Exploring The Benefits Of Hiring Pest Control Experts

How To Prevent Pests From Entering Your Home

21 April 2018

Evan Patterson

Rodents and insects that manage to make their way into your home can cause a great deal of damage, and can even pose a health risk to you and your family. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to prevent such pests from gaining access to your home proactively. Understanding what a few of these methods are can help you keep your home safe, healthy, and pest-free.

Limit Food

One of the most important things that you can do to make your home less attractive to pests is to keep all food sources locked up and not sitting out for extended periods of time. This means doing obvious things like putting dog food away, using containers for leftovers, and cleaning your counters, but also making sure that the garbage is taken out regularly and dishes are not left to sit in the sink with food residue on them.

However, you should also make sure to limit other potential food sources for pests which are not actually food: this includes organic matter like newspapers and tissues, but also things like firewood, which can attract termites.

Plant Trimming

Another important maintenance task that you should complete, especially in the springtime as plants bloom, is keeping your plant growth around the edges of your home trimmed back. Excessive plant growth, especially growth that comes into contact with the exterior of your home, will make it easier for pests to find an avenue into your home's interior, as they will be attracted by the plant growth and maybe even take up residence near the sides of your home.

Water Damage

While water damage is more usually associated with mold growth, which is a serious health concern in its own right, pests are also attracted to leaks within your home. Like all other animals, pests require water to survive, and stagnant water can even provide a breeding ground for some insects like mosquitoes. You want to make sure that you keep an eye out for signs of water damage, like discoloration, staining, peeling paint or wallpaper, and the musty smell of mold. Catching water damage early can help you clean it up before it provides the moisture necessary for pests to take up residence.

Call a Professional

Finally, one of the best things that you can do is recognize that despite your best efforts, you may still experience an infestation. If this occurs, trying to deal with it on your own can do more harm than good: only professional services will ensure that your infestation (and the underlying cause) is dealt with quickly and your life returns to normal again as soon as possible.

For more information, contact your local pest control service.

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