8 Easy Ways to Prevent Fall Pests

8 Easy Ways to Prevent Fall Pests

With the weather slowly cooling down and the first day of autumn being yesterday, we are ready to break out our sweaters and jump into a pile of leaves (carefully, because there could be pests in there)! But, as fun as the fall season is, it is unfortunately not a break from the risk of pest invasions. This time of year is when critters of all kinds start preparing for the upcoming winter, which often means finding a place to shelter from the adverse weather. Some pests may be able to slip through the cracks (literally), but there are plenty of everyday steps you can take to protect your home from pest infestations as much as possible. Let’s look at some easy ways to prepare for the upcoming slew of pests trying to find their winter vacation home before the chilly weather sets in!

Eliminate Moisture

We mention this one in a lot of blogs, but that is because it is an important step year-round. Pests need moisture just like any other creature, and some like their homes to be damp in addition to needing drinking water. To eliminate moisture, check each sink, tub, and shower for any leaks or draining problems. These are the common areas that pests invade since they have the added bonus of being mostly hidden from us. Fix any leaks that you find, or call in a pro if the issue is beyond DIY. As for drains, make sure that showers and sinks are draining properly after use. It’s normal to have some small puddling after the water is used, but these should dry up relatively soon. If the sink or tub has a layer of water leftover around the drain, there is an issue. Liquid drain cleaner should do the trick for the average problem, and drain snakes and other products are available for more extensive clogs.

Keep Firewood Contained

If you live in a house with a fireplace that uses real firewood, you are likely used to the strategy and care needed to stockpile firewood outside. It needs to be covered and close enough to be accessible in the event of bad weather, but it also needs to not be right next to the house because of the risk of pests. There are plenty of wood-loving pests that like to live in stacks of firewood if they have the chance, like termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, wasps, wood boring beetles, wood roaches, and spiders. This is exactly why you don’t want to keep firewood against the actual house, as these pests can travel from the wood pile to the house and find their way inside. Keep the firewood a minimum of three feet away from the house, and only take pieces inside as you need them. Also, keep the pile covered and off the ground, such as on a palette. This lets the wood dry out as much as possible and keeps it from being ruined by rainfall.

Keep Up on Yard Work

This can involve different tasks depending on where you live and how many trees are in your yard. Fall is famous for the leaves changing colors and gently drifting to the ground. While this is a beautiful part of nature, it also creates more work for those who have a few trees in their yard. The grass and plants are also still growing and blooming, even though it isn’t as rapid as in the summer. Yard work is not a chore you have to do every day, unless you want to, but it does help to do a little at a time to make the process more manageable. Many pests – like earwigs, spiders, beetles, and centipedes – like the shelter that piles of leaves provide, plus many of them find food sources within the leaf litter. This is why it is important to rake up leaves and dispose of them without letting them sit out and get damp with time. Keep the lawn mowed, and trim back any plants or tree branches that are touching the house. You don’t want pests using these as a freeway to your living room!

Check All Door and Window Seals

This can be both a preparation for fall and a routine check once in a while throughout the season. While fall still has plenty of temperate days for most areas, it usually begins a more regular rainfall pattern and has windy days. There are few instances more panic-inducing than realizing that a window is leaking in the middle of a huge rainstorm. Plus, tiny pests can force their way through broken or loose window and door seals to live in your cozy home. Ants and roaches are famous for this talent. Inspect all weather-proofing seals around the windows and doors while the weather is still decent, and replace any that do not provide a tight seal anymore. Also, make sure to check the big garage door. This is another frequent path of many pests, including larger ones such as rodents. If this seal is ruined at all, or if the door does not close properly, contact garage door repair services to get that repaired before the rain becomes more frequent.

