Autumn Pest Prevention Tips

Autumn has officially arrived and with it the need to maintain your home for two very good reasons. One, to efficiently keep out the colder, wetter weather and two, to prevent common autumn pests.

Both these reasons make good financial sense too.

If you seal gaps and holes in your home, you will help conserve your heating and save on energy bills. At the same time, you will also prevent the need to spend money on professional pest control to get rid of pests that have gained entry indoors.

Autumn Pests

In the northern hemisphere, wasps and flies will be reducing in numbers. At the same time though, the colder weather signifies increased risk of other common household pests like rats, mice and fleas.

Common Autumn Pests

• rats
• mice
• cockroaches
• fleas
• bed bugs
• squirrels
• birds

Pest hotspots in your home

Below is a list of common areas in your home vulnerable to pest problems. As well as explaining the reason it is at risk, I will offer advice on how to possibly prevent a problem before it happens.

1. Attic

Your attic offers a fantastic retreat for rodents like rats and mice to spend their winter. It gives them shelter and warmth, and places them fairly close to a food source – your kitchen.

If you are really unlucky, you may also find wasps overwintering up in your attic too!

Prevention Tips:

• Replace all damaged roof tiles
• Fill cracks with roofing cement
• Inspect roof space regularly for pest activity
• Keep attic tidy and clutter free
• Store items in plastic boxes (not cardboard) to prevent rodent nesting.

2. Pipes & Drains

With more rain than sunshine at this time of year, it is also easier to spot any defaults in your guttering. This usually presents itself in the form of a waterfall gushing out of the gutter.

Some insects like cockroaches are attracted to moisture and excess water. A badly maintained downpipe or guttering is very attractive in their eyes.

Prevention Tips

• Check downpipes regularly for leaks
• Repair any damage with gutter sealants
• Check drains are free flowing and remove obstruvtions such as fallen leaves

3. Bedroom

Fashionistas might now be preparing to swap their summer clothes for their a/w collection. In other words, dragging winter wool jumpers from the back of the cupboard to the front and vice versa. This may also be the time you notice a possible sign of a moth problem in the form of an unsightly hole in your treasured cashmere sweater. Whilst this means you already have moths, it also means you can prevent further damage to other valuables in your collection.

Prevention Tips:

• Check clothes regularly for signs of damage
• Use sticky traps or moth killer strips to confirm signs of activity
• Wash all clothes and store in sealed bags
• Vacuum and clean the inside of clothes cupboards regularly

Another common problem in the bedroom is with bed bugs. This pest never goes away and is a problem all year round, peaking during and after holiday season. So, if you have been on holiday recently or have invested in some second-hand furniture it pays to just check your room for any signs of bedbugs.

Bed Bug Prevention Tips:

• Check all areas of your bed for signs (blood spots, droppings, shed skin)
• Inspect furniture and carpet
• Wash holiday clothes and bedding on a high temperature setting
• Clean and vacuum the bedroom thoroughly and regularly

4. Chimney

If you live in a flat, apartment or a serviced housing estate you can probably ignore and skip this part. However facilities managers and private home owners should take note. Birds, and squirrels like to make homes in chimneys.

The main risks are from damaged property, nuisance noise and potential secondary pest infestations.

Prevention Tip:

• Install a suitably-sized chimney cap to keep animals out and prevent secondary pest infestations

5. Garage

Most people use their garage more for storing items like back issues of certain magazines, albums (LPs) and even furniture rather than their car. Be warned though, that rodents love to find nesting sites amongst all your valuable junk.

Prevention Tips:

• Cover air vents with galvanised mesh to prevent entry
• Store items in plastic containers and keep off the floor to prevent nesting sites

6. Kitchen

The kitchen is often the one room singled out by pest controllers as most at risk of a pest problem.

This usually comes down to the fact of how plentiful the food is in just this one room of your house. As pests need food for survival, this is the area of your home they gravitate towards.

Prevention Tips:

• Store food in air-tight containers
• Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink
• Regularly empty contents of rubbish bins
• Clear food debris off the floor
• Regularly clean and inspect under sinks, cookers and behind the fridge

7. Laundry room

It is really easy to overlook gaps around new pipes and even old pipework and dismiss them as no major cause for concern. However, did you know that young mice only need a gap the width of a pencil to gain entry inside? Will this make you think more differently about those gaps?

Prevention Tips:

• Seal holes around any old or new pipework
• Caulk, expanding foam and other DIY products are available to fill cracks

8. Garden & Outdoor Bins

Irish people like to do gardening in warm sunshine. Shrubs, grass, and trees are left unmanaged and overgrown in the autumn which can provide great hiding spots, shelter and even an easy access route into your home. Black rats, in particular, are very good climbers.

Prevention Tips:

• Keep branches and shrubbery trimmed away from the house
• Keep compost in a sealed area, a good distance away from the home
• Ensure outside bin lids and secure
• Do not leave rubbish bags out in the open

9. Pet Food

Rodents are not fussy eaters. As well as being attracted to our human food, their powerful strength of smell will also attract them to your pet’s food bowl.

Prevention Tips:

• Remove pet food before night fall
• Store pet food in air tight, plastic containers

10. Windows

Cracks around windows, front doors, balcony and patio doors are easy to overlook. At this time of year though when the temperature outside drops you might think of it more as a nuisance because you will start to notice the draft in your hallway or lounge.

It pays to cover these gaps somehow both from an energy saving and a pest prevention point of view.

Prevention Tip:

• Install bristle strips under doors and replace worn weather strips on all windows

Worried you may already have a pest problem?

Contact us for advice and solutions on how to get rid of pests from your home.