A proactive mindset is always the more cost-effective and safe approach when preventing a pest situation. Alas, we tend to learn best from prior experience, and in many cases, from mistakes! No home is immune from pest contact.
How To Make Your House Uninviting to Pests
Whether you are talking about spiders, rodents, or cockroaches, an unprotected house is an open invitation to hundreds of hungry, shelter-seeking animals! Pest problems increase when the weather begins taking a turn for the worse, and unfortunately, that time is almost here. Even in the dead of winter, Atlanta rarely sees temperatures near the freezing mark. However, a shortage of food and the natural need for a warm, safe environment is what causes most critters to make themselves at home during this time of year.
The best way to approach pest prevention is by incorporating some additional measures into your current home maintenance program (you should have one by the way). This is not as large of an undertaking as most people tend to believe, but it is essential nonetheless.
If you are bound and determined to keep your property pest-free, you can probably accomplish what needs to be done over the course of a weekend. Enlist the help of family and friends if you find yourself in a time crunch.
The important thing is that you get through the prevention checklist provided below before it is too late!
- Perform a detailed inspection of your home's exterior, paying close attention to foundation cracks and access points near windows and doors.
- The smallest of crevices are potential entry points, and for these, we recommend the application of a silicone-based caulk.
- Larger holes should be filled with steel wool, as rodents have a difficult time chewing through this material and will almost always give up when trying.
- Tidy landscaping may not seem relative to pest control and prevention, but since overgrown vegetation serves a breeding ground for many animals, it pays to keep your yard in check.
- Mow your lawn regularly, keep bushes near your house trimmed, and cut tree branches that extend over the roof.
- With regards to the latter, limbs should be scaled back at least fifteen feet, as most squirrels can easily leap this distance in a single bound.
- As far as the inside of your house is concerned, remember to store food in airtight containers and keep a tidy living space. Rodents love clutter and debris!
