Dealing with pests is hard work, costly, and often disruptive. Simply click here and chat with your local exterminators to find out what pests are in your area and the average cost of eliminating them.
That should be enough to convince you pest-proofing your home is a better option. Don’t forget that many pests carry diseases and that can be an issue for you and your family.
In short, it’s never too early to start pest-proofing your home for the holidays!
Check For Entry Points
Mice and other rodents can enter through gaps as small as 6-7mm. Of course, there is a huge number of pests that can get through smaller gaps, such as roaches and insects.
The best place to start is to look around the outside of your home for any cracks or gaps that a pest could get through. As soon as you find one use sealant or cement to seal the gap. Pay particular attention to areas around doors and windows.
Look At Your Greens
Sealing the entry points will make it much harder for pests to get into your home for the holidays. However, you may inadvertently bring the pests in yourself. One of the easiest ways to do this is when you bring in your tree or other pieces of greenery for decoration. There could be a number of insects attached to the green pieces. You can even get rid of invasive frogs incase you find any at your greens.
The best approach is to put the pieces outside first and give them a shake. This will make some pests fall off and help you top spot any movement.
You should also visually inspect the greenery to see if there are any spider eggs, webs, or even marks from where rodents have gnawed at the branches.
Any of these signs tell you that the tree has pests and they need to be eliminated before it enters your home.
Unpack Carefully
The best way to store holiday decorations is to keep them in a large plastic container, this dramatically reduces the likelihood of any pests getting in while the decorations are stored. However, regardless of how you pack your decorations, you should always unpack them carefully. This will allow you to see any pests or signs that there have been pests in the boxes throughout the year.
Consider Firewood
If you have an open fire or wood-burning stove then you are going to need firewood. You need to make sure that this is not stored too close to the house. The best approach is to place it on a raised surface at least 20ft from your home. This will help to prevent pests from getting to the wood and then being carried into your home. It’s easier to do than you realize!
Check Your Food Storage
Finally, check how you are storing food. All open packets should be kept in sealed plastic or metal containers, this prevents the pests from getting to them. In other words, it makes your home less appealing to pests and they are likely to go elsewhere.
