Tips to Prevent Pests from Hibernating in your Home

 Summer is over, and winter is on its way with some areas already experiencing cold, ice and snow. It makes sense that heating units are turned on to keep houses warm throughout the long, cold winter.

This can (and does) translate into the fact that insects, rodents, snakes, and other pests will try and move indoors. It is not a good idea to allow these pests to move indoors for a number of reasons. Some of the more critical reasons include:

  • Disease control: Mice can spread diseases like salmonella and listeria through their urine and droppings. Mice also reproduce throughout the year at a rapid rate. Therefore, before you know it, you will end up with a mice infestation in your home.
  • Loss of wooden furniture and fittings: Insects like termites and carpenter ants will move indoors if they can and spend the winter eating your wooden furniture and fittings. If you live in a house constructed from wood, they will even eat the walls and floors of your home if you allow them to.

How to prevent pests from moving in

Thus, it is critical to employ a two-pronged approach the war against household pests. Firstly, it is vital to contact your local pest control company to help you remove pests that currently share your home with you.

Simultaneously, you then need to pest-proof your home so that new pests do not move in and take over from where the removed pests left off.

Consequently, here are several tips to help you pest-proof your home:

Keep your home clean

Dirt, especially food that is left lying around, attracts pests. Therefore, it’s vital to keep all food storage areas, food preparation areas, and dustbins clean and tidy. It is also a good idea to decant bags of rice, flour, and pasta into plastic bins with sealable lids. This will prevent pests such as the Mediterranean Flour Moth from laying its eggs in your flour.

Additionally, pests love hiding and nesting in the jumble of household items that are left lying around indoors. Therefore, pack everything neatly away, vacuum, sweep, and wash all floors weekly, and dust all surfaces regularly. The salient point here is that the cleaner your home, the less chance there is of pests moving into your home.

Keep your yard debris-free

Creatures like mice, spiders, and snakes love to hide in overgrown gardens. They also like hiding in compost heaps, piles of wood, and general household clutter that is left lying around. While not all snakes and spiders are poisonous, some species will give you, your family, and your pets a nasty bite that might even kill if stumbled across.

Cover all air vents

It is a legal requirement for all homes to include air vents, chimneys, air bricks to ensure that fresh air can enter your home. Otherwise, you run the risk of suffocating when all of the doors and windows are sealed against the extreme cold.

Therefore, cover all vents with wire to allow for the free flow of air and at the same time preventing pests from crawling into your home through these openings.

Discover the difference with House Wash Master in Auckland. Our comprehensive exterior cleaning services, including house washing and gutter cleaning, ensure your property shines.

Comments are closed.