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The best way to deal with a rodent problem is to avoid it in the first place. One way to do that is to make your home smell uninviting to them. Here are some household products that can repel rodents. When using oils, try soaking a cotton ball in the stuff and leaving it in places rodents frequent:

• Peppermint oil

• Eucalyptus oil

• Cinnamon

• Vinegar

• Cedarwood 

• Cloves

• Garlic

• Chili oil/powder

• Cayenne pepper

Skunks spray as a defense mechanism to ward off predators. The active ingredient in their sulfurous, oily musk is n-butyl mercaptan, which evaporates into a powerful and smelly gas. Once the spray hits the skunk’s target, the stench can linger for days, and water and common cleaning kits aren’t enough to wash it away.

If you happen upon a skunk in your yard, try to back away slowly to reduce the chance of them aiming at you. Encouragingly, they don’t use their weapon casually, as it can take up to 10 days for their life-saving weaponry to refill. Paw stamping, hissing, lifting their tail, and arching their back are early signs they feel trapped or under threat and that it’s time to make a careful retreat.

Notably, earwigs, centipedes, and spiders all enjoy a silverfish lunch. You can’t turn to natural predators to fix your silverfish problem: In fact, one issue with silverfish is that they can bring in unwanted earwigs into the house or cause a minor infestation of hungry spiders, so it’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible.

There are several things to consider before you hire a professional exterminator:

• Do they have the proper licensing?

• Are they experienced?

• Do they use eco-friendly products?

• Are their products pet safe?

These are questions to ask yourself when you’re on the hunt for an ant exterminator, but you can also ask the exterminator or pest control company directly.