As cold weather continuously sweeps in and out of North Texas, insects and rodents will clamber into your home looking for shelter. Although hot, dry weather is preferable for a lot of pests, you should keep Buzz Kill Pest Control, your local Dallas pest exterminator in mind to keep pests out when it’s cold or rainy, as well. Pests of all kinds want to be in your house when temperatures drop—raccoons and rodents will damage walls and wiring in their quest to find a warm place to bed down, while roaches and water bugs will stay out of sight during the day and come out at night to hunt for free food. However hard we try to keep pests out out of our homes, they try that much harder to stay inside when adverse weather conditions kick in.
How to Keep Pests Out of Your House
Keeping bugs and rodents outside is a matter of being vigilant with your home maintenance. Before you call in Buzz Kill for professional pest control, some DIY pest control is a good idea if you’re trying to keep pests out on your own. Walk around the outside of your house and check for access points like cracks, gaps and holes. If your home is made of brick or stone, check for loose or missing mortar that can allow bugs to access your home. Remember that most pests, including rodents, can squeeze into very small spaces. A rat can fit through an opening as small as a quarter, while a mouse can squeeze through a hole smaller than a dime. Seal access points including those around pipes and utilities that lead into your home with weather-proof caulk to keep pests out of your sewer system and pipes. Continue sealing your home by putting new weather stripping around outside doors and putting caulk or expandable foam around window frames. If you have window screens or screen doors, patch or replace torn screens.
What to do BEFORE Calling a Professional Exterminator
Before you call for professional pest control for your Dallas home, your self-help DFW pest control should include:
- Keeping your kitchen clean
- Properly storing food, books and bedding
- Moving wood debris as far away as possible from the foundation of your home
- Storing firewood at least five feet off the ground
- Trimming shrubs and bushes so that they don’t touch your house
- Covering the chimney and any attic vents with wire mesh
Don’t assume that because you’ll be using your fireplace in the winter that rodents and squirrels won’t use your chimney as an entry point into your home. Your fireplace won’t be burning all winter long, and pests (especially rodents) are much, much smarter than we give them credit for.
In fact, right behind chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins and sheep, rats are listed as the fifth most intelligent animal in the world, beating out parrots, pigs and even man’s best friend. Think about it: If the rodents you’re dealing with are smarter than your dogs, cats and birds, then you need to be even more diligent about not letting them get accustomed eating and living in your home or you might as well start adopting.
What do Rats Eat in Your House?
For starters, don’t accidentally feed any rodents that make it into your house. Store food in hard, plastic containers—especially food you store in the pantry or in your cabinets. Keep your kitchen clean; don’t leave crumbs on the counter overnight and make sure garbage makes it into the trash can. In your attic, basement or garage, try to store as few things as possible in cardboard boxes because rats and mice will nest inside them. Anything that can be sealed inside plastic containers should be, and anything that you don’t need should be discarded or donated to charity.
Trying to completely keep pests out of your house at any time of the year is impossible because no home can ever be made completely air-tight. But, with a little time and patience, you TRULY can reduce the number of pests that get into your home when the temperatures drop and the rain starts falling.