We all have had to deal with pests possibly even some kind of pest infestation at some point in our lives, roaches, ants, spiders, and so on, is among the most common. There are many pests that continue to be a nuisance throughout the winter. These pests frequently come inside homes and businesses to escape the colder temperatures and look for food as it becomes scarce. Where you can help significantly keep these pests out, you can’t completely prevent pests and they will inadvertently be brought in. With that in mind, today, we at Rentokil would like to share some tips on how you can help minimize pest populations.

Home Sealing & Interior Pest Prevention

Remove Pest Nesting Sites – If they come inside, most pests will look for food, water, and a place to nest, if there is nothing to find they move on. Remove attractive nesting grounds by decluttering your home. Avoid letting anything in your house pile up. Organize books, fabrics and clear out outdated magazines, mail, and catalogs. Pests can find harborage under and in clutter.
Secure Food from Pests – Your food, including pet food needs to be secure. Remove any clutter, expired food, and debris as you go through the cabinets, pantry, and bread drawers. They can easily get into poorly packaged food such as paper, flimsy plastic, and cardboard as well as easily get to the leftover crumbs left behind. Transfer these foods into pest-safe secure air-tight containers as well as all pet food.
Seal Your Home from Pests – Use dehumidifiers and repair any leaks from faucets, appliances, and pipes as soon as possible to remove the water source and moist conditions pests prefer and/or require. Install weather stripping and caulk as applicable after inspecting for gaps around the windows and doors. Once a week take the trash out or sooner as needed, ensure to always use a liner and once a month, wash them inside and out with hot soapy water. Keep a clean home and high sanitation by cleaning up after every meal and snack, avoid letting piled up dishes sit in the sink for too long, wipe down the counters and once a day, sweep the floors.

House Perimeter & Exterior Pest Prevention

Sealing Home from Pests – You need to thoroughly inspect the structure from the foundation to the roof and everything in between. For insects and wildlife to get inside your home, it does not require a lot of space. Bugs and rodents can slip through cracks and openings. For example, a mouse only needs a dime-size hole and a rat needs a quarter-size hole to slip inside. Seal the home as best as possible.
Maintain Landscape – The natural habitat for many pests is foliage and when it gets too close to your house, it invites the pests in. Minimize the visitation around your home by pruning the trees, trimming the plant life, pull the weeds, and cutting the grass. To avoid offering pests harborage, also remove the clutter including lumber, or building materials, toss the yard clippings. Anything you keep, store away from the house and toss the waste.
Other Tips to Prevent Pests in Your Yard – Avoid leaving pet food available 24/7, repair any leaks or inefficient gutters and downspouts to reduce the water supply.

Year-Round Pest Management

We at Rentokil are readily available to offer pest control management to contribute to minimize the pests from getting inside and to help you eliminate any infestations. Give us a call today to get started!