When people think of falls they think of watching a romantic movie while wrapped in a fleece blanket, drinking warm Pumpkin spice lattes and celebrating Thanksgiving. However, it’s nearly impossible to enjoy the fun times when your home is infested with pests. As the summer weather starts to fade away, the fall pests never cease to disappoint. Are you wanting to protect your house from the pests before they move in and make themselves at home?
Table of Contents
The Top 10 Ways to Pest-proof Your Home in Vancouver
1. Locate Possible Entrances
Pests such as mice, rats, cockroaches, spiders and more can come into your home from any gaps and cracks in the windows or walls. You want to inspect the outside of your house for easy access points. Use a hand mirror to help inspect the underside of the siding. When you find any gaps make a mark using masking tape to indicate what you need to seal. Calling a Pest Control professional to get the job done properly could potentially save you in the long run.
2. Seal the Gaps
When you have marked all the gaps you have found with masking tape go back and seal the cracks and holes with silicone caulk. Fill the spaces inside your home with pieces of steel wool, as pests do not like the roughness of the steel fibres. Be sure to pay very close attention to where utility pipes enter the structure. Some rodents are able to fit through a hole as small as a dime.
3. Screen Any Openings
If your home doesn’t have screens on the windows, chimney, attic vents, mail slots or even on the pet doors, you need to fix that immediately. Make sure that the screens on the dryer vents are sealed tightly between the vent and the wall. You should install the door sweeps and repair damaged screens for the utmost protection. Torn window screens and gaps under doors are the most common entry point.
4. Clean the Gutters
Clean any leaves and other debris from the gutters to help prevent standing water, which happens to be the perfect breeding ground for a lot of pests. Installing gutters or fixing a pre-existing system will help draw water and moisture away from the home, to stop any leaks or build up that attracts fall pests.
5. Clean Pet Food
If you have any pets, it’s important that you don’t leave their food out for a long period of time. Pests don’t ride off any food, they take what they can get and dog or cat food is nothing less than a great meal for them. Leaving out your pet’s food is tempting to rodents and insects. Storing the food in plastic containers or sealed bags will help keep the pests out and away.
6. Dehumidify and Remove Cobwebs
You want to use a dehumidifier to maintain a 40 percent humidity level in your basement which will keep it nice and dry. Cleaning the cobwebs whenever you see them will help slow down the appearance of spiders. Keep the window sills clean too. Within a month you can see the population of spiders in your basement decrease dramatically.
7. Check Your Boxes
Pests are sneaky and can be quite smart. Their creative approach to finding their way into your home may shock you. If you leave any boxes or grocery bags outside before bringing them in your home rodents and insects can climb in without you even noticing. Shake out or inspect anything that has been left outside or stored outside before entering your house.
8. Store Firewood Away
Store firewood 20 feet away from your home and keep shrubbery and branches well-trimmed. When you reduce areas where pests can hide it decreases the chance of them finding an entryway into your home.
9. Keep Kitchen Clean
Keep kitchen counters clean and keep your food in an airtight container to prevent infestations. Dispose of your garbage regularly in sealed receptacles. The build-up of garbage and crumbs are very appealing to pests who are looking for a nice meal. The best way to prevent pests from coming into your kitchen is to clean after every meal and to keep all garbage stored away properly.
10. Snap-type Mousetraps
When snap-type mousetraps are placed properly, they can be a very effective way to get rid of your unwanted friends. One of the most common mistakes people make is poor placement of the traps or using too few of them. The best place to put the traps is where you’ve seen the mice before and where their brown pellet droppings are. Mice are smart and are able to jump over one trap, that’s why placement is crucial. By placing two traps beside each other makes it not possible for the mouse to jump over and will successfully trap the mouse. The best type of bate that Vancouver pest control professionals love to use is chocolate syrup and peanut butter.
The most beneficial way to keep your house, your home and not share it with any unwanted pests is to take these preventative measures to protect your home. It is best to practice these pest-proofing tips in the fall when the temperature begins to drop, so when the winter rolls around you won’t have to worry and contact our Vancouver pest control professional.