Oct 6, 2017 | Pest Control
1. Mice and Rats
Mice and rats will seek shelter and warmth during the cold winter months. They can fit through very small openings so eliminating entry points is an effective way at preventing them from coming into your home. Eliminating food and water sources is also effective. Replace damaged roof tiles and fill any cracks in the roofing cement. Keep your attics and garages tidy and clutter free. Store your items in plastic containers versus cardboard. Install chimney caps to keep them from nesting inside your chimney. Cover your air vents with wire mesh. Store food in airtight containers and don’t leave any dirty dishes in the sink. Empty your trash regularly and make sure trash can lids are secure. Don’t leave trash bags out in the open. Clean countertops, stoves, and behind the fridge regularly and sweep and vacuum often. Seal holes around pipes using caulk or expanding foam. Keep branches and shrubbery trimmed away from the house and store firewood at least 20 feet from the home. Don’t leave pet food out overnight and seal unused pet food in airtight containers. Replace weatherstripping on windows and doors.
2. Squirrels
Squirrels like to frequent attics and chimneys to make their nests. Cover chimneys with chimney caps. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from the house and cut down overhanging limbs. Replace rotting wood and seal any entry points including where pipes and utilities come into the home and overhanging eaves.
3. Birds and Bats
Birds and bats can and will come into your home through any opening in the exterior of the house. Chimneys should be sealed with chimney caps. Inspect the outside of your home for any openings and seal them with steel wool or foam rubber. Keep doors and windows shut as much as possible. Use screens if you must have your windows open and inspect the screens regularly for damage.
4. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are attracted to moisture and excess water. They will also enter your home in search of food. Check your pipes regularly for leaks and repair quickly. Remove obstructions in pipes to prevent bursting and leaks. Seal around pipe entry points into the home. Clean your gutters. Store items in plastic containers rather than cardboard and keep them off the floor. Store food (including pet food) in airtight containers. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Wipe down countertops and sweep and vacuum regularly. Clean under sinks, in stoves, and behind appliances regularly. Empty the trash regularly.
5. Fleas
Fleas will hitch a ride into your home on your pets. The first step in preventing fleas is to treat your animals with a flea preventative, whether through medicine or shampoos or both. Check your rugs, carpets, furniture, and pet bedding for signs of fleas. Wash your pet’s bedding and other items in hot water frequently. Vacuum regularly and be sure to empty the vacuum each time you use it. Keep your grass mowed and your shrubs trimmed as this gives fleas less room to hide. Fleas can come into your yard on wild animals so don’t leave pet food out overnight to tempt them to enter your yard. Seal entry points into the house or under porches to prevent them from hiding there, as well.
6. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can come into your home in luggage (be vigilant about preventing bed bugs when traveling!) on furniture, bedding, boxes, and even clothing. Check luggage, furniture, bedding, etc. carefully before bringing it into your home. Use a mattress cover that encases the mattress and the box springs. Vacuum frequently. Wash and dry bedding on high heat regularly. Do the same with clothing after traveling.
7. Moths
Moths are attracted to wool, fur, and upholstered furniture. Be sure to check your clothes regularly for signs of damage. Wash clothes and store them in sealed bags. Use moth balls. Vacuum and clean the insides of storage areas including wardrobes, closets, and drawers regularly.
8. Spiders
Spiders like to hide in areas of the home that are seldom used. Store seldom used items in sealed plastic containers. Seal cracks and holes in the exterior of your home to keep them from coming inside. Keep your outdoor lights off and use blinds or curtains to block the inside light. Spiders aren’t attracted to the lights but other insects are which the spiders feed on. This eliminates a food source for spiders. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from your home. Keep the grass mowed and remove debris from around your home. Sweep and vacuum regularly. Clear out as much clutter as possible. Vacuum spiders and spider webs.
Oct 6, 2017 | DIY, DIY Pest Control, Pest Control
1. Mice and Rats
Mice and rats will seek shelter and warmth during the cold winter months. They can fit through very small openings so eliminating entry points is an effective way at preventing them from coming into your home. Eliminating food and water sources is also effective. Replace damaged roof tiles and fill any cracks in the roofing cement. Keep your attics and garages tidy and clutter free. Store your items in plastic containers versus cardboard. Install chimney caps to keep them from nesting inside your chimney. Cover your air vents with wire mesh. Store food in airtight containers and don’t leave any dirty dishes in the sink. Empty your trash regularly and make sure trash can lids are secure. Don’t leave trash bags out in the open. Clean countertops, stoves, and behind the fridge regularly and sweep and vacuum often. Seal holes around pipes using caulk or expanding foam. Keep branches and shrubbery trimmed away from the house and store firewood at least 20 feet from the home. Don’t leave pet food out overnight and seal unused pet food in airtight containers. Replace weatherstripping on windows and doors.
2. Squirrels
Squirrels like to frequent attics and chimneys to make their nests. Cover chimneys with chimney caps. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from the house and cut down overhanging limbs. Replace rotting wood and seal any entry points including where pipes and utilities come into the home and overhanging eaves.
3. Birds and Bats
Birds and bats can and will come into your home through any opening in the exterior of the house. Chimneys should be sealed with chimney caps. Inspect the outside of your home for any openings and seal them with steel wool or foam rubber. Keep doors and windows shut as much as possible. Use screens if you must have your windows open and inspect the screens regularly for damage.
4. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are attracted to moisture and excess water. They will also enter your home in search of food. Check your pipes regularly for leaks and repair quickly. Remove obstructions in pipes to prevent bursting and leaks. Seal around pipe entry points into the home. Clean your gutters. Store items in plastic containers rather than cardboard and keep them off the floor. Store food (including pet food) in airtight containers. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Wipe down countertops and sweep and vacuum regularly. Clean under sinks, in stoves, and behind appliances regularly. Empty the trash regularly.
5. Fleas
Fleas will hitch a ride into your home on your pets. The first step in preventing fleas is to treat your animals with a flea preventative, whether through medicine or shampoos or both. Check your rugs, carpets, furniture, and pet bedding for signs of fleas. Wash your pet’s bedding and other items in hot water frequently. Vacuum regularly and be sure to empty the vacuum each time you use it. Keep your grass mowed and your shrubs trimmed as this gives fleas less room to hide. Fleas can come into your yard on wild animals so don’t leave pet food out overnight to tempt them to enter your yard. Seal entry points into the house or under porches to prevent them from hiding there, as well.
6. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can come into your home in luggage (be vigilant about preventing bed bugs when traveling!) on furniture, bedding, boxes, and even clothing. Check luggage, furniture, bedding, etc. carefully before bringing it into your home. Use a mattress cover that encases the mattress and the box springs. Vacuum frequently. Wash and dry bedding on high heat regularly. Do the same with clothing after traveling.
7. Moths
Moths are attracted to wool, fur, and upholstered furniture. Be sure to check your clothes regularly for signs of damage. Wash clothes and store them in sealed bags. Use moth balls. Vacuum and clean the insides of storage areas including wardrobes, closets, and drawers regularly.
8. Spiders
Spiders like to hide in areas of the home that are seldom used. Store seldom used items in sealed plastic containers. Seal cracks and holes in the exterior of your home to keep them from coming inside. Keep your outdoor lights off and use blinds or curtains to block the inside light. Spiders aren’t attracted to the lights but other insects are which the spiders feed on. This eliminates a food source for spiders. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from your home. Keep the grass mowed and remove debris from around your home. Sweep and vacuum regularly. Clear out as much clutter as possible. Vacuum spiders and spider webs.
Oct 7, 2016 | Wildlife
Squirrels may seem cute and harmless…until they’re seeking warmth and shelter inside your home. As the weather gets colder, it’s common for small animals like squirrels to nest in your attic, usually gaining access from gaps around your roofline, through vents, or even chimneys. Other than being annoyingly noisy, squirrels can cause major damage inside your home by chewing on wires, which can lead to power outages or fire, by contaminating storage areas and insulation with fur, urine, and droppings, and by allowing other pests or rodents to enter your home through holes they’ve created to gain access into your home.
Follow these tips to keep squirrels out of your home this fall & winter:
Seal Your Attic
Because squirrels can chew through a lot of roofing materials, like wood, aluminum, or shingles, and fit through small openings, gaining access points into your attic is easy. If you see any gaps or holes, use wire to seal off the areas and caulking to seal smaller cracks and crevices.
Set Traps
If you’re sealing gaps, it’s possible to trap squirrels inside your attic where they could eventually die or create more damage by chewing their way out in other places. By trapping the squirrels, you can prevent this from happening. Trapping should be done by someone that’s experienced; we recommend calling in a wildlife control company for this that uses live traps and places the traps in strategic areas that the squirrels are likely to come across. Once the squirrels are caught, they should be moved outside of your home, far enough away so as not to tempt them to return.
Trim Trees
Keeping tree limbs cut back and trimmed will further prevent squirrels from gaining access to your attic. Squirrels use tree limbs as a direct route onto your roof; cutting off these access points will eliminate a source of entry.
To get rid of squirrels isn’t an easy task. It often requires the knowledge and expertise of a wildlife control company. It’s equally as important to trap and remove the squirrels as it is to prevent them from coming back. A squirrel control professional will know how to find the squirrels, the most effective trapping and removal methods, and provide services and recommendations for future squirrel prevention.
Jul 13, 2012 | Wildlife
The southeast is home to an assortment of alluring birds. What better method to admire them than hanging their favorite treats around your humble abode. Your backyard birds adore it when you keep hanging up birdseed for them. Your backyard squirrels adore it even more.
Watching your bird seed being devoured by a squirrel can be very disheartening. Squirrels are attracted to the most commonplace varieties of birdseed including black oil sunflower seeds, nuts, and suet. In the process of feasting upon your sweet bird’s food, squirrels frighten and chase away your feathered friends. They can also wreck and ruin your feeder. To top it all off, squirrels can be predators and have been known to eat eggs and kill baby birds.
Here are some techniques to make your birdfeeder less attainable to squirrels but still captivating to your avian amigos:
- Location, location, location: Place feeders as far away from trees and other launching points that would benefit a squirrel.
- Cleanliness: Squirrels are attracted to debris and spilled seed, so keep the bird’s feeding area tidy.
- Seed: Squirrels are less attracted to nyger and safflower seed so keep those handy.
- Some don’t like it hot: Adding cayenne pepper or similar spices to birdseed can deter squirrels. Luckily, birds are not sensitive to the heat of the peppers. Make sure you wear gloves and avoid breathing in the dust when handling peppers!
- Northwest Exterminating Wildlife Control: If your squirrel problem is just too much too handle, give us a call at 888-466-7849!
Happy Birdfeeding!
What kind of birds are you seeing around your house right now?
Cara Carver
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