How to Be Your Own Exterminator

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- In 14th century Europe, rats were responsible for spreading the Black Death, a plague that killed tens of millions of people. And while we now have a cure for the bubonic plague and other bacterial illnesses, vermin such as mice, rats and bugs continue to infest houses and apartments in the developed world. They can still spread disease if allowed to roam free, and even if they don't get you sick it's still unnerving to have a pest problem. No one wants to find mouse droppings in the cupboard or see roaches scatter every time they turn on the lights.

The obvious solution is to call a professional, but exterminators can be pricey, and many of the weapons they use can be found at your local hardware store -- or even under your kitchen sink. We talked to the experts to find out which do-it-yourself pest control techniques do and don't work. The tricky business of bedbugs
City-dwellers live in fear of bedbugs, knowing an infestation may mean junking your mattress, washing all of your clothes, paying a professional to de-bug your home and possibly ending up a social pariah. But preventing this nightmare scenario is easier said than done. While you can buy a bug-proof mattress cover to keep bugs out (and starve any that are already inside), there's little you can do to prevent a bug from hitching a ride home on your clothes or shoes and setting up shop at your place. "There's no true prevention, other than knowing how not to bring them in in the first place," says Jeffrey White, a research entomologist for BedBug Central, a pest control information Web site. Still, there are a few guidelines for effectively dealing with the pests on your own. White says that if you suspect bedbugs have entered your home, you can get bedbug interceptors -- small traps that surround the legs of your bed and furniture to catch any bugs that try to crawl up. And if you think bedbugs may have already taken up residence in your bed, he advises against spraying pesticides directly on your bed - these will repel but not kill the bugs, which means you may just succeed in spreading them across your home.

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How to Be Your Own Exterminator