Inspect the Outside of Packages

This may be more of a relevant tip for the holiday season, but it is still an important task to remember with every delivery that shows up on your doorstep. If you receive a package in a cardboard box, especially if it’s been sitting outside for a while, it is at risk of pests invading the box. Many insects and rodents love eating cardboard because of the high cellulose content. Roaches, termites, silverfish, rats, and mice all enjoy dining on cardboard, particularly when it’s softer. Rats and mice also like to build their nests in boxes if they are left idle for a long time, but a package freshly delivered to your doorstep shouldn’t be too appealing for them for that reason. Before bringing any package inside, do a quick scan of the outside to see if there are any hitchhiking pests on there. This is the same with any cardboard-contained groceries from the grocery store. Some tiny pests can hide in and on boxes that are then put in cabinets, which allows them to invade other food products. It’s a quick task, but it could mean the difference between unwanted pest guests and a peaceful package unboxing. 

Clean All Crumbs and Spills After Gatherings

Cleaning crumbs and spills is another common tip that you will see in most pest control blogs, but that is simply because it is so effective. Food is one of three main draws for a pest to a home, and it can simply be the crumbs left out on the counter after having a snack. While this is a great tip to keep in mind year-round, it is even more important during the fall season. This is typically when families and friends gather the most, especially around food. Between the major food holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving, and the number of football-viewing parties that fans can hold, there are plenty of risks for unnoticed crumbs and spills to eventually attract pests. Ants, roaches, rodents, pantry pests, and wasps all enjoy our food, and you definitely don’t want them in your house or anywhere near your groceries. You can use whichever product you prefer for wiping down counters and cleaning the floors, but we recommend using something anti-bacterial for sticky spills. This will ensure that there isn’t any residue for pests to find and use to lead the rest of their buddies to your kitchen.

Seal All Cracks

Similar to the window and door seals from earlier, it is very important to check your house for any cracks or holes. Pests of all shapes and sizes can fit through the smallest of gaps, so it is important to not overlook any crevice as “too small” for a critter to get through. Even mice can fit through spaces the width of a pencil or the size of a dime, so you definitely want to make sure those spaces are filled. Inspect the exterior of your home for any cracks or holes, and fill the smaller ones with caulk from the hardware store. If you find a gap too large for caulk alone, copper mesh and steel wool are perfect for this task. Use a tool to stuff the copper mesh inside the hole, then line the outside with caulk. If you want a professional eye on the job, pest control services are a great option. The more thorough services come prepared with materials to seal the entry points they find, which will be much appreciated when the fall chill sets in and pests are looking for a new place to live.

Check Screens Early

It feels like no part of the house is safe from pests when you think about the number of materials and places that need to be inspected before peak infestation season, but it is worth it to be prepared. Window and sliding door screens are great inventions that allow us to enjoy some fresh air in our homes without leaving it wide open for any insect to fly through. But if there are tears and holes in the material, it defeats the purpose of keeping critters out. Check each one for any larger openings, which should be fairly obvious. You can use extra screen material to patch up smaller imperfections. But if there are a couple of massive holes or too many smaller ones, you may want to just replace the whole sheet of screen material. There are plenty of descriptive tutorials online for how to do this if you never have before. Also, just as a general rule, make sure the screens are completely closed when you open the door or window. A hole in the mesh isn’t good, but a wide-open gap is possibly the easiest way for a pest to enter your home uninvited.  

Bonus: Schedule Pest Control Services for Prevention and Elimination!

These tasks all cut down on the number of pests invading your home, but it still may not be enough to prevent every insect, arachnid, and rodent from forcing their way inside. This is where pest control services come into play. The everyday chores and prevention methods work in tandem with professional services, as it allows the treatments to be effective against the pests that may still be thinking about finding autumn shelter. Our team of experienced technicians are happy to address every pest concern and provide treatments for both preventing future pests and eradicating existing ones. Contact our team for more information on how we can keep your home pest-free so that you can enjoy all of the fun fall festivities!

Citations

Gibb, T.J. (2018, April). Insects in firewood. Purdue University Extension – Entomology. Available at https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-67/E-67.html (Accessed on September 15, 2022).