Is Your Home Design Contributing to Pest Infestation?
Do you love the architecture of your home? Probably yes. But you would never think that your warm, comfortable, energy-efficient, and clean buildings could host pests like mice, rats, cockroaches, and bedbugs. With all the right steps that you have taken to deter these pests from permeating your beautiful house, you may be surprised that your home design can be a contributing factor to the pest infestation. Multiple home designs can trigger the inversion of pests to your home. You may notice some of these, but for other signs, you will need the help of a professional control company. Excel Pest Services is one such company that can help carry out an exhaustive control service at your home to put these tiny invaders away. Here is an insight into the relationship between your home design and pests.
Once pests have entered your building, they will have access to almost every place in the house. The five major house designs that are contributors to pest infestation include:
1. The Material Used to Make Your Building
Generally, buildings are made with different design methods. These methods vary significantly in their degree of vulnerability to pest infestation. Some are made of metal, others concrete, while others wood. Most of these building materials, especially wood, become less pest-proof because of alterations and deterioration. For concrete buildings, they tend to develop cracks. Wood structures begin to rot, whereas metallic structures become worn out or damaged, thus allowing the entry of pests.
2. When the Design of Your Home Comes In Contact With Soil On The Ground
The soil of the ground has moisture that can cause decay. This rot may, in turn, invite pests like moisture ants, carpenter ants, termites, and even rats. To avoid this, dig and shovel the soil away from your building’s siding. Leave some space at the bottom of the siding to ensure that the foundation of your building is visible.
3. When the Screens of Your Soffit Vent Are Damaged
Missing or damaged screens on the soffit vent of your building give space for birds, rats, bats, and other pests to enter your attic. An infestation of these pests creates damage to your attic or develop odors or health problems for your family. To avoid this issue, check if your attic is free from pests by checking that it is functioning properly. In case it has damages, replace the screens, or rescreen the broken areas using a galvanized hardware cloth. Then secure this new screen with strong stainless steel screws or staples.
4. Gaps in Your Building
When designing your house, you didn’t know that the gaps could create passages for pests. These gaps create spaces that invite pests, which may damage the plastic vapor barrier, plastic, or wiring of your building. Avoid this mess by addressing this issue; craft a small door that will help close the crawl space. If you notice that the tubing, ductwork, or pipes have the cracks, seal them up using a caulk.
5. The Condition of Your Ceiling and Air Ducts
If your air and heating conditioning ducts were installed without a strong and well-attached screening, you might also be a victim of this infestation. This wrong installation may merit pest entry as they form the most common pest entry points. Repair your hanging ceiling, electrical conduit, utility pipes, gas lines, and any other cables that may have large openings.
What to Do When You Notice an Infestation
Some signs will tell you if your home is being invested. For instance, you may notice webs or pests’ nests developing in your home. If you are dealing with ants, you will see dust or trails on your walls or floor. Monitor these signs and know the type of pests you will be dealing with. When you notice that your home design is contributing to the inversion, go through your building to know the root causes. If there are holes, crevices, or spaces in your building that welcome the pests, block them. Even after carrying out all the measures above, sometimes, you will need to apply low-risk and safe pesticides or fumigate your entire building. Other times, you will need to consult a pest control service provider who will advise on the appropriate prevention-based control from the local pests.
Conclusion
Having this knowledge, you can make your home free from pest invasion. You wouldn’t want pests to damage your building or cause health complications that will make your home an uncomfortable place. Therefore, if you notice that your building is being infested with any local pests, deal with this issue immediately to prevent the expensive harm that they may cause. This is how you will be able to eliminate all these nuisances.
