Avoid Pest Infestation - Most Susceptible Areas Of Your House

By Author: Ashlee Conway
Total Articles: 1
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Household pests generally are non-discriminating in regards to where they decide to intrude. That being said, they are certain areas in your hour that can be hotbeds of pest activity. Accordingly, knowledge of these areas can allow homeowners to take specific measures to preemptively prepare to keep pests out.

Before you can take preventive action, you need to know what you are trying to prevent. Let's start with one of the most common household pests across the country - odorous ants.

More that anything else, odorous house ants are attracted to moisture. When winter and spring rains start to lessen, odorous ants (also called sugar ants) start seeking out new sources of moisture. There are several areas around residences that can be prime attractants to moisture seeking ants.

Leaky plumbing, even only minor, over time can create damp moisture pockets that ants can sense. There is a reason that kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms are most commonly first rooms to be infested. A loose joint, a rusty fitting, a worn seal, garbage disposals, toilet seals - all of these can be common areas for drips. Set out ...
... some paper towels under your sinks, behind your washing machine and toilet and check to see if any moisture is there. If so, get out your wrenches and tighten or replace some components.

Defective window seals can also be entry points for water into the house. Matched up with foliage that is touching the siding can combine to make another common entry point of odorous ants. Caulking seals and trimming bushes away from contacting the house will help shut down this entry point.

Another type of ant eager to cause more that just annoyance but real damage is the carpenter ant. These fast chewing pests have been known to cause up to $5000 of damage in a single year. The main attractants for carpenter ants is both moisture and a source of dead wood.

Common susceptible zones of the house to carpenter ants are your siding, which provides immediate access to the exterior wall cavities, and the footings in your crawlspace. Exterior wall cavities can provide a source of both moisture and wood to keep the ants happy and busy.

Reviewing both your yard and house for sources of dead wood can go a long ways in preventing carpenter ants. In the yard, look for rotting old stumps, large downed branches that have been down for a long time or railroad ties in the landscape, particularly if partially covered. The houses perimeter should be reviewed for woodpiles that might have scraps of dead wood. Within the home, crawlspaces are notorious for having spare scraps of wood left in them for years. Once the old wood in the crawl is attacked, the footings and sub-floor are common targets.

Rodents are another of the most preventable household pests. Their ability to squeeze into extremely small openings makes diligence in searching out possible entry point critical. Walk the exterior perimeter of the house reviewing all protrusions. Often gas, electric, phone/cable piping and vents may have some extra space between them and the siding. Using screening, steel wool or spray foam are easy ways to close off access. Ensure crawlspace vents are in place and if missing, simple wire screening can be shaped as a cage and inserted to block access.

A final easily preventable pest is a flea. 95% of the time flea infestations are a result of infested pets. Carpeted rooms next to exterior doors are some of the most common areas to first show signs of infestation. Pet access and lounging in these areas are very common. Therefore, keeping pets free of fleas is needed to keep your home flea free. Both collars and treatments are effective. On occasion, fleas might be living in bark dust piles or your lawn. In such cases, an outdoor yard pesticide promptly applies will keep the problem from moving indoors. Until this can be done, keep pets indoors as much as possible.

Knowing where to take quick action in and around your home will help increase your chances of avoiding many types of pest infestation.
Portland Pest Control Company is a family owned company based in Oregon. Our exterminators know that having a pest invade you home can be a scary time and know how stressful it can be on you. If you have issues with Carpenter Ants, Odorous Ants, Spiders, Wasps, Mice, Rats, Moles, and more we can help. Call Portland Pest Control today at 503-590-9274 for quick and professional services from the Portland Oregon Exterminator. visit : http://www.allpestcontrolcompany.com