In the Breda Tuinzigt district, residents suffer from a rat plague. The vermin pops up in living rooms and back gardens and causes damage by gnawing on wallpaper and electricity cables. But rats are not the only pests that you can suffer from. Also cockroaches, Asian hornets and bed bugs you would rather not have in your house, you know pest fighter Theodoor Biemans.
If you want to prevent vermin, you must ensure that it does not enter your house. Pest fighter Theodoor Biemans comes daily to homes where rats, mice or insects make their way. And to be honest, he doesn’t always surprise that.
“Some people put bird food in their garden, but then it sometimes seems like they want to lure ostriches,” he says laughing. His advice is: don’t make the vermin too easy. Make sure you store the food for your pets well, pick up fruit that falls out of your fruit tree immediately and keep your house clean. “If nothing can be achieved, they will not come either.”
“It often ends up in a house through furniture from the cycle.”
But rats and mice are not the only intruders that Biemans has to deal with. More and more often he gets a report of cockroaches in a home. “It often ends up in a house where people have their furniture from the cycle. Then the cockroaches were already in those second -hand furniture.”
The pest fighter recommends closing the cracks and seams of your house, possibly with beebekjes. If you still come across cockroaches, it is best to call a fighter. “We can apply a kind of cockroach gel to places where the animals are active. Then the party is quickly over.”
“You may bring bed bugs in your suitcase home.”
Just back from vacation? Then, according to Biemans, it may be that you have included bed bugs in your suitcase. Fortunately, she does not come across the exterminator that often during his work, although he has useful tips for how you can fight these itch bugs. “If you find out that you have bed bugs, you can either freeze your bedding or wash it very hot,” he says.
“You have to ensure that you do not drag your blankets throughout the house, because then they end up everywhere. So put your bedding in a plastic bag, put it in a large freezer or put it directly in the washing machine at 90 degrees.” He also recommends using a bed bug spray. With that you can inject seams, skirting boards and cracks where the animals hide.
“Place bee mouths in all the bumbling joints of your home.”
Biemans also often comes across wasps in homes. According to him, you can’t help them nestle in your house. “The only thing you can do to prevent them is placing beebekjes in bumps. Then they can’t go inside,” he says.
“If you find a nest in your house, it’s best to call a fighter. He ensures that the insects are professionally removed.” That is especially important with the big brother of the wasp, the Asian hornet. “The poison of the Hoornaar is about fifteen times more painful than that of a wasp. For that you need an extra thick beekeeper suit and extra pesticides,” says Biemans.
Whether it’s rats, cockroaches, wasps or bed bugs: you can never prevent vermin. But according to Biemans, it helps enormously if residents are alert and keep each other sharp. “You can keep your house clean yourself so well, but if the neighbors make a mess of it, you will still be bothered. Pests will not stop at the fence.”