Dealing with a pest problem of any kind can be a huge nuisance. Not only can many pests cause costly damage to your home, they also can present a health risk to you and your family (including your pets!). Many pests are very difficult to get rid of, even when using mouse traps, which means that dealing with pests can be stressful.
Even after you’ve gotten rid of the pests, you may feel vulnerable in your own home because of the discomfort and stress the presence of the pests caused. To avoid this headache, you should pest-proof your home. The following are a few tips to help you pest-proof your home to reduce the risk of having to deal with the nuisance and costs of a pest problem:
- Seal all access points. Go through your home and look for any cracks or holes that may provide pests access to your home. You should look around your foundation, as well as around all of your windows and doors. You may be able to seal some of these access points yourself using caulking around the windows and weather stripping on your doors. For larger holes and cracks in your home’s foundation or siding, you may want to have a professional seal them.
- Keep your home clean. Don’t leave your food out or your trash open. Pests will often wander into your home in search of food, which means that by keeping your home clean, you eliminate one of the things that tend to attract pests.
- Fix leaks. You should have a professional plumber do a yearly inspection to ensure that none of your pipes are leaking. If you notice any leaks—from big ceiling leaks to small faucet leaks—make sure to have them fixed right away. Leaks cause a buildup of moisture, which will attract all types of pests.
- Clean up the clutter. Make sure you don’t have any clutter in your home, even in the basement and attic spaces. Clutter provides pests from termites to rats with a great place to seek shelter and set up their nests. If you’re using cardboard boxes to store things, switch to plastic containers.
- Treat outdoor wood features. Use a termite treatment spray on your exterior wood features, such as your deck or porch. This will help keep termites off your property. If termites are attracted to your exterior wood features, it will only be a matter of time before they make their way inside.
- Set up monitoring traps. Rat and mouse traps can help you get rid of any rats or mice that have managed to get in your home. There are a variety of effective rat and mouse traps, some of which trap them humanely and some which kill them right away. Glue boards are also great monitors for insect problems in your home. Whichever type of traps you choose, using them can help prevent these pests from setting up in your home and reproducing.
- Keep your yard clean. Make sure you keep your lawn cut and your bushes trimmed to help eliminate potential shelter for pests. Also keep tree branches trimmed back from your roof to keep pests from accessing your roof from above.
Use these tips to protect your home against potential pest invasions. While these tips will help reduce the risk of a pest infestation, there’s still a chance that pests will get into your home despite your efforts. If this happens, be sure to contact us at Bain Pest Control Services to speak with one of our pest management professionals today.