Page 26 2026 Spring Home and Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 2026 Humane ways to be rid of PESTY VERMIN Taking care of your home and yard often means dealing with plenty of unwanted pests. From ants in the kitchen to raccoons in the attic, you may run into all of them during the lifetime of your home. While it's important to protect your space from damage, and your health from any animal-borne diseases, it doesn't mean the solution has to be harmful to people, kids, pets, the pesty animals or the environment. That's where using a humane approach to pest control comes in. This means that you are doing your best to resolve any pest problems in a way that will minimize suffering and avoid unnecessary harm. Getting rid of insects like roaches, ants and wasps, or mice scurrying across the floor is a necessity. However, you can still use a targeted and environmentally-responsible method instead of reaching for the spray can, a shoe or jumping on a chair and screaming for your husband! Broad-spectrum pesticides, for example, can also kill beneficial insects like bees and butterflies, contaminate soil and water, and disrupt the larger ecosystem. Instead, you can naturally repel these bugs and reduce the impact on the surrounding environment. Even though there are so many types of lethal sprays, traps, pellets, liquid, and concoctions in killing pesty critters, is it really the best and safest for kids, pets, and the environment? If you are interested in controlling those unwanted pests in the most humane way, here are some ways to do that. The key to successful humane pest control is to identify the root cause of the infestation and address it using methods that do not harm the animals. Humane rodent control works best when it blends prevention, gentle deterrence, and when necessary careful implementing a catch and release scenario, which may require consulting a professional. The goal is to stop the problem without harming the animals or creating new ones. It is best to use humane pest control methods, as they not only reduce the suffering of animals but also protect the environment and human health. My house is clean and I do not have junk lying all around, why do I have this problem?? Rodents enter homes mainly for three reasons: food, warmth, and shelter. Removing these incentives is the foundation of humane control. Your house can be clean and pristine, but if you do not do a routine inspection of your foundation, windows, attic, and all points of entry, you could still get pests of all kinds invading your home. Sealing gaps, storing
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzExODA=