Help! I have bugs!

The worst feeling is to go into your kitchen and discover a plethora of ants devouring the crumbs you accidentally dropped on the floor. Or being surrounded by a group of flies looking for bits and pieces of yesterday’s lunch. Of course no one wants bugs in their home. So here is a guideline of preventing bugs as well as getting rid of the ones you find.

The unfortunate renter:
  In my opinion (since I’ve been there too), the most unfortunate renter is the one who lives downstairs or in a rental home. All your favorite creepy things go into your unit long before they ever start climbing upwards. If your neighbor is a slob, those bugs will still invade you first before discovering the pile of garbage upstairs. And some of these creatures, such as crickets, are too lazy to go further up than the first story. And if you think bugs won’t reach your third-story apartment, think about this: I’ve seen them in the upper stories of skyscrapers. If they can reach the 22nd floor, they can reach the 3rd floor too.

  So what does all this mean? It means, if you live downstairs you must work harder to prevent bugs than your upstairs’ neighbor. And if you live upstairs, you still need to be aware of bugs.

Preventing the invasion:
  Ok, so now that you are aware of the burden ahead of you, you must learn the tricks to preventing invasions. That doesn’t mean hiring your own exterminator (since they are rather expensive and require several visits per year). Most landlords will provide bug extermination services, since they don’t really want to lose any renters. These exterminators usually come twice a year to spray or defog your unit. They are required to give you notice and you should take your animals out of the unit if they intend to defog or spray chemicals in the air.

  If you detect any bugs, you should contact your landlord and file a complaint. This is especially true for ants since the cause might be outside your unit. If the landlord doesn’t eliminate the problem outside, then these bugs will keep invading your unit. Now if you live near a dumpster or a grassy field, you will need to be aware of rats or mice. If you live near a beach, you might get an occasional crab. Also, the more humid and damp the area you live in, the more chance for creepy-crawlies invading your closets and bathrooms.

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