As temperatures drop, bugs, rodents and other pests start looking for shelter. Your home is an attractive option: warm, dry and with access to food and water. Determined pests looking for pests to overwinter, will be drawn to your property as a safe haven.

If you don’t want to share your home with pests, there are things you can do to prevent that from happening. Pest-proofing your home is easy and quick—and could stop costly major infestations later down the line.

Common Pests Drawn to Your Home

Some insects and animals are happy burrowing into the soil to hibernate and stay warm and safe during the cooler months. However, there are many you need to keep an eye out for—otherwise, they’ll soon become your roommates!

Common pests attracted to your home in the fall include: Ants, Spiders, Mice, Beetles, Cockroaches, Wasps, Stink Bugs and more.

If you see any signs of pest activity, the best thing to do is to call a pest prevention specialist like The Pest Authority to avoid the problem growing during the late summer or fall months.

How to Pest-Proof Your Home

The best way to avoid destruction caused by pests is to prepare before they move in. Follow these tips to pest-proof your home.

Inspect Walls for Cracks

Even the tiniest holes let bugs and beetles take up residence in your home. Carefully inspect your exterior walls for signs of cracks and holes that create an inviting entrance to pests.

While you could inspect your house on your own, a professional pest prevention inspection from the Pest Authority will ensure you don’t miss the smallest of holes. They’ll also know exactly how to treat and seal cracks and crevices to prevent pests in the future.

Pay Attention to Wood Structures

Check your wooden window frames, door lintels and your woodshed storage. Wood is a wonderful place for small bugs to hide in cold weather, so any holes are a tempting entrance to a winter hideout.

If you have a wood stove, raise your logs off the ground and only stack them when they’re dry. Damp wood not only rots easily but also attracts pests that love to eat mushrooms and other things growing on rotting logs.

Get Your Gutters Professionally Cleaned

One major cause of pooling water is clogged gutters. Not only is the overflowing water attractive to pests, but so is the leaf mulch that builds up in your gutters and drains.

The overflowing water also causes wood rot in window frames and fascias – a tasty option for some pests.
Cleaning your own gutters can be dangerous and you may not be able to fully empty them. A professional gutter cleaning will ensure your gutters are totally emptied and ready for fall. In addition, your gutter cleaning expert will check for problems in your gutter, such as a slipped bracket, that will affect the drainage.

Regularly Mow Your Lawn 

Long grass is the perfect hiding place for rodents to get around in your garden and sneak into your basement or ground floor.

Similarly, trees and shrubs with long branches leaning close to your property offer an entrance route for pests and rodents looking for a way into your home.

Keep your shrubs trimmed back and your lawn mowed short to make the open space of your garden a less attractive option for rodents. It’s also worth clearing leaf litter and mulch near your home, as these are perfect hiding spots for many pests.

Inspect Your Loft Space

Broken roof shingles let in more than the rain! You already know pooling water and damp areas are havens for pests—but holes in the roof also allow pests to keep warm in your loft.

Check your eaves for wasp nests, rotting wood or even termites. Now’s the time to get these eradicated before the pests take hold over the winter months.

You should also check for signs of rodents and even bird nests! We don’t often go up into our loft spaces, so you might be surprised to find just how many unwanted upstairs tenants have moved in.

House Ants

These ants won’t destroy wood like a carpenter ant, but they’re also attracted to moist areas, such as near your heaters or pipes. While you don’t really have to worry about them ruining the structure of your home, you probably won’t enjoy sharing your pantry items with them. You can make your home less attractive to all ants by:

• Keeping firewood away from your home
• Pruning shrubbery, removing dead limbs and keeping landscape trees away from the home
• Eliminating water leaks and problems around basements, crawl spaces and your foundation
• Repair any roof or plumbing leaks immediately
• Repair clogged or broken gutters to eliminate standing water sources

Inspect Window Screens

You’ll also want to inspect all your window screens to make sure they’re all still intact. Broken ones will also let pests in, such as stink bugs.

How the Pest Authority Pest Control Can Help Pest Proof Your Home This Fall

Pest-proofing your home this fall is easy with the Pest Authority Pest Control.  The Pest Authority has been providing pest control for families and businesses in the Lakeway area of Morristown, Talbott, Jefferson city, Rutledge, Sneedville, Whitesburg, Russelville, and Bean Station. The Pest Authority is a full-service pest control company offering control and prevention for ants, spiders, cockroaches, bed bugs and termites to name a few.

The Pest Authority is the local business that you can trust, with the coverage that you need. The Pest Authority offers all clients a FAST FREE Quote by a Pest Management Professional. Call(423) 289-2046, with the Pest Authority, One Call Gets Them All!