Protecting Your Home from Pesky Pests

With colder temperatures, the warm interior of your home can provide shelter, breeding spaces and access to nourishment for household pests. Any pest invasion—whether it’s flies, rodents, squirrels, wasps, ants or various bugs—can cause property damage and pose serious health and safety hazards for any homeowner.

Use these tips to keep pesky pests out of your home:

• Pest Control. Have a pest control service visit your home quarterly to spray around your foundation and other areas where pest infestations are likely to occur.

• Traps. Use poisons or various traps to catch and kill larger pests, such as mice, rats, squirrels and moles. Humane traps, which allow you to catch the pests for release, are also available.
• Store Food Properly. Pests will feed on improperly stored, spoiled or discarded food. They may also be attracted to mold growth, live plants, human waste, cooking residue and trash.
• Examine Entry Points. Check and maintain the seals around all entry points of the home. This includes the seals around your doors, windows, foundation, eaves, gutters, HVAC system and washer and dryer vents.
• Home Maintenance. Have structural damage repaired promptly. Cracks in the foundation, damage to walls and roof disrepair could all create entryways for pests.
• Store Trash. Keep your trash a safe distance from the house and always keep the lids closed on the bins. Periodically wash out the bins so that they don’t accumulate grime and mold.
• Flush Drains. Clear your drains regularly to remove clogs, debris and dirt. If left to accumulate, drain grime can prove a perfect breeding ground for larvae and other pests.