Keep The Critters Out

Just like us, bugs and critters like the easy life inside our homes, and with the cold weather persisting, you need to make sure that the welcome mat is not left out for wildlife seeking warm quarters and food.

The cold winter temperatures are an open invitation to more critters trying to share your living space. It is inevitable that, over the winter months, you will encounter the odd pest or two – you may have some ants and you're probably going to have a variety of insects – but it's important to safeguard your property against a full-scale invasion.

It doesn't take much of an opening along a soffit or eave, or through where wires and pipes enter your home: mice can get through one the side of a 1p piece, and rats and grey squirrels, about the size of a 2 penny coin.

Loose or crumbling siding provides multiple places for pests to get in your home. A doorway that might have a quarter-inch gap at the bottom is like a superhighway for pests. And if your home has been re-plumbed, look for old pipe openings and seal them up tight. Anther common entry point is the chimney.

Garages also can provide access, so install weather-stripping on door bottoms and make sure the bottom is flush with the base when the door's closed. If not, build up the base with concrete or blacktop, and/or add another layer of weather-stripping.

It's important to clear away spider webs and bugs from eaves and around windows before they hang around long enough to find a way in, and to check that your screens to the attic aren't loose or broken, especially when it's time to bring down holiday decorations from the attic. You'll also need to check those boxes really well to make sure there's no silverfish in there.

While many homeowners take pest control into their own hands, experts like SDA Pest Control are only a phone call away. We will do a perimeter pest treatment to the exterior of the home and we will also do a thorough inside inspection.

Of course prevention is the best form of attack, so follow these tips to keep pests out of your home:

• Install a tight-fitting door sweep on the bottom of all exterior doors. Rats can squeeze through openings the size of a 2p. Mice can get through gaps as small as a penny.
• Clean floors and countertops regularly. Crumbs and dirty dishes are easy meals for cockroaches and can keep them coming back for more.
• Store human and pet food in sealable containers to discourage ants. Don't let pet food sit out in the bowl overnight.
• Store firewood away from the house and off the ground. Firewood can serve as both a food source and shelter for ants, and if it's stacked against the house, it can hide the insects' entry into the structure.
• Use low-watt, yellow insect bulbs around exterior doors. They'll attract fewer flying insects and spiders than white light.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control