Prepping Your Summer Home For Winter: Three Pest Control Tips

When it's time to head back to your primary home at the end of summer, you want to make sure that your summer home is properly prepped for the winter months. In addition to winterizing your plumbing and other areas of the house, you'll want to take a close look at pest control practices. With the right plan in place, you can prevent insects, rodents, and other pests from making your summer home their winter kingdom. Here are just some of the many steps you can take to keep bugs and animals at bay.

Install Storm Doors

If your summer home has screen doors, consider switching them out for storm doors with glass inserts. This creates a better barrier to prevent animals from gaining entry into the home. Rodents, for example, can gnaw through screens and even wood doors. A metal and glass storm door at each entrance creates a great line of defense against infestations. As you perform this task, be sure to look for gaps around the doors that might create a point of entry for insects and smaller animals. Sealing gaps and cracks can make the home more energy-efficient in the winter while helping keep pests out of the space.

Clear Out The Kitchen

While you may already be planning to remove all perishable food from the fridge, counters, and cabinets, it's a good idea to remove any pantry items that aren't properly stored. Canned goods can be kept in the kitchen, but cereals, baking mixes, and other boxed foods should be removed entirely. You can place these items in airtight plastic storage containers as part of your pest control plan. Be sure to scrub the fridge ans vacuum all the cabinets to remove even the tiniest of food particles. Be sure to take any pet food with you as well, as it can also serve as a tasty treat for wildlife. Remember that your garage or garden shed can serve as a pantry for pests as well. Remove any birdseed, grass seed, and any ohter organic material before you close up the home for the winter.

Set Traps

Even if you don't have a problem with ants, rats, mice, or other pests, consider setting out traps to help counter any potential invasions while the summer home is unoccupied. You can use simply traps you find at the hardware store. Be sure to have a plan in place to check any mouse or rat traps at various intervals throughout the winter months. Should you trap a rodent, you want to make sure it is removed from the home quickly. One way to monitor the traps is to set up a digital camera system in the home. Not only does this provide a great way to monitor each trap in the home, but it also provides an added layer of security. Be sure your cameras can be paired with your smartphone via an app, as this will provide a live feed of the home. Train a camera on each trap as well as the doors and windows in the home. You can then check each trap with some regularity and make a decision about how to empty them should an animal get caught.

If you are worried about the pests around your home, contact a pest control service near you.


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