Fall Pest Prevention

Keeping pests out of your home is not any easy task, especially as the weather cools off over the fall season. This is the time of year when small rodents, birds and other critters try to find a way into your home for protection and warmth. Sometimes an animal may even find a place to hibernate for months at a time in the comfort of your home! Taking care of the exterior of your home is crucial, so make sure to apply some of these pest prevention strategies to your house before any critters are tempted to find a way to make your house into their new home.

Pest Prevention Strategies:

Foundation problems are the perfect entryways for small rodents to enter your home. Gaps and holes found on the underside of siding that meets the ground can be filled and sealed with cement filler to ensure that your external walls is secure. If there are any visible holes or cracks in your home’s foundation, this should be repaired immediately. Not only can these openings act as easy access for small animals, this also might mean there is some structural damage to the home that can affect long term stability and keeping in heat.

Keep your foundation clean to deprive bugs of moisture in close proximity to your home. By raking moisture-wicking soil and mulch away from the edges of your home, you will likely deter most insects and pests from nesting close to your foundation. Also, turn any mulch periodically to keep dampness down and keep bushes and other greenery trimmed back so it does not brush up against your foundation.

Your dryer vent is a likely place to require repairs intermittently to the surrounding concrete or other finish that should be examined annually. Ensure that the damper isn’t stuck open or broken off, along with making sure that the seal between the vent and wall is tight.

Doors and windows should be inspected to ensure all entrances are sealed with weather stripping. The gaps between siding and trim or other external finishes may also require a latex caulking to fill and secure all gaps that might allow bugs and other pests to enter the home.

Soffit openings existing on your roof-line should be filled with expanding foam every two to four years upon inspection. If the gaps are large enough, steel wool can be used along with expanding foam. This is one of the most common ways that birds and other pests can enter and nest in your attic, creating long term damage that is costly to repair.

By following these pest prevention strategies, you stand a much better chance of avoiding having unexpected guests this fall and the mess and  repairs that can often accompany them.

For help with Foundation Crack Repair in the Hamilton and Burlington area, contact Conterra Foundation & Repair Ltd.  Since 1993 we have been repairing foundation issues of every type, and we offer a 20 year warranty.