How to Avoid a Pest Problem this Fall

Pests are unfortunately very common in the fall because they want to move indoors with the change in weather. They recognize that our homes are cozy and comfortable, so they want to move in. The problem with these critters is that they very quickly get out of control. Once indoors, an infestation will quickly go from being a minor nuisance to a serious health risk. Many pests carry diseases and allergens, and they may cost thousands of dollars in structural damage.

Thankfully, there are some things you can do to avoid this problem. All you need is some determination and a little time. Check out the following tips to keep pests out of the home this fall. If you’re currently dealing with a pest problem, contact the Exterminators in Brampton or another company near you.

Keep the house clean

An easy way to avoid a pest problem is to make food as inaccessible as possible. Tidy up your kitchen pantry this fall and clean the kitchen from top to bottom. Get rid of all the grease that built up over time. Clean the insides of your appliances and mop the floors underneath them to get rid of crumbs. Then, make stay on top of your daily chores. Do the dishes every day and take out the garbage on time. Vacuum regularly. The cleaner, the better.

Don’t let them get inside

Another straightforward solution is to block entry points. Pests get inside the house somehow. Examine the outer walls of your home carefully and look for ways that a pest could get inside. Mice can fit through gaps under half an inch wide. Put weatherstripping on the bottoms of your doors, cover your wall vents, and stuff holes with expanding foam. Check your cables, pipes, and other utility lines for holes. And don’t forget to look under your decks for cracks in the foundation of your home.

Get rid of Hiding Spots

Mice and many other critters love to hide in dark, quiet areas. Take an hour or two this weekend to tidy up a bit and get rid of these potential hiding spots. Start by cleaning up the yard and moving debris away from the walls of the home. Rake the leaves, mow the lawn, and empty the gutters. Indoors, get rid of cardboard boxes and clear your floors to create space. Do some cable management and organize your things. Finally, you can seal up the gaps in your kitchen cabinets with expanding foam.

Hire a Pest Control Company

A pest control technician can not get rid of pests for you but keep them out by pest-proofing for you. He or she can perform an inspection to determine where pests could be getting inside, then address these issues with professional products. If pests are found on your property, they can take care of them for you on the spot. Many pest control Windsor companies provide extensive warranties on their services, so they’re worth considering.

Signs of a Pest Problem

If you suspect that you already have a pest problem on your hands, look for the following signs.

Animal droppings

Are you finding little black spots or what looks like tiny droppings in your kitchen? Pests leave their droppings everywhere behind them. Rodents especially tend to leave droppings along the backsides of cabinets and the far edges of the floor. Cockroach droppings look like greasy, ground black pepper, and bed bugs leave dark spots and smears in mattress seams. If you’re finding these, you’re not imagining things – there are pests in your home.

Foul and strange odors

Many pest control Narre Warren are accompanied with a bad smell. If you’ve been smelling stale urine in your home, and you can’t get seem to get rid of it, there may be mice living in the walls. Cockroaches leave a pungent, oily smell in the air. Large infestations of bed bugs may smell like sweet berries.

Scratching sounds

One of the most obvious signs of an infestation is hearing a scratching sound in the walls or up in the attic. Mice and rats tend to scratch and chew at their environments during the night. Squirrels that are living in the attic can be heard scratching, squealing and thumping around during the daytime.

Chew Marks and Missing food

Finding a chewed wire or chewed bag of food may indicate an infestation of rodents. Rodents have teeth that never stop growing, so they are constantly chewing on things to wear them down. Finding a hole in a box of cereal or bag of flour is not uncommon. Look for little teeth marks surrounding the hole.