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Squash Pest Problems
Whether it creeps, crawls, wiggles, gnaws, or sucks your blood, this site will show you how to combat pests before they send prospects running.
BY CHRIS LEPORINI
They're crawling out of the woodwork, as well as throughout you backyard and maybe even into your pantry. As the weather warms, household pests are emerging in many regions nationwide. In more temperate climes, they never left. In addition to the sheer ick factor, insects and other pests can pose serious health risks for homeowners and their families. Other pests, such as termites, can snack their way into serious property damage and put a bite on a transaction. PestWorld, from the National Pest Management Association, helps homeowners spot and address pest infestations in their homes, as well as educating users on pest-related health risks.
"FAQs About Pests" gets you up to speed on common household pests. The extensive termite section instructs homeowners how to prevent, detect, and exterminate these bugs before they inflict widespread property damage. It will prove invaluable to homeowners in the southern United States where termites represent an especially serious problem. Other FAQ give you facts on preventing infestations of mice, ladybugs, moths, bees, wasps, cockroaches, silverfish, ants, and fruit flies, as well as the best and safest ways to control pests once they appear. The "Pest Questions," message board lets users consult directly with pest control experts. It's divided into six sections: pantry pests; rats, mice, and other four-legged pests; termites; wood destroying pests (not termites); and miscellaneous insect pests. Users must fill out a brief registration form to start a new topic, however, registration isn't required to browse previous posts.
Listed under the "Identify Pests" link, the "Spotlight on Pests" exposes a rogues' gallery of critters ranging from the merely annoying to the potentially deadly. It includes extensive profiles for 23 pests, complete with mug shots, identification tips, known relatives, habits, and habitats, and step-by-step infestation control and prevention advice. Additionally, these profiles describe the symptoms of diseases spread by each pest. You might want to provide homeowners with this information to alert them to pest-related health hazards in your region. For instance, a home buyer relocating from the Pacific Northwest may never have encountered the deer tick, a Lyme Disease-carrier, common on the Eastern Seaboard
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Users looking for bare-bone pest facts can click on "Tips for Preventing Pests." While it overlaps the section the "Spotlight on Pests" to some degree, it also offers articles on integrated pest management (IPM), a long-term pest prevention strategy that advocates prevention and biological and mechanical control measures rather than chemicals. This approach will be particularly appealing to buyers with allergies or air-quality concerns.
PestWorld also advise users on finding a pest control specialist. You may have venders that you usually refer clients to, but if not, you can search the site's "Find a Professional Pest Control Specialist Feature" by zip code for a local specialist. The site also provides "Advice on Choosing a Pest Control Specialist," including tips such as asking friends or family for referrals, checking for membership in pest control associations, and making sure that you reach an understanding with the company on how and how frequently the problem will be treated before it begins work.
Whether it's rodents, cockroaches, or just harmless ladybugs, a home with a pest problem will almost certainly not attract buyers. With Pestworld you can help customers squash their household pest problem like a… well you know.
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