There are a several preventative measures that you can take to keep pests away from your home. Each of them is relatively inexpensive.
Exclusion
The most effective method of pest prevention is exclusion, or keeping the pests out of your home in the first place. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways depending on the layout of your house.
The first thing you should examine is the foundation of your home. Any crack or gap in the foundation that is over 1/4 inch is large enough for a small pest such as a mouse or a termite to get inside. If you seal these with concrete mortar, you won’t have to worry about any pests getting in through your basement.
Make sure that the doors and windows of your home are air tight. You should also check the screens on all of your windows to ensure that they don’t have any large tears, because mice can climb in through them.
If you find any additional areas where pests are getting into your home, you most likely will be able to seal it off using either caulk or steel or copper mesh products. Do everything you can to make your home into an impenetrable barrier, and you won’t have to worry about pests entering your home in the first place.
Make Your Home Less Desirable
There are a few things that attract pests to your home. These are food, moisture, and hiding places.
You can eliminate outside food sources by doing away with an outside food dish for pets, and making sure that garbage is in a sealed container that is not accessible. Taking care of indoor food sources will require a little more diligence on your part.
Staten Island pest control companies recommend that you only place dog or cat food on the floor when the animals are eating, and keep it sealed in a closed container the rest of the time. Leftover food should never be left out on the counter; instead, seal it in containers and place them in the refrigerator or freezer.
Dirty dishes should be cleaned the same day, and scraps should be swept up off the floor. Old newspapers and cardboard can also be an attractant for certain types of insects, so it helps to keep this contained as well.
The last detail that you have to take care of is potential hiding places. Outside of your home, make sure that the grass is kept trimmed. Tall grass is a popular hiding place for pests and you will notice more pests in general when it is left untrimmed.
Inside your home, keep everything as neat and picked up as possible. By taking the time to maintain the cleanliness of your home, you significantly reduce the number of places for pests to use to hide from you. This makes detection easier, and it will discourage pests from sticking around at all if they do get inside.
Get the Help You Need
Whether you need help with pest prevention in general, or your efforts don’t work out and you need a good exterminator, give us a call. We offer inspections that will help with prevention efforts, and our professionals are qualified to treat a range of pests in the New York City area.