7 Pest Prevention Tips for Your Home

If you have an outdoor pet, don’t leave food and water dishes outside unattended. This will invite nuisance animals right to your doorstep. You also have to address natural sources of food and water. If you tend to get standing water in your yard, now is the time to improve your yard’s drainage so animals don’t stop for a drink close to your home. Keep in mind that rodents like birdseed as much as the birds do, so consider moving your birdfeeder away from the house, or get rid of it completely.

If you have a basement or crawlspace, animals can often find their way inside through cracks in the foundation, vents or around AC pipes. It doesn’t take much for nuisance animals to get in either - mice and small rodents can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. Inspect your foundation thoroughly, especially where different building materials meet, to look for any gaps. Fill in any spaces you find with expanding foam. Keep an eye out for problems with your foundation, which can open up entry points for small animals in addition to the need for expensive repairs.

How do animals get in the attic? If there is a small hole somewhere in your roof, a persistent animal looking for a warm place to live will probably find it. Inspect the outside of your roof looking for any hole or gap, especially around vents and in corners, windows or chimneys. If you can get into your attic, look around the inside as well so you don’t miss any entry point. If you clean and organize your attic, it will be easier to see signs of animal habitation. Squirrels and other climbing animals often get to your roof by jumping down from nearby trees. Keep them off your house by cutting branches back far enough to keep them at bay.

It’s no secret that animals will try to get into your trash cans to look for food. An easy DIY pest control tactic is to make sure they can’t get in. Raccoons are smart animals and will be persistent. Keep an eye out for signs that animals are getting into your trash. If the lid is removed, the can is knocked over or any trash bags were ripped open, then you may have to switch to a garbage can with a latch.

Ultraviolet light attracts bugs, which brings bats close to your home. Switching your exterior lighting to a yellow light is an easy way to keep bugs and bats away from your house without sacrificing your outside lighting. If you don’t already have lights on your porch or garage, adding a motion-sensor light is a good way to keep nocturnal animals away.

What better way to keep wild animals away from your house than by introducing animals that scare them off? Bringing natural predators to your is easier and not as dangerous as it sounds. The easiest way is to get a dog or a cat. A pet may be able to track down where rodents or pests have been living, even when you can’t find the source. If you have a larger yard, you can also attract hawks by building nesting boxes on your property. Coupled with removing places to hide, a resident predator will either remove rodents for you, or at least scare them away.

If you know what kind of animal you’re dealing with, you can take more specific action. Take a look at some of the tips below for dealing with mice, bats, bugs and racoons.

Mice will find their way into your home through small gaps in the foundation or through unsealed doors and windows. In addition to fixing those issues, here are some tips for controlling mice:

• Seal all food in airtight containers and store them off the floor.
• Keep garage doors closed.
• Spray peppermint oil around your home, especially at doors and windows.
• Adopt a cat.
• Clean up any spilled food.

Having bats around your property can help control the flying bug population. It’s important not to kill them, but it’s equally important to keep them from entering your house. In addition to their useful attributes, in some areas certain species of bats are protected, making it illegal to kill them. Take these steps instead:

• Install a bat house on your property, away from your home.
• Inspect chimney and roof vents for entry points.
• Spray bat repellant around your roof and possible entry points.
• Install bright, non-ultraviolet lights around your home.
• Place mothballs in your attic.

Bugs can be harder to keep out than other animals, but there are still ways you can prevent these pests from getting inside. Sealing gaps and cracks in your home is a good place to start.

• Caulk cracks around baseboards, cabinets and windows.
• Seal exterior doors.
• Check window screens for damage or holes.
• Keep your home clean.
• Clear up cluttered corners they may hide in.
• Spray bug repellent around your home.

Racoons won’t likely sneak into your house given their size, but they can still cause trouble if they are attracted to your property or get in your garage. Since they are larger and smarter than other nuisance animals, different steps are required to keep them away.

• Install bright lights outside your home.
• Use deterrents like ammonia or vinegar in areas they may hide.
• Remove water sources around your home.
• Seal your garbage cans.
• Put birdfeeders out of reach, using thin poles to mount them.