Pest Control Basics

In any disaster scenario, animal and insect encroachment is going to become a major concern. Fires, floods, and earthquakes drive pests from their abodes, and they seek shelter elsewhere (including your home). Riots will often force stray animals (as well as domesticated pets) to seek refuge and search for food.

Pests will pilfer your supplies, create unsanitary conditions, and create a physical danger. Even if your home survives the initial disaster, you can still be forced to abandon it if pest encroachment becomes too severe.

The key to pest control lies in creating "layers of defense", which are all employed simultaneously. Having just one means of pest control is not sufficient, because no single means of pest control is 100% effective; pests will eventually overcome that single means.

The first layer of defense is creating a barrier. Perform an inspection of your home (prior to an emergency). Look for places, both inside and outside your home, where insects and small animals can enter. Seal these breaches. Inspect your home regularly. Also, keep plastic sheeting and sealant (such as duct tape) available, for covering broken windows, holes in your walls, and other damage to your home which can occur during an emergency.

Your second layer of defense is dissuasion. A number of devices are available which emit ultrasonic sounds many pests find uncomfortable. Some are battery-powered, such as this unit, or solar-powered, such as this unit.

Your third layer of defense consists of traps and poisons. You should buy, and safely store (see below), various types to combat the variety of pests you are likely to encounter. If a crisis occurs, deploy these measures as soon as possible, as animal and insect encroachment will happen very quickly.

The fourth layer of defense is sanitation. Keeping your home clean, and eliminating food and other smells which attract pests, will help to reduce the likelyhood of encroachment into your home. This includes frequent cleaning, as well as storing your supplies (and anything else attractive to pests) in pilfer-resistant containers, away from areas where pests are most likely to inhabit.

The fifth layer of defense, as a last resort, is actively killing pests. This includes insect sprays and swatters, pepper spray for driving off stray animals, and weapons. A simple BB gun can be used to kill small pests, even inside the home; more drastically, a .22 rifle or .410 shotgun can tackle larger or faster-moving pests. Burning out insect nests is also an option.

Your pest control products should be stored in a rigid, waterproof container, labelled "Pest Control". The last thing you need is a "double-dinger"- flooding which both drives pests into your home, and destroys your means of combating them.

Clearly, it's better to prevent pest encroachment than to have to kill each and every one which enters your home. The "fifth layer of defense" described above isn't a last resort because of ethical concerns about killing animals- it's a last resort because it's the least-efficient way of dealing with the problem. Additionally, in the case of firearms, you may have only a limited supply of ammunition, which should be conserved.