Stop Inviting Pests into Your Home
Pests that enter your home are looking for something – food, shelter, heat, reprieve from heat, etc. There are many things you can do to discourage their activity though.
- Clean up after yourself. This seems to be a sensitive subject with many people, but poor sanitation is a major reason pests get inside. Throw your trash away in a clean trash can that contains a trash bag or liner. Clean up food and drink spills and dispose of rotten or expired food.
- Look for places of entry. Cracks open to the outside or ill-fitted windows with gaps should be taken care of with caulk or a vent/screen. Temp vents (automatically-controlled vents that open and close as needed) are a wonderful choice for vent holes open to the outside of your home. (Read more about this in our “Keep Pests Out This Winter!” blog.)
- Be mindful about storing items commonly used as harborage. Newspapers, plastic bags, and cardboard boxes are places that pests love to nest. Some pests, such as rodents, actually use these materials to chew up and nest elsewhere. You can usually see chew marks or holes in the materials if you have an active infestation.
- Keep vegetation cut back. Most pests hide in whatever they can find, and that includes trees, bushes, and shrubs. Keep them trimmed away from your house to discourage hiding spots and pest infestations.
Overall, cleanliness and tidiness are very important when keeping pests out of your home. If you give them the things they are looking for, they will return, thrive, and reproduce. If you see one, there are usually many more! To add another layer to your preventative efforts, call Preferred Pest Control for a treatment today!
Read more:
Do I Need Pest Control?
Keep Pests Out This Winter!
Rodents & the Weather
