Ways Pests Enter Your Home & How to Prevent It

Do you ever wonder how pests make their way into your home? You think you’d see them if they came in with you, but the truth is they can come through even the smallest of cracks and crevices–and places you wouldn’t even think. Check out our list the most common ways they enter your home and how you can prevent it!

Improperly Sealed Windows and Doors

How pests get inside: Use over time weakens the seals of windows and doors, making it easy for bugs to enter. For your doors, anywhere you can see light through a crack is a space big enough for a bug to come in. Properly sealed doors require a tight seal on all sides. Windows are great to keep open for fresh air, but when they bring in bugs, you’ll regret ever cracking it open!

How to prevent it: To keep your home bug free, all windows should be fitted with screens and properly sealed. This means that screens should be closely inspected in the middle and around edges for tears and separation and kept closed until they can be repaired! To keep doors sealed and bugs out, install an aluminum threshold and a door sweep.

Cracks in Siding Foundation and Walls

How pests get inside: The perimeter of your house can be an easy way for bugs to enter. Wear and tear can cause cracks anywhere from the foundation to the roofline. A few times a year, homeowners should conduct a preventative inspection of their home’s exterior for any cracks or signs of damage that may be of concern. Cracks in siding where it meets the roof or joins at the corners can be major culprits, so be sure to pay special attention there as well!

Another spot that bugs like to sneak through is the space between wires and vents that run through the home. Because these wires run all the way from inside to out, they can provide an easy method for bugs to travel a direct line from the outside in.

How to prevent it: To keep unwanted pests out, be sure to seal exterior cracks, as well as interior gaps from wires and pipes that run from outside to the interior of the house!

Openings Above and Below

How pests get inside: Crawl spaces and open chimneys can be another place of easy access for pests. If pests are finding their way into your home, crawl under the crawl space to inspect for infestations and entrance points, and check the roof for cracks and open chimneys.

Pests have an easy time climbing high, or shimmying into tight spots to get into your home, but for us, getting in those tricky spots to seal them, can be tough and dangerous. If climbing in your crawl space just isn’t an option, contact one of our professional exterminators, and we can do it for you!

How to prevent it: Seal any cracks and cover any openings with the proper materials to keep your home functional, and safe from pests!

Other ways pests get inside your home include:

• Dryer vents & exhaust fans
• Holiday decorations & firewood
• Moving boxes
• Wall passages

Protect Your Home With Our Help

If you’re concerned about pests entering your home or you just can’t seem to get rid of an existing issue, it may be time to call the professionals. Here at Anti-Pesto, we offer pest control in Largo and surrounding areas. Call us at 727-524-6333 to see if we serve your area!