Think like the pest
Every pest is looking for water, food and shelter, in that order, and a small gap is enough to let it in. A mouse can pass through a hole the width of a dime. Stuff steel wool into gaps around pipes under sinks and behind the stove, then seal over it with caulk, because mice chew through foam and caulk alone. Add door sweeps to exterior doors. Roaches shelter in cardboard boxes and paper bags, so get them out rather than storing them.
By pest
- Ants follow a scent trail, so wipe the trail with soapy water or vinegar and set out bait stations, which the workers carry back to the colony. Spray kills only the ants you can see.
- Cockroaches respond to gel bait and sticky monitoring traps placed along walls, under the sink and behind the refrigerator.
- Fruit flies breed in overripe produce, drains and damp sponges. Remove the source, then trap the adults in a dish of apple cider vinegar with a drop of dish soap.
- Pantry moths arrive inside flour, rice, nuts and pet food. Discard anything with webbing or larvae, vacuum the shelves, and store dry goods in sealed glass or hard plastic.
- Mice are best caught with snap traps baited with peanut butter, set at right angles to the wall with the trigger end against it, since mice run along edges.
Bed bugs
Look for rust-colored specks along mattress seams, shed skins, and bites in rows or clusters. Do not set off foggers, which fail against bed bugs and roaches alike, scatter them into the walls, and are a fire hazard. Thirty minutes in a hot dryer kills bugs and eggs in clothing and bedding. When you travel, keep your bag on the luggage rack, and inspect secondhand furniture before it comes inside.
Who pays, and when to call
In most states a landlord must keep a rental habitable, which generally includes dealing with infestations, though the details vary; look up your state's landlord-tenant rules or call a local tenant organization. Report the problem in writing, with photographs and the date. Apartment roaches and bed bugs move between units, so treating one unit alone seldom works. Call a licensed professional for bed bugs, termites, recurring rodents and wasp nests.
Note Never sweep or vacuum dry mouse droppings, which can put viruses into the air. Wearing gloves, soak them with disinfectant for five minutes, wipe up with paper towels, and bag it all.
