When pests get inside your home, they flourish because of the safety from the outside world and potential food supply. While you may think you're doing your best to keep bugs and rodents outside, there are many common mistakes you can make that actually attract pests or make it easier for them to sneak/hide inside your home. Most of these are easy to solve. Check out these five mistakes that attract pests so you can avoid them.
Having Entry Points in the Home's Exterior
To get inside your home, bugs and rodents need entry points, and while you may not be able to eliminate them all, there are many steps you can take to reduce the number of entry points. Start by repairing any obvious holes or cracks in your home's exterior. Using spray insulation in a can is an excellent option because it expands to fill the entire hole. Some gaps are less noticeable, such as small holes around windows. Again, you can simply put spray insulation around the window. If you have a crawlspace, consider having it professionally sealed, which will keep out moisture and pests.
Planting Foliage Close to Your Home
It's best to avoid planting foliage too close to your home. Doing so attracts pests because it can provide food and/or shelter. The closer the pests get to your home, the more likely they are to actually get inside. Plus, if there are lots of bushes and plants obscuring the view of your exterior walls, you can't even see the pests sneaking inside. Other plants can also provide better access for rodents to slip inside. For example, if you have climbing ivy outside your house, a rodent could use the ivy as a ladder to reach an open window, which they likely wouldn't have reached without the help of the ivy.
Keeping Stacked Firewood Close to Your Home
Stacked firewood is another potential threat to your home. Many people stack their firewood right outside their home for convenience, but it's also convenient for pests, particularly wood-burrowing pests that can destroy your home. As with foliage, the firewood provides shelter, privacy and access points for bugs and rodents. However, wood-burrowing pests are also attracted for the food, and it won't be long until they start to migrate inside your home. If you use firewood, it's best to store it further from your home.
Leaving Old Stumps or Rotting Wood in Your Yard
Another common mistake you may be overlooking is leaving a rotting stump in your yard. When you remove a tree, the stump remains, but you can have it professionally removed. If you don't, the stump can attract pests for the same reason as the firewood and foliage. If the stump is close to your house, it can also cause further problems because the stump will promote new growth. As new growth grows on and around the stump, the pests have even more food/shelter close to your home.
Offering a Food/Water Supply
Obviously, you aren't leaving the pests a buffet in their honor, but there are many mistakes you can be making that offer food and water to pests. If pests find a constant source of food and water in your home, they will likely make themselves comfortable. You can remove food supplies by putting food away, cleaning up crumbs, and not free-feeding your pets. The water supply may be a birdbath or a broken pipe. Whatever the supply, however, you must remove it or make it impossible for pests to reach it.
While there are many ways pests can enter your home, there are many mistakes you can make that give them even more opportunities to invade. Keeping your yard, especially the area near your home, clean is particularly important for deterring bugs and rodents. If you believe you already have a pest infestation or if you need more tips on how to avoid pests, contact a bug and rodent control specialist at a company like Pioneer Exterminating Company in your area today.
