October brings goblins, ghouls, and creepy-critters.
As New England’s fall weather brings colder temperatures, the warm interior of your home can provide shelter, breeding spaces and access to food for household pests. While your first reaction to these creepy-crawlies may be ‘Burn it to the ground!’ as insurance agents we must caution against that. There are remedies and trained professionals that can help eliminate an infestation, but as with most things “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Any pest invasion—whether it’s flies, rodents, squirrels, wasps, ants or various bugs—can cause property damage and pose serious health and safety hazards for any homeowner; implementing some simple strategies can protect your home.
Use these tips to keep pests out of your home:
- Practice proper food hygiene. Pests will feed on improperly stored, spoiled or discarded food. They may also be attracted to mold growth, live plants, human waste, cooking residue and trash.
- Check and maintain the seals around all entry points of the home. This includes the seals around your doors, windows, foundation, eaves, gutters, HVAC system and washer and dryer vents.
- Have structural damage repaired promptly. Cracks in the foundation, damage to walls and roof disrepair could all create entryways for pests.
- Store your trash a safe distance from the house and always keep the lids closed on the bins. Periodically wash out the bins so that they don’t accumulate grime and mold.
- Flush your drains regularly to clear them of clogs, debris and dirt. If left to accumulate, drain grime can prove a perfect breeding ground for larvae and other pests.
- Use poisons or various traps to catch and kill larger pests, such as mice, rats, squirrels and moles. Humane traps, which allow you to catch the pests for release, are also available.
- Have a pest control service visit your home quarterly (i.e., every three to four months) to spray around your foundation and other areas where pest infestations are likely to occur.
When it comes to pests prevention is always best, but a quick response to critters that crop up is the next best remedy. If you find the pests are winning reach out- we are always happy to make recommendations to our clients for local pest control services.