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Winter Pest Proofing Techniques

by | Feb 23, 2015 | DIY Pest Control, do it yourself pest control, home inspection, Inside pests, Murfreesboro Pest Control, Nashville Pest Control, occasional indoor invaders

Winter Pest Proofing – Quick List

You can enjoy your time in the warmth of the indoors this winter without uninvited pests. It may not be as difficult as you would imagine. And checking the items off this short list will keep those pests out in the cold, and out of your home. Even if you are not a homeowner, it is in your best interest to check these things in your house or apartment to alert your property manager for your own health. Remember the kinds of diseases mouses and spiders carry?

 

Your quick-check list:

  • Check your outside walls for crack or holes. A mouse only needs a quarter inch to get into your home. Seal anything discovered.

  • Check all of your window screens for holes. Screens are designed to keep most kinds of bugs out. But guess what? They aren’t designed to protect against holes. Any home improvement store carries screen replacement and you can usually do a repair within ten to fifteen minutes. It’s worth keeping the bugs out, right?

  • Follow along baseboards and backsplashes in the kitchen. Armies worth of ants will hide here and come out in droves to feast. If you have to do any sealing, be sure to use elastomeric sealant. Caulk will not expand or contrast and will break down quicker. Or just hire a professional to take care of it for you.

  • Check the seal on the bottom sides of doors and reattach seals as necessary. Remember that quarter inch rule? It applies to doors, too.

  • Check under those things that never move, particularly in the garage. A beveled trash can gives pests ample space for permanent nesting. If you don’t check under that trash can for three years, how much nesting do you think can occur in that time? Pick up old paint cans and check underneath real quick.

  • While you are at it, store your cardboard boxes in plastic trash bags. Mice will burrow through cardboard and nest. Slap a trashbag over it and protect your storage areas.

 

Periodically remember to:

  • Store all food in plastic containers…even in the refrigerator.

  • Change out the trash. Don’t wait until it’s full. What if you leave for a week with a half full can? You are certain to come home to a full can.

  • Keep branches and shrubbery twenty feet from the house. If a branch falls on your roof and dies, the pests living there will eventually have to relocate for food.

  • If you have firewood, keep it outside, twenty feet from the house and a few feet off the ground. If it’s been dry, hose it down real well to drown out anything which may have taken temporary residence, waiting to get into your home.

  • If you suspect an infestation of any kind, schedule a consultation with a pest control professional right away. It takes no time at all for a presence to become an all out infestation.

 

When doing a home search, think about your home from the post’s point of view. It’s freezing cold outside, dry, and barren when it comes to food. Finding any way inside guarantees survival.

If you follow this list and keep a regular schedule with us Absolute Pest Control, you can keep your house clean, safe and winterized from pests in your home. If not, please call us and we can give you a FREE Estimate 615-220-1933