The tropical climate and unregulated environment in Jakarta are conducive to the spread of household pests, such as cockroaches, ants, mosquitoes, termites, rats, shrews and civet cats, which can be harmful to your health and wellbeing. The following are some hints on how to keep pests and rodents out of your home and eradicate them if they do appear.
- When moving in to a new home check for gaps around door and window frames, air conditioning units, pipes and cables and have them filled in.
- Ensure that your home has screens on all windows to keep out mosquitoes, flies and other flying insects.
- Cover roof air vents, outdoor drains and pipes and any open drains in bathrooms with grates or wire mesh to block entrance of animals and cockroaches.
- Promptly repair roof leaks in order to prevent roof interior areas from becoming wet, as wet wood attracts ants and termites to build nests.
- Ensure that no food is left around uncovered and that left-over food is always kept in sealed containers in the refrigerator or cupboards.
- Train your staff to keep their living quarters clean and to dispose of garbage carefully. Use covered trash cans and make sure that your outside trash collection box has a cover and door opening to the street.
- Ask your gardener and household staff members to ensure that there are no pools or containers of stagnant water around your house, including saucers under pot plants, as these are ideal breeding places for mosquitoes.
- If you are bothered by a few mosquitoes in the evening, instead of spraying them with an aerosol spray, try using the battery operated racquet shaped zappers that are available in many stores in Jakarta.
- Ants can be eradicated by placing a solution of a small amount of borax crystals (available at pharmacies) in a sweet liquid near the ant trail. Ants will consume the borax and carry it back to the nest. If you discover an ant nest you can destroy it by pouring in boiling water.
- The small harmless wall lizards called cicak that scurry over walls and ceilings are actually helpful as they eat mosquitoes, but you may wish to discourage them from inside your home as their droppings can soil furniture and paintings.
- Consult a reputable and professional pest control service and ask them to inspect your house thoroughly for any evidence of pest infestation and to suggest methods of eradication.
- In Indonesia controls on chemicals used for pest control are lax and products that are banned overseas are available and widely used. It is important that you choose a trustworthy pest control service that will use only safe, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic chemicals.
- Ask the pest control service to use safe methods of eradicating pests rather than spraying toxic chemicals, for example baiting, trapping, deterrent devices, application of powders in nests and placing chemicals that pests can ingest in places inaccessible to children and family pets.
- Arrange to have a follow up service such as a regular monthly visit from your pest control service to ensure that your home environment remains free from pests.
- If your home is being sprayed or fogged for pest control, even using relatively safe chemicals, it is a good idea for you and your family to leave the house and have your pet dog or cat enclosed in an area that will not be sprayed.
Provided by: Colliers International
