Which Spots are Most Habitable? Identifying Where Pests May Live in Your Home

Part of keeping pests out of your home is knowing where they like to live and how they enter your home. The most common pests that inhabit our homes are insects, rodents and other small mammals. Luckily for you, deterring their entry is fairly easy once you know what to look for.

Insects

Insects that invade the home are plentiful. Roaches, spiders, ladybugs and other beetles, wasps and bees are all commonly found roosting in attics. These pests prefer attics and crawl spaces due to their seclusion and protection from the elements.

Homeowners should regularly inspect their roof, eaves and vents for damage. Lifted shingles, bent or separated eaves, or broken louvers on vents can all supply easy entry to pests. These defects should be repaired quickly in to deter opportunistic pests from deciding your house should be their home.

Some insects, such as termites, live close to the ground, making it harder for a homeowner to prevent their entry. Keeping mulch away from the foundation of your home, clearing fallen limbs promptly from your yard and removing dead or dying trees can help keep colonies away from your property.

Most insects, like roaches, typically only venture out when the house is dark and quiet. You may only see signs of infestation through droppings left in the back of your kitchen cabinets or being surprised by a roach when you turn on the light. Frequent cleaning of your cabinets, covering your trash can, emptying pet food bowls and removing standing water from your sinks can deter roaches from deciding your home is a good place to live.

Rodents

Rodents not only enter through open spots, they may also burrow through existing walls in order to find shelter. Once inside, they burrow into walls or make nests in attics and basements. Creatures such as mice, raccoons and opossums also occasionally find their way into attics and other areas of a home. Cover your exterior trash cans, seal all external entry points, ensure that garage doors are flush with the ground and remove all overgrown foliage or landscaping from gutters or other access points to help prevent rodents from entering your home.

As always, regular maintenance through preventative pest control with barrier sprays is an important part of keeping your home pest free. Contact us to find out more about our services and how we can help you keep your home pest-free.