When summer kicks into gear, so will all the living creatures in your Houston yard. Warm weather helps many critters move like well-oiled machines. They’ll be climbing around on your driveway, exploring your walkways, getting into your garage, and invading your home. One step at a time, many pests go from living in nature to living in your home. If you want a pest-free home, you have to consider what causes pests to get inside.
Your Perimeter And Pests
Are you aware of what makes the foundation perimeter around your home interesting to pests? All pests are looking for three things: Water, food, and harborage. Each has a slightly different idea of what those are. But many pests share a few in common.
Moisture — If you have a moist perimeter, you’re going to have more pests. Keeping moisture to a minimum will go a long way to reducing pest populations and potential break-ins.
Debris — Pests crawl around in the moist, shade provided by lawn clutter, leaf litter, woodpiles, and other hiding places. A good spring cleaning can go a long way toward reducing pests during the summer.
Food — If you have lots of food, you’ll have lots of pests. But you might not know what we mean by food. It’s a pest-eat-pest world out there. When flying insects are drawn to your home by lights, spiders are drawn in by those flying insects. When spiders are drawn to your home by insects, centipedes, scorpions, wasps, and other spider-eating pests will move in. You’ll also have more visits from birds which can drop ticks and other parasites in your yard. Everything you do to reduce pests will reduce food sources around your home.
Trash — A common food source for many pests is open trash. Proper management of your exterior trash is vital for the reduction of pest activity. Make sure to keep bagged trash in a covered receptacle and keep that receptacle clean.
Recyclables — Do you keep recyclable objects in your garage? If you do, you may start to notice pests getting inside. You can reduce this by cleaning recyclables before storing them in your garage and by routinely removing recyclables from your garage so they don’t build up.
Your Exterior And Pests
Do you know the biggest reason pests get into your home? It is because they can. One of the most important things you can do to prevent pest infestations is to seal potential entry points.
- Use a caulking gun to seal around door and window frames, filling holes created by wood-destroying pests, and seal gaps around pipes.
- Repair door or window screens that have been damaged.
- Replace damaged panes of glass.
- Repair or replace weatherstripping that has been damaged.
- Install door sweeps.
- Install weep hole protectors.
Your Interior And Pests
When summer pests get into your home, some will die off quickly. Some will die off if they can’t find water and food. Some can survive in your home no matter what they find inside. You can’t do much about that last group. But you can repel and resist critters from the first two groups.
- Reduce humidity in humid areas of your home by installing dehumidifiers.
- Fix any leaky faucets or plumbing.
- Add fans to circulate the air.
- Keep your kitchen as clean as possible.
- Put pantry foods in sealed containers.
- Put pet food down only during mealtime.
Get Help
When it comes to keeping pests out of your Houston home, there is no better way than to invest in an effective residential pest control program. This is where the team at Romney Pest Control can help. We give your home the exterior protection it needs to repel and eliminate pests. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a service visit. Now is the best time to get your pest protection in place.
