6 Reasons Why You Have Pests in Your Home
When it gets cold outside, pests start looking for a warm shelter. Your home is ideal. It’s warm and cozy and may even provide a few other essentials that pests need to survive. So, if you’d like to discourage these unwanted pests from invading your home and affecting your families health, we recommend identifying and fixing the following things:
1. The Presence of Moisture and Food
Water is essential for pests to survive. Many pests can even stay alive for weeks with only water! This means moisture attracts pests, so it’s important to routinely check your home for leaks. Common places to find leaks include plumbing, windows, doors, roofs, and HVAC equipment. Termites love to find wet, rotting wood and paper. Keeping your home dry is key to preventing pests.
Food is also key for pest survival. If food is accessible, pests will move right in to enjoy the open buffet. Clean up after food preparation, wipe down all surfaces and seal all food containers to discourage pest infestations.
2. Damaged Screens and Seals on Doors/Windows
Pests can enter your home through the smallest of spaces and homeowners typically overlook the small defects in screens and seals in their windows and doors. To prevent entry, pay close attention to the corners around windows and doors where seals may not be as tight. If you have damaged screens, remove and replace them with materials from your local hardware store. Eliminating your home’s access points will go a long way to preventing pests from entering in the first place.
3. Small Gaps at Exterior Walls
Small cracks in walls can also allow pests into your home. You can find these gaps where plumbing or electrical components enter the house, around trim, or between changes in building materials. It is also common to find gaps below window trims or door thresholds. Make sure to seal all gaps with caulk to prevent access.
4. Clutter
Pests look for places to hide and stay safe. The more places you provide where they can hide, the more attractive your home is to pests. Keep clutter to a minimum, use sealed containers where possible to make your home less attractive.
5. Close Neighbors
If your neighbors are close, their pest problems can easily become your problem. If just a few of their pests enter your home, the chances of an infestation are drastically increased. The closer you are to your neighbor, the more likely it is that this can occur. The best way to prevent this problem is to discuss pests, pest prevention and pest control with your neighbors and work together to resolve issues. The more proactive you are, the better your results.
6. Stagnant Water and Trash Around the Exterior of Your Home
Stagnant water near or around your home can lead to increased pest activity. Mosquitos and water bugs require stagnant water for their life cycle, so these puddles can become infested easily. Locate and remove stagnant water to prevent larvae from becoming adults. If you cannot drain the water, as in a stagnant pond, there are treatment options that can be applied.
Check with your local natural pest exterminator.
Trash is also a common place for insects. Make sure to securely seal trash bags and fasten lids to prevent odor and discourage pests.
Get Rid of Pests Professionally
The best way to prevent pests is to hire a professional pest control company to regularly treat your home. If you live in Tulsa, or nearby areas such as Broken Arrow, Bixby, Owasso, or Jenks, Sure Shot Exterminating is fully licensed can help you address any pest problems.
Keeping pest under control is extremely important for a safe and healthy home. For other tips on how to keep your home safe check out 4 Green Living Tips to Make Your Home Healthy and Eco-Friendly! Make sure you keep your family safe!
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Great article. It reminded me about my failures in fighting with cockroaches. I was seeing a few of this little guys every evening in my bathroom. I sprayed everything with insecticides but it seemed pointless until I decided to move my bathtub and discover a small leak, which was the cause of all troubles.
Hi Willie,
Thank you for sharing your story. Glad you found the source of your problem with cockroaches. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Great information, I think its problem of every home, so should be inspected regularly on monthly bases to live healthy wealthy. Keep it up !
HI Azhar,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I am glad that your found my information helpful. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day!