Best Pest Control Products

Pests targeted

The first thing you should consider is the type (or combination) of pests you’re dealing with. Common Australian pests may include cockroaches, termites, flies, moths, ants, rodents, fleas, mosquitoes, spiders, silverfish, birds and possums.

While they are generally harmless, they can cause damage to your property, garden, furniture or carry and spread diseases - on top of being an unpleasant sight.

While the treatments outlined can tackle small numbers of pests, if you have a full-blown infestation, it may be a better solution to consult a professional pest control service to help you.

Types of pest control products

Over-the-counter solutions for killing pests come in a range of choices, and some are safer than others if you have pets or children around the house.

Sprays

Sprays are ideal for targeting flying insects and crawling bugs. They can come in aerosol or liquid form and two varieties: repellents and pesticides. Repellents keep pests away from an area of your house (or your skin), whereas pesticides kill them.

A type of pesticide is a surface spray that creates a barrier that can kill bugs that come into contact with it. Knockdown sprays may be something you’re common with as these are the types of sprays that you can use directly on flying or crawling insects to kill them.

To keep your space bug-free even when you’re not there, you can invest in an automatic spray. These come in plug-in and battery-powered forms, and they control the number of flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and other insects in the vicinity by releasing a repellent in the air every few hours or when they detect motion.

Bug repellent sprays are made to protect yourself from mosquitoes and other flying insects. Diethyltoluamide (DEET) is one of the most common active ingredients in insect repellents. It doesn't kill mosquitoes but works by making it difficult for mosquitoes to detect you as prey. It can be applied in spray format to your skin and clothing to keep you concealed and bite-free.

Baits and traps

Chemical baits and traps are mainly designed to tackle rodents and cockroaches. They work by luring pests out of their hiding places and poisoning them. Cockroach baits also allow contaminated cockroaches to return to their nest and contaminate others.

Bombs

Pest control bombs can be used to rid of a range of pests including fleas, ants, silverfish, bed bugs, spiders and cockroaches. They work by releasing a mist into the air which kills any pests on the surface and in the open. However, they come with health and safety risks and need to be used with caution. Remember to follow the instructions closely to keep yourself and those in your house safe.

Powders

Powders are designed to kill fleas, ants and bedbugs through poisoning and can be used both indoors and outdoors. Be careful if you have pets as this method may not be suitable for your household.

Zappers

Electronic zappers work by attracting insects towards them with their ultraviolet light and sending a fatal volt of electricity to kill them. Dead bugs will drop into an in-built catcher tray. They are chemical-free and suitable for use both inside and outside the house.

Ultrasonic technology

Ultrasonic rodent and possum deterrents can be highly appealing since they get rid of pests without the use of chemicals. They are small devices that emit high-frequency sound waves that humans can’t hear, but rodents find intolerable. They have limits however as they have a range of 3-6 metres.

Pest control products and safety

Be sure to keep yourself and everyone in your home safe by reading the instructions closely and following them. Dealing with insecticides can be toxic and poisonous, especially to vulnerable members of your household such as pets and children.

These safety instructions can tell you how to store the product safely, how to use it and what to do if you come into contact with it.

Many pest control products are classified as schedule 5 or 6 poisons under the poison standard and will be printed on the label. Some products with a low toxicity level are not required to have a signal heading, but you can still expect to see warnings like "Keep out of reach of children" on them.

As a general rule, you should:

• Keep pets and children away from areas where pesticides have been applied.
• Pesticides (excluding bombs) should only be applied to targeted locations and not sprayed over the whole room.
• Check the label to see if it is approved for use indoors or outdoors. You shouldn’t use outdoor products inside since the chemicals will remain toxic longer inside than they would outdoors, making them very dangerous.
• Dispose of leftover pesticides and pesticide containers in an appropriate manner.

Natural pest repellents

If you don’t want to break out the chemicals, there are plenty of simple things you can do to keep your home free of pests. Tasks like keeping your home clean, not leaving out containers of water and tidying away food scraps can help keep pests under control.

Some insects are naturally repelled by certain scents such as lemon or eucalyptus. You can find bug spray that use essential oils (lemongrass oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, citronella, geraniol) to repel mosquitoes, spiders and other unwanted guests.

Keep in mind that these products tend to be less effective than those with synthetic active ingredients and will need reapplying more frequently.

Installing flyscreens, keeping all food preparation surfaces clean and ensuring your bins have tightly sealed lids will keep flies and mozzies at bay.

Things to consider

Label information

Check the label to find out what pests you can use the product to kill. If you're looking to tackle multiple pests, you may need to invest in more than one product. The label will also give you valuable information such as the active ingredients, poison category, intended application area and application instructions.

How long it lasts

How much you invest in the product will depend on how long it’s supposed to last. Bug sprays and oils may need refills whereas zappers and ultrasonic devices are guaranteed to last longer. It may be useful to look out for devices with warranties or money-back guarantees if it doesn’t work for you.

Price

The price of pest control products varies depending on the type of product you buy and the insect it's designed to kill. Many aerosol knockdown sprays are priced affordably in the $4-7 range, while an ultrasonic rodent repellent or possum deterrent can go for up to $150.

You can read reviews to see which pest control products worked best for others by scrolling up.