A major contributing factor of keeping your home pest free, is preventing them from entering in the first place. Prevention is essential in pest control. There are many things you can do as a homeowner to ensure that your home remains pest free. Read below for tips from an Exterminator for preventing pests from entering your Manhattan, NY, home.
Property Inspection
Start outdoors by completing a thorough inspection of the entire property. Look for problem areas that could attract pest activity. For example, look for areas of standing water, rotting or decaying wood, old mulch, overhanging limbs, and overgrown shrubbery. Also, search areas such as outdoor sheds, storage pods, and other outdoor containers. These areas are conducive to attracting pests. By eliminating the attraction to the outside of your home, you are creating the conditions for a pest free environment inside.
Structure Inspection
Once you have completed the inspection of the property and removed all of the potential safe havens for pests to hide out, you must inspect the perimeter of your home. You are looking for areas where possible pest penetration could occur. Remember, pests come in all sizes, so be sure to look for even the smallest of voids. For example, check old weather stripping around windows and door frames, examine loose or rotten wood areas, and evaluate roof openings and anywhere else that pests can use to infiltrate the house.
Piping and utilities
Piping and utility lines are another way that pests will access your home. Make sure to put seals around all pipes. Inspect the pipes that enter your house for cracks and gaps, and seal them up, if necessary. Make sure no low-lying limbs are encroaching on overhead utility and/or telecommunication lines. This gives pests the perfect bridge to enter your home. Cut back branches and keep utility lines free from foliage and other debris. Also be sure to inspect for leaking and dripping pipes. Pests are drawn to the consistent water supply and will often set up camp at these locations.
Pets and Personal Belongings
Pets and other items that frequently are brought in and out of the home are culprits for trafficking unwanted pests. It is important to always remember when purchasing 2nd hand items – even the finest of vintage décor – that they can bring lingering insects into the home. Pets, their bedding, as well as their food and water sources, provide the perfect place for pests to take refuge. Make sure to properly care for pets and their belongings. Additionally, if you or someone that resides in the home are frequent flyers, always make sure to inspect your travel bags and any purchased items before bringing them into your home. Travelers are susceptible to carrying bed bugs and other pests with them.
Related: 4 Concerns Pet Owners May Have About Pest Control Services in NYC
Proper Sanitation
The inside of the home needs to stay clean and sanitized. Cleanliness alone is not going to prevent pests from entering the home, but it can prevent widespread infestation and help control any pests that do happen to enter. This entails making sure that food containers are tightly sealed and that all possible food and water supplies are removed. Checking drains, pet dishes, basins and laundry areas. Clean up food crumbs, spills, and debris. Keeping laundry to a minimum will help eliminate places for insects and pests to hide.