With snow on the ground, ice in the trees, and cold air all around it may seem a little hard to think about spring.  But, thinking about spring gives you that warm feeling that is sometimes so hard to find this time of year.  With warm sun and blue skies in mind, we need to think about all the insects that become pests to us once they enter our homes and intrude upon our lives.  With a little pre-planning, we can enjoy the spring days and nights without those pests giving us headaches. 

Now is the perfect time to check and repair all of those windows and door screens and seal the gaps around them with either silicone or paintable latex sealant.  Make sure you use a product with sealant in the name for best protection.  Also, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the minimum temperature for using the product.  While you have the caulk gun out go around the house and seal up all the cracks and holes.  Make sure you check all the phone, cable, and utility lines as well as the water pipes that enter your home.  Pests use them as highways to enter your home.  The caulk sealant will do a fine job of sealing them out.  You’ve checked around the outside of your house.  Now, be sure to open kitchen and bathroom cabinets and check those lines.  Check that nothing can crawl up from your crawlspace or basement.  Remember, a ½ inch hole is big enough for a mouse and insects need even less space!  Also, check that no water is leaking from your lines.  Water problems will need to be fixed as soon as possible.

If the ice storm has not done it already, trim your trees and shrubs to keep them away from the house.  This helps keep raccoons and squirrels off the roof and out of the attics which can make for a better night’s sleep. 

Some insects are drawn to rotted or deteriorating wood so when the weather breaks fix or replace fascia boards and soffits.  Make sure to replace any rotted wood.  And, remember to keep firewood away from the side of your house.  All kinds of insects and animals like to live in stacks of wood.

Now is also a good time to check if any water is pooling next to the house so this spring and summer you can work on diverting the water and improving the drainage.  This can help cut down on insects that are drawn to moisture such as carpenter ants and mosquitoes. 

If your house has a crawlspace you also need to check your crawlspace vents.  These need to have some type of mesh screening to keep out rodents.  You can use hardware cloth or ¼ inch welded wire to seal them up, but still allow appropriate ventilation.

Once you’ve sealed around your windows and doors, check for drafts inside the home.  These indicate possible entrances for insects.  Seal them up accordingly. 

Doing these few simple projects throughout the following months, can save you from Pest Aggravation.

This information is provided to you as a public service by Pest Detective, L.L.C.  We can be reached at 765-676-5600.