Fall Pest Prevention Tips You Need to Know
Updated: Dec. 11, 2021Keep pests out of your house as the season turns to fall with these prevention tips.
How Common Household Pests Get In
Although your walls may appear solid, many walls are full of tiny pest passageways. Small insects can sneak through the tiniest cracks, so you may not be able to make your home absolutely bug-proof. But you can seal most gaps, especially the larger ones that let in mice and larger insects. Put on some old clothes, as you’ll have to get on the ground, slink behind bushes and even crawl under your deck to examine your home’s exterior. Take a flashlight and a mirror along. If mice are your main concern, also bring a pencil. If you can slide the pencil into a crack, it’s large enough for a young mouse to squeeze through. Take your time and examine every square foot of your home. The key areas to inspect include wall penetrations, doors and windows, the foundation, dryer vents, exhaust fans and roof vents. See more tips on how to keep pests from getting in your home.
Check the Foundation/Siding Joint
Inspect the underside of your siding using a mirror. If you find a gap, mark the location with masking tape so you can seal it later. See what you can do to get rid of other pests like snakes and crickets.
Seal Gaps at Doors and Windows
Seal doors, windows and basement sashes with adhesive-backed weatherstripping. Clean the surface first so the weatherstrip will adhere well. These more unconventional pest control ideas work pretty well, too!
Look for Gaps at the Dryer Vent
Examine dryer vents to ensure the damper isn’t stuck open or broken off completely. Also check that the seal between the vent and the wall is tight. It’s important to clean your dryer vent at regular intervals because it can become a fire hazard. Here’s how to clean your dryer vent.
Caulk Gaps Between Trim and Siding
Fill gaps between trim and siding with acrylic latex caulk. Keep a wet cloth handy to clean up any stray caulk. Smooth the bead with a wet finger. Check out all our caulking tips to make the job go smoothly.
Foam Large Soffit Gaps
Pull nests from the soffit gaps and then fill these openings with expanding foam. After the foam hardens, cut off the excess with a utility knife. Spray foam is a pretty great tool that has many uses that will blow your mind.
Plug Gaps With Mesh
Stuff in a generous amount of copper mesh with a screwdriver, leaving about half an inch of space for expanding foam sealant. Seal gaps with foam. Do you know what’s considered the most annoying pest in your state?
Fill Remaining Gaps With Foam and Trim Flush
Trim the foam flush using a utility knife after allowing the foam to harden overnight. To trim off a thicker section of foam, use an old steak knife. Have you considered ultrasonic pest control devices? Find out if ultrasonic pest control devices really work.
Protect Wood From Moisture
Insects and other small pests need to draw life-sustaining moisture from their surroundings, so they avoid dry places and are attracted to moist ones. If the soil around your house, the foundation and the walls is dry, it’ll be less attractive to insects, spiders and centipedes. Rake moisture-wicking soil and mulch away from the window frames and low wood. Turn your mulch periodically to help keep dampness down, and keep bushes trimmed back as well. This is everything you ever needed to know about mulch.
Keep 'em Out!
Mousetrap Technique
Simple Spider Solution
You can virtually eliminate spiders in your basement by using a dehumidifier to maintain a 40 percent humidity level and vigilantly sweeping down cobwebs whenever they appear. Keep the basement windowsills brushed clean too. In a matter of weeks, the spider population will die down significantly. Here’s how to get spiders out of other places in the house.
Eliminate Cockroaches
Box Elder Bug Swarm
Trim Plants Against Your House
Once you kill the ants in your house and yard, take steps to ensure they don’t come back. Trim back bushes, shrubs and trees that brush against your siding or roof and provide a bridge for ants to reach your house. Keep a 3-in. to 6-in. clearance space between the soil around the foundation and the bottom row of siding to prevent ants from nesting in the siding (and make sure the soil slopes away from the house). Avoid stacking firewood next to the house. Firewood makes a perfect retreat for ants. Ants like bare spots in the yard and they like to build nests under layers of thatch. Maintaining a healthy lawn is one way to discourage ants. If anthills pop up in bare areas, spray the mound with insecticide and plant grass in the bare spots. Rake the lawn or bag the grass when you mow to eliminate thatch. These are 100 crucial things you need to do to get your house ready for fall.
Check Your Crawl Spaces
Take a flashlight and protective clothing into your crawlspaces and/or basement and have a look around. Look for large, obvious nests of shredded material, which indicate rodents. Watch for smaller signs too, like lines of ants or scrambling cockroaches looking for a home. And remove these pests and find out how they gained entry to stop future incursions.
Store Firewood Away from the House
While firewood may be an important summer staple for your backyard fire pit, it’s also a magnet for pests that will happily make the jump into the house. So store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house.