Bugs and insects don’t need much of a reason to enter your home or office, but they usually do so due to extreme temperature changes. Think of it like this: Birds commonly migrate south for the winter in order to stay in warmer temps. Bug, insects, and other pests also do this during the seasons, but instead of heading toward the equator, they enter your home for shelter and rest instead.
In the summer, bugs escape the heat of the sun, feeling the cool air leaking from your home through unsealed crevices and spaces. As summer turns to fall and winter, bugs do the same thing in reverse; those that survived the heat outside are now coming in to escape the cold. Here are some ways to block their path.
Seal Off Windows and Door Frames
If you can slip a piece of paper in the space between a window’s edge and the window sill or frame, a bug can flatten itself enough to get through it. Newly adult bugs, such as dampwood termites, will find these spaces and enter your home. Re-caulking your windows and doors slows them down, while also helping you control the temperature of your home or office.
Look for and Close Gaps Under Your Home
Mice only need holes the size of a dime, and rats only need quarter-sized spaces to squeeze themselves into your house or office, usually in search of food and safe harbor. Many people wait until the rodent is already in their home to hunt down how they got in, but by this time the rodent might have already bred or contaminated stored foods. Walk your living space inside and out, and look underneath the foundation for these spaces. If you feel a difference in air temperature, you’ll need to fill that space ASAP.
Cover Air Intakes with the Proper Screens
Speaking of how small those spaces need to be for rodents and bugs to get into your home or office, make sure the coverings and screens over your air conditioning and central heat intakes are intact, and capable of fending off pest intruders without them slipping through. These covers are often weather-resistant and made of sturdy materials.
Got a Pest Problem?
Well too late now for these steps? No problem! Contact Northwest Pest Control in your area by phone from this page. More preventative measures for spiders and other pests can be found here.