We have more than our fair share of household pests; there have been wars with insects and rats that are looking to invade living spaces. Of course, today we have pest control companies that use the latest equipment and solutions to exterminate a wide range of household pests, yet it wasn’t always this way.
The Early Days
When mankind were hunter gatherers, there wouldn’t have been many creatures that bothered them; indeed, some would be eaten, while other merely squashed or brushed away. Tics and lice would be removed by regular grooming, much like other mammals and it wasn’t long before people discovered that burning vegetation deters certain insects, which was the only early form of pest control. Communities relied on grooming to remove lice and fleas and no connection was yet made with deaths and insects and that wouldn’t occur until the 16th and 17th centuries.
Farming
Once we started to farm, this obviously attracted other life forms; rodents ate corn and wheat and many insects were attracted to farm communities where they stashed produce. The agricultural societies grew and certain methods were deployed to prevent animals and insects eating their produce and these were handed down from generation to generation and improved upon.
19th Century
The start of the Industrial Revolution saw a surge in insect infestations in homes and factories and as towns grew in size, so did the pest problem. Large cities suffered huge populations of rats as big as cats, while winters were the time for cockroach surges, as the critters looked for warmth and shelter. Of course, this was a major source of disease and at this time, the first chemical solutions were being discovered. Insecticides began to emerge across Europe to some degree of success.
DDT
This harmful chemical was used to eradicate flying insects such as mosquitoes, which spread malaria and dengue fever and from the 1940s until the 1980s, DDT was used extensively across the world. We eventually realised the bad outweighed the good with DDT and it was banned in many countries.
Present Day
The modern times have provided us safer and more effective options. Pest control companies are careful to only use products and methods that don’t harm property owners, making it ideal to seek for their help when we have pest problems instead of getting the pesky critters ourselves. When looking at pest control services cost in the Sunshine Coast, or in your location, you can enjoy highly effective treatment for the following pests:
- Termites
- Cockroaches
- Ants
- Spiders
- Rats & mice
- Woodworm
If you have recently moved into your current dwelling, it is a good idea to ask your local pest control company to test for the presence of pests and should they discover that you have uninvited guests, they can take suitable measures to remove them once and for all.
There is an ever-present danger of termite invasion and these hardy little creatures actually consume buildings! A colony consists of workers and soldiers that protect their king and queen. If you see small, brown mounds anywhere, this is a sure sign of termite presence.
Regular inspections are always a good idea and should you see droppings or any other signs of a pest invasion, call in the professionals!