Mobile Home Pest Control Tips

Mobile home living has a lot of advantages. For one, it’s far cheaper than owning and maintaining a traditional house. Like any home though, mobile homes are susceptible to pest problems, that’s why we have put together these mobile home pest control tips. If you missed our previous article, here are some more tips for mobile home pest control.

Every Pest Is A Threat To Mobile Homes

Since mobile homes are not usually secured to the ground in the same way that traditional homes are, there are more areas underneath the house that can be a point of entry for pests.

Some of the more common pests you might encounter in the home are cockroaches, ants, rodents such as mice and rats and termites. All of these can disrupt your life and some can even damage the structure of the home itself.

Mobile Home

Mobile homes often contain less exterior sheathing than traditional brick and mortar home, so critter and pest damage from termites are often quickly exacerbated.

Not only can the damage from these pests become severe more rapidly, but also normal household pests like cockroaches and ants can often create larger infestations in mobile homes as opposed to brick and mortar homes. This is due to several factors, chief among them the fact that there is usually less insulation in a mobile home, exposing some areas of the home to the elements to a greater degree, making them a more hospitable environment for the bugs.

This doesn’t mean mobile homes are inferior to site-built homes. It simply means that they are made differently. Mobile homes are cheaper for a reason but still offer the same benefits of traditional housing.

New doors and windows can help keep critters and pest out of mobile homes. Read our Complete Guide to Mobile Home Doors here or our mobile home window guide.

Preparation Is The Best Thing You Can Do

Since mobile homes are somewhat more susceptible both to infestations and to the damage that they can cause, it is important to prepare yourself and your home to prevent these problems from even occurring in the first place.

Perhaps the best preparation is to make sure that you keep every area of your house as clean as possible, including where trash is kept and especially the areas such as pantries and kitchens where food is stored.
Pests of all kinds are almost always drawn into a home first by the availability of food, and removing this from the equation is a sure-fire way to keep your home safe.

Know The Tools Needed To Kill Pests If They Do Get In

Obviously, the answer to your pest problem will depend on several factors, the size of the infestation, the type of pest and your budget. However, there are a few hard and fast rules that will help with any bugs or rodents.
 
First, always make sure that you use the recommended amount of product first when applying sprays or baits. Using too much can actually have a negative effect on the overall pest elimination process.
Also, you should be sure to carefully read, understand and follow the manufacturer’s directions whenever using chemical products to kill or deter pests in and around your home.

For some termites, sprays aren’t as effective. The bugs are often hidden deep inside the home, therefore you’ll need a product such as this termite bait system.

Learn about Top Tips for Flat Mobile Home Roof Health

Good News! You Can Do The Work Yourself

Many people think that the only way to get rid of annoying pests such as ants, roaches, and rodents is to call in the help of a professional exterminator.

Thankfully, this isn’t always the case. Of course, massive infections will require professional intervention but small problems and preventative measures can be done by anyone. With a little preparation you can, in fact, get the same results by doing the work yourself.

In addition to saving money and still killing the pests, you will also have complete control over exactly what goes into your home and in what quantities, meaning that you can be assured that your pets and children will not suffer any negative side effects from unknown and potentially hazardous chemicals that might be applied by a professional service.

Keep in mind that most products like roach killer can be harmful if applied improperly.

Furry Friends

This time of the year garners more rodent infestations as they are trying to find food. It’s a constant battle to keep critters out of your home, trust me. We’ve had opossum and mole problems since we moved here. We even had a huge opossum walking on our kitchen counter after we first moved in! The dogs and cats did nothing to help us. I think they thought, “oh great, they’ve brought in yet another pet!” Luckily my husband was able to calmly open the window and push him out without getting attacked. We knew he got in somehow and sure enough, there was a huge opening under our kitchen cabinets but thankfully once we repaired it we haven’t had any in our house, just under it.

These animals are scared and simply trying to survive in an area that isn’t made for them so have a little compassion, if possible.

There are traps you can use to capture them and then drive them to a nice wooded area and let them out. If that’s not possible, please be as humane as possible when killing them. We are now spraying a liquid that keeps the opossums away. It’s been very effective but you do need to spray all under the home once a month. It’s the smell that they don’t like so it keeps them away but doesn’t kill them (I’m an animal lover, even if they are considered pests..lol).
 
Thanks for reading Mobile Home Living!

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