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How To Make The Exterior Of Your Home Less Attractive To Pests
6/17/13
Most pests find their way into your home to forage for food and shelter, easily choosing your home because they were first attracted to the outside of your property. One of the best ways to help prevent pest infestations from occurring inside your home is to pest proof the exterior of your home in an effort to make your property less appealing to pests. The most common areas outside of your home that attract pests are garbage cans, compost piles, mulch, wood piles and areas of heavy landscaping/vegetation. It is important as a homeowner to ensure that these areas are maintained properly so that pests do not move indoors and cause damage to the structure, contaminate your food, introduce serious health risks to your family or destroy your personal property.
Luckily there are a few easy fixes/preventative measures that can be done to areas around the exterior of your home to make it less attractive and less favorable for common pests like ants, mice, spiders and termites.
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Store all garbage in cans with lids that are tight fitting and store the cans so that they do not touch the outside of the home (storing it inside the garage is not a good idea either). This will keep rodents and insects like ants and flies away from your home.
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Keep compost and vegetable gardens as far away as possible from any dwellings on the property. These can attract rodents and wildlife.
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Eliminate overgrowth and dense vegetation and keep lawn trimmed. Pests like ticks like to hide in dense vegetation and long grass.
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Replace mulch yearly; this will prevent termites and other pests from being attracted to the rotting mulch as a food and shelter source. Consider using a different kind of material such as recycled tire rubber, rather than mulch in your landscaping.
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Place woodpiles away from your home; store the wood up off of the ground and keep covered. Woodpiles make excellent hiding and nesting places for ants, rodents and other pests that may look to enter your home.
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Keep bushes and trees trimmed away from your home; this will prevent pests from using their branches as a bridge to the structure.
There are also some things that you can do to the exterior of your home to prevent pests from being able to enter.
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Inspect your homes' foundation and seal any cracks or gaps that are found in it.
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Check windows and doors and seal any gaps. Also make sure screens are intact and repair or replace if necessary.
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Install a chimney cap and cover vents with durable mesh covers.
If you are already seeing pest activity on your property or inside your home, the best way to completely get rid of them is to work with a professional exterminator. Local pest control companies are keenly familiar with the pest pressures in the region and are able to treat and eliminate pest problems safely and efficiently. Don't delay in getting help for pest problems- the sooner you call for help the sooner your unwanted guests will be gone!
If you are looking for pest control services in Colorado, look no further than EnviroPest by Sprague. The professionals at EnviroPest by Sprague can offer effective services that will suit your specific needs and budget. Contact EnviroPest by Sprague in Colorado today!