Bug control needs to take place year around. While the warmer months of the year often mean bugs, mosquitoes, and wasps are flying about making a nuisance of themselves, some pests take refuge in homes during the winter as well.
Try these five tips for keeping insects and rodents from having access to your home and taking up residence in it.
Seal Cracks
To keep ants, spiders, and other insects out of your house, you need to inspect it from the outside. Cracks in the foundation can give insects, mice, and other creatures easy access to your home.
To prevent them from going in, seal the cracks with a concrete patch that dries quickly.
Trim Trees
If some of the trees near your house have branches overhanging the roof, keep them trimmed back. Crawling insects will climb the tree and can find access into the house through any existing cracks in the siding or openings like an attic vent. You should also visit https://www.thelocaltreeexperts.com/fl/fort-pierce/ for more information about trimming trees.
Along with keeping pests out of your home, trimming the branches can also prevent damage to the roof. If the tips of the branches touch the roof, then they can scratch the roofing, causing damage to it whenever the wood blows.
Add or Replace Screens
A small tear in a window screen can easily allow bugs to get into your home if the window is open to allow air to circulate. Inspect the screens around your house and replace any that are torn or add them to windows that don’t have them.
Also, screen in your patio, so they can’t get close enough to the doorway and windows to find a way inside. Screening in the patio will also allow you to sit outside without fending off mosquitoes and flies when you’re enjoying the weather or entertaining.
Fix Leaks
Along with food and shelter, insects and rodents are searching for water as well. If the pipes in your home leak, then they can sense the water from beneath your home and will try to find it. Inspect the pipes, air conditioner and washing machine and fix any leaks that you find.
Also, if there are areas around your house or in the yard that retain water after it rains, try to drain them as well. Standing water will attract mosquitoes, flies, and other insects that can find their way into your house.
Remove pails, buckets, and, if necessary, add an outdoor drainage system for the yard.
Seal Around Pipes
A garden hose or a drain from your house to the outside is another good place for pests to gain access to your house. Not only is it a water source, but any small sliver of space can let them get inside your house to search for food.
Seal these areas with a water sealant or caulk to keep them outside. Maintaining your home from the outside in can prevent pests from getting into your house and keep them from infesting it. Most of these tips can be done yourself and for little cost. Avoiding a pest problem will also help you save time, effort, and money because you won’t need to fight them or call an exterminator to take care of a bug or mouse problem.
