Pest Preparing Strategies For Houston Homes

Is your Houston home prepared? If you have not yet committed to year round pest control, spring is the most important time of year to get your home sealed against pest invasion. Even though the winters in Houston can be mild, and pests don’t tend to overwinter, they still slow down when it gets cold. This slowdown can trigger their nesting instinct when temperatures rise again, and send them off by the hundreds, or thousands, in search of a place to build another home. This makes your home more vulnerable to infestation. Here are some tips for keeping them out.

1. Sealed your exterior walls and basement. If bugs or wildlife start crawling on your exterior walls and exploring your roofline, you want them to find them completely sealed. When you let rotting places sit unrepaired, you invite pest invasion. Use a caulking gun to fill in rotted holes and cracks until you can afford to have those areas fixed. Be sure to get into hard to see areas. Pests prefer to chew on your home in places that are undisturbed.
2. Make sure you’re protected. Everyone has windows and doors, but not everyone keeps those entry points protected. You should. A damaged screen, weather strip, or door sweep is a common entry point for insects. It doesn’t take much of a gap for bugs to get in.
3. Moisture. Many insects, especially termites, are attracted to moisture. If you’re gutters don’t channel water away from your home, the wet wood or wet ground around your home will draw these pests in. Make sure g utters are not damaged or obstructed. Make sure there is no standing water next to your basement walls. And make sure there are no areas on your lawn that collect rainwater. Fill those areas with soil and plant some grass. Crushed stone around the perimeter of your house is also a great way to keep things dry on the surface.
4. Something you may not know. If you traveled during the holidays, or had a college age kid come home for vacation, you should be checking for bed bugs. Bed bug infestations surge in spring and early summer, because the bugs have had a chance to build their populations after they hitchhiked into your home. Do an inspection of all your mattresses and box springs. Look for black fecal residue on corners, and in seams. And, examine all your sheets for tiny blood stains. Bed bugs dribble after feeding.

The single best way to protect your home from invading pests is to have year round pest protection. Pest management companies don’t just protect your home from wood chewing insects, and your family from pest related illness, they also advise you on modern pest exclusion techniques that make your home less desirable to bugs and wildlife. When you plug in to a company like Holder’s Pest Solutions, you don’t just protect yourself, you learn how to make your home a safe place to live and grow. Think about it.

Learn more about Holder’s residential pest solutions and contact us today!