Top 5 tips to prevent pests this winter

• 1. Give your Attic a visual inspection 

Rodents and other invasive pests will often look to set up house in your attic.  Giving your attic a quick visual inspection can give you a good indication that you might have spaces that need to be sealed or existing infestations that should be addressed.  Rodent infestations can often lead to expensive repairs like insulation replacement, so getting ahead of them is key.

• 2. Check your doors weather stripping

Your main entry and exit doors can be the source of insect traffic in your home if the weather stripping around those doors is not sealed properly.  This can also drastically affect the efficiency of your homes heating and cooling.  This can be a simple DIY project that costs you your time and a $20 part from the hardware store that can save you hundreds in heating and cooling as well as in pest control services.

• 3. Lower soil levels around your foundation

Winter is a great time in South Texas to address your soil levels around your home.  High soil levels contribute to some of the most expensive pest control problems you as a homeowner can experience and with reduced foliage in the winter months as well as damper soils it is much easier to reduce the soil levels around your foundation now.  This will make it much easier to inspect your foundation in the spring when homes are prone to attacks from termites and other soil born nuisances.

• 4. Cut back dead foliage.

Dense bushes and hanging tree limbs are just highways for insects and ants to enter your home and with cooler weather they are more likely to be incentivized to follow the heat into your comfortable home interior.  Cutting back and trimming unwanted and unsightly limbs and bushes can drastically decrease the traffic of unwanted pests in your home.

• 5. Deep Clean your kitchen and bathrooms

The winter season is time for guests and family gatherings which usually mean messy kitchens and bathrooms.  Giving these areas attention with a deep clean can reduce the attractive environment caused by these areas for unwanted pests.  For most kitchen and bathroom surfaces a warm bleach-water solution is great for clear attractants like sugar and fats that can adhere to your countertops.  Be sure to do your research to make sure this solution won’t damage your countertops first.