We share this earth with many other living things. Some of them are useful to us while some are not. There are also some that are destructive or simply annoying. These last ones are what we call pests. They are everywhere, even in our homes.
Mosquitoes are probably the most annoying pests in the home. They buzz around us 24 hours a day. At the slightest opportunity, they would alight on our bodies and have a feed of our blood. The place on the skin where they have bitten usually itches like mad. That is not too bad actually. What is bad is the diseases that they can cause. The infamous Aedes mosquito is a carrier for the deadly dengue fever. People die because of dengue fever. The Anopheles mosquito carries malaria, also a potentially dangerous disease.
It is impossible to eradicate these mosquitoes. The best that we can do is reduce them to a manageable level. The most effective way is to get rid of stagnant water where they lay their eggs. Sadly this simple method is not taken seriously by people so the mosquitoes still harass us every day.
To prevent mosquitoes from biting us when we sleep it is best to sleep under a mosquito net. However, this is not popular as people complain it is too hot to sleep under the net. Alternatively, they use mosquito coils and other chemicals to keep the mosquitoes away but no one knows exactly how safe they are. I play safe and sleep under a mosquito net.
Then come the rats. These nocturnal creatures come to our homes to look for food and shelter. They will eat anything that they can get hold of, and they will make their nests anywhere that they may find suitable. Besides being a nuisance these rats are known to carry diseases too. The first thing to do to control them is not to leave food lying around or within reach of these pests. Also, keep the home neat and tidy so that they will not find it easy to make their nests. These methods will only keep their population down, not eliminate them completely. At least we know these hungry rats will not flock to our homes.
However, I know these rats will even eat soap when there is no food available. So have a mousetrap or two handles. Otherwise keep a cat, but make sure that the cat is not too well-fed for a fat cat is usually not interested in catching any rat.
Termites can be a big headache if they are allowed to gain a foothold. If that happens then it is best to get the services of a pest-control expert to handle things. These wood-boring pests can cause great damage to our homes so it is always wise to check the wooden part of our houses for any sign of them.
Other pests like cockroaches, ants, flies and an occasional frog or snake are easily handled. But no matter how hard we try to prevent pests from coming into our homes they will still succeed. We have to live with them and control their presence as best as we can.