Pests are unpleasant no matter where you find them, but why do pests cause problems in apartments so often? In this post, we answer that question and cover some tips you can apply to keep pests to a minimum in your apartment.
Too many advantages for pests in apartments
Unfortunately, there isn’t just one factor that causes pest activity to be higher in apartments; there are actually several contributors. Some, you can control, while many others, you really can’t.
1. Main entry points are close to everyone and have high traffic
Unless pests are already in your apartment, the only way they are going to get in is from outside. This means pest prevention involves sealing off entry points into your apartment.
Unfortunately, this is pretty hard to control as a renter and just for apartments in general. The most common entry points are going to be through open doors and windows.
If you had a home, for example, it would only be when you or your family came in or out of your home that the door entry point would really be a factor, especially if you were to install door sweeps to eliminate the gaps under doors. With apartment living, this is no longer the case.
Even if the apartment did install door sweeps to reduce the amount of pests entering under doors, the frequency of people coming and going through door entry points is exponentially greater than in a home.
This also goes for open windows and broken screens as entry points for pests. You might have your specific screens intact and windows closed or sealed, but with potentially hundreds of other windows from other residents being open or faulty, there are far more options for pests to get into the apartment building outside of just your individual apartment.
2. You don’t control the other tenants in apartments
This issue is similar to the problem of multiple entry points where there are so many options besides just what’s going on in your own apartment. You can’t control your neighbors’ behavior, and that can negatively affect pest issues for you as well.
Proper sanitation and cleanliness are important factors for a variety of pests either both for elimination and prevention. You might be very clean and take care of your living space, but that doesn’t mean your neighbors do.
Improper sanitation and cleanliness can lead to an easy food source for pests to access and live on. Pests need three things to survive: food, water, and shelter. Hopefully, you aren’t providing these to pests, but while living in apartments, someone who is one room down from you could be.
Another way pests can get into your home is by hitchhiking. For example, roaches and bed bugs can come in on furniture, clothing, luggage, and more. Well, what’s something that constantly happens in apartments? Turnover!
People are constantly moving in and out of apartments throughout the year and they can be bringing in pests with them. Not only that, they might even have pets that are doing the same.
3. How close are you to your neighbors?
Tying in with not controlling your neighbors and others in your apartment complex is the issue of everyone being in close proximity to each other. This can lead to quick spreading of pests once they are in the complex.
Pests will come and go as they please throughout an apartment complex unless something is put in place to stop them. When you have your own home or business, there usually is at least some sort of separation and distance between your neighbors, but with apartments, no such luck.
It isn’t several feet, yards, or even miles between neighbors, it might be just inches. This is another reason why pests are a more frequent issue in apartments. Once they are in, they are harder to get out.
So what’s the solution? Do you just move out or never live in an apartment ever again? For most, that isn’t usually practical. However do your part to keep your living space clean, and sealed to the best of your ability. Keep in mind that the same negative piece of pests being able to quickly move from one unit to another can work in your favor. If your unit is harder to get into than the next one and/or has less food available, the pests are more likely to move on to the next available unit or go in the other direction.
We also recommend you bring any pest issues or potential maintenance issues to the attention of the apartment management even if it’s not in your specific apartment. Proper education and everyone doing their part can go a long way to keeping your apartment pest free.
Anything beyond that, we recommend reaching out to a pest control service to get rid of any major issues you might encounter.
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