Keeping birds away from a porch can involve a combination of strategies. Start with cleaning your porch. Remove food, debris, and plants that may be attracting feathered friends. Afterward, install physical deterrents like netting or spikes. Next, top off your porch with a decoy or two—and owl or hawk works. When wondering how to keep birds off the porch, it is always best to use humane efforts that won't harm winged creatures or the environment.

One scorpion sighting doesn’t necessarily mean there’s an infestation, but finding a scorpion in your home should always be taken seriously. Don’t panic, though, as that will only make the situation more stressful, and you may act irrationally out of fear. Most scorpions have extremely painful stings that cause swelling and redness, but they’re not life-threatening.

However, while not all species are dangerous, the Arizona bark scorpion, which is common in the southwest U.S., is highly venomous and potentially deadly to humans. Never attempt DIY removal if you suspect it may be the Arizona bark scorpion—instead, contact a pest control professional immediately for safe, effective scorpion removal

Ticks are most commonly found behind (or even inside) ears, behind knees, in belly buttons, in the hair, and in your underarms. If you find a tick on your body or on your pet, use a pair of clean tweezers to grab the tick as close to the surface of your skin as possible. If you simply yank or twist it, you can leave the tick’s mouth parts lodged in your skin and will need to remove those carefully with the tweezers. 

Once you have removed the tick, flush it down the toilet and wash your skin with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Know the signs of lyme disease such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a rash.

Gel bait and gel bait traps use poison to kill cockroaches, and aren’t safe to use around pets. Many gel bait traps are called “child-resistant,” but this only means that the traps are hard to rip open for children. Large pets and children are still able to swallow them. If you use gel bait, use it in areas where pets and children can’t access them, such as under a washing machine. Another option is to use glue traps, which don’t contain pesticides and are safe to use around pets.