Autumn is here and with it the increased chance of pests entering your home to escape the cooler weather. Such pests you may encounter include mice, rats, ants, cockroaches, fleas, possums and birds. We take a look at some of the areas of your home that pests target and how you can prevent these uninvited guests.
Interior
Roof & Ceiling Space
Roofs and ceilings are commonly targeted by pests. Firstly because the roof provides easy access to the home via overhanging trees and drainpipes, and secondly because the roof cavities are a warm place to shelter and make a nest. Mice and rats love attics, especially if they can find a direct route to the kitchen for food. Birds such as pigeons also like nesting under roof eaves. If you’re really unlucky, you may even get a female possum deciding your roof is the perfect place to start a family.
Prevention Tips:
- Check the roof for damaged tiles and replace
- Install exclusion netting, wire or spikes in eaves
- Inspect pipes & drains for blockages & leaks
- Check for entry holes and cracks and fill in
- Inspect the attic space for pest activity (nest building & droppings)
- Use plastic containers for storage not cardboard boxes
- Keep attic junk free.
Kitchen
If pests are going to focus on any area of your home, it will be the kitchen. This is the room most at risk as it provides a ready food and water source for mice, rats, ants and cockroaches. But with a little good housekeeping you can make this a pest-free zone.
Prevention Tips:
- Use air-tight containers to store food
- Wash dirty dishes, don’t leave in the sink
- Regularly take out the rubbish
- Sweep & vacuum food debris off the floor
- Clean under sinks, cookers and behind the fridge regularly.
Exterior & Garden
Doors & Windows
Did you know that a mouse can wriggle through a gap the size of a pencil width? Small cracks around windows and doors shouldn’t be overlooked as it can mean welcoming a host of unwanted autumn pests.
Prevention Tips:
- Inspect & repair exterior cracks and crevices
- Check & repair gaps around air conditioning units
- Check & repair for cracks around windows and repair
- Inspect & repair screen doors
- Fit bristle strips to the bottom of doors for a snug fit.
Garden & outdoor bins
A neglected garden and overflowing rubbish bins are a pest’s idea of paradise. An untidy garden provides a myriad of opportunities for mice and rats to shelter and nest, while refuse will attract rats, mice, cockroaches and ants. Mosquitoes will also lay their eggs in stagnant water, so bird baths, pet water bowls and ponds are targets.
Prevention Tips:
- Prune trees & shrubs so they are away from the house
- Mow lawn regularly and keep hedges trimmed
- Ensure rubbish bins are tightly sealed
- Remove or drain bird baths & bowls of standing water.
Concerned that autumn pests have already invaded your home? Contact Cure All for advice and the best solution.
