sure that they are still in good condition and have no breaches on them. This can effectively keep away mice, insects, and spiders.

9. Transfer store-bought dry items in plastic or glass containers. No matter how clean your house may be, you can still bring in flour moths and grain beetles home from the grocery. Store dry items, including pet food and birdseeds, in airtight plastic or glass containers so infestation would be limited to just one item.

10. Mind your garbage. Sort and seal all your garbage and keep the garbage containers on to keep large animals from scavenging through them and scattering items all over your yard, attracting pests.

How to handle mice

Some homeowners feel bad about killing one seemingly harmless little mouse. However, keep in mind that mice are prolific breeders, and a pair of these could multiply into hundreds if they have adequate food.

It’s also important to note that their droppings carry diseases, some of which are lethal. And because they nibble on most anything, you risk the danger of a house fire because they love gnawing on electrical cords as well.

So how do you get rid of them? You’ll find that multiple-catch traps are most effective if there are lots of these critters in your home. They can catch up to 15 at a time. If you don’t want to do the dirty deed of exterminating them, release them away from your home.

Spring-loaded mousetraps are still in use today, but they can only catch about half of the mice that take the bait. Always place the traps near where they live. Position the snap trap’s trigger in a way that it faces or is perpendicular to a wall, because mice travel on a path along your walls. It’s also a myth that the best bait is cheese – chocolate and peanut butter are in reality more effective.