30 Surefire Ways to Keep Out Fall Pests
Fall is crunch time when it comes to safeguarding your home against pests. These tips will do the trick.
Seal Gaps
Look not only for larger gaps in your attic or garage, but watch for small, unsealed gaps where electrical lines and pipes enter your house. Bugs, mice and other pests love these small gaps. So caulk them closed or use expanding foam insulation to deny entry.
Store Firewood Away from the House
While firewood may be an important summer staple for your backyard fire pit, it’s also a magnet for pests that will happily make the jump into the house. So store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house.
Fresh Herbs
Mosquitoes crash your backyard bonfire? Throw some fresh rosemary or sage on the coals to keep mosquitoes away.
Repair Torn Screens
Windows screens, mosquito nets and similar barriers protect against inquisitive summer pests, but only if they provide complete protection. And as long as the frame is in good shape repairs are easy and can be done in a few minutes. Here’s how to make your screen door or window look good as new.
Alternative Food Sources
For the kinder homeowners, there’s another humane pest control option that could save your garden: Provide other food sources. If you set up bird feeders (which nearly every animal in your yard will be drawn to) at the opposite end of your home, you could attract animals to that side and make sure that’s where they head in search of food, leaving your plants alone. This works best with smaller animals and requires a constant supply of food, but it isn’t always dependable. Wild animals have an instinct to forage and explore, which means they will often end up in your garden anyway.
White Vinegar to Deter Ants
Ants leave a trail which makes it easier for other ants from the colony to find their way to food. To wash away the trail, use a solution made from 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water and 10 drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil.
Some oils can also be used to clean furniture and fight odors.
Keep Weatherstripping in Working Order
Weatherstripping refers to the bristles and felt around your doors and windows. So replace any worn-away weatherstripping so there are no gaps. And keep windows tightly closed unless they have screens.
Spiders Don’t Like Onions
It may be an old wives’ tale, but it’s worth a shot! To keep spiders away, slice up some onions and toss them in a bowl of water. Place the bowl where spiders enter your home and they’ll stay away.
Prevent other pests from getting in your home this fall with these tips.
Wire Cloches for the Garden
A cloche is a bell-shape covering that you can put over a plant you want to protect. Wire versions are common, affordable and easy to find. Simply place them over growing plants, and animals will have a hard time reaching those delicate leaves. It’s an excellent solution if you have one or two particularly vulnerable plants in your garden or planters that require protection. If you have some chicken wire laying around, you can make your own rough tube cloches, but they won’t be nearly as aesthetically pleasing or easy to salvage afterward, so there is a trade off to making them yourself.
The problem comes when you have many plants in the same area that need to be protected. If your plants are in a row, then using one long, low loop of chicken wire to cover them all is an elegant solution. If not, you may need to investigate other options.
Plug Holes with Copper Mesh
Find a hole where pests can enter your home? Stuff in a generous amount of copper mesh with a screwdriver, leaving about half an inch of space for expanding foam sealant. Seal gaps with foam.
Remove Fruit Flies Naturally
If those pesky fruit flies are invading your kitchen, grab a small bowl and pour in a little apple cider vinegar. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and punch a couple pencil-lead-sized holes in the plastic. The fruit flies will be attracted to the vinegar and they can get in but not out.
Baffles
You may already have experience using baffles, the cone- or cylinder-shape objects that attach to posts or poles to keep squirrels from climbing up to bird feeders or into fenced gardens. If you have planters on or near posts or poles, baffles are a great option for deterring squirrels and preserving your plants.
Check out a squirrel-proof bird feeder that’s easy to fill and a great addition to your backyard.
Simple Spider Solution
You can virtually eliminate spiders in your basement by using a dehumidifier to maintain a 40 percent humidity level and vigilantly sweeping down cobwebs whenever they appear. Keep the basement windowsills brushed clean too. In a matter of weeks, the spider population will die down significantly.
Eliminate Ant Trails
Where you see one ant, you’re bound to see others. That’s because ants leave a scented trail that other ants follow. Sweeping or mopping isn’t enough to eliminate the scent. Instead, mix 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water in a spray bottle, then spray wherever you’ve seen ants in the past. This will stop outdoor nesting ants that entered the house to forage for food (ants that come inside are not necessarily trying to establish a nest).
Vinegar and water won’t stop ants that are already nesting indoors. You’ll need to kill them with ant bait.
Another Use for Coffee Grounds
Those coffee grounds are good for more than just a cup of coffee. Try using your leftover coffee grounds in spots around the outside of your home where you think pests are coming in. Many critters can’t stand the smell of the grounds and will steer clear.
You can also use coffee grounds to critter-proof your garden.
Check Your Crawl Spaces
Take a flashlight and protective clothing into your crawlspaces and/or basement and have a look around. Look for large, obvious nests of shredded material, which indicate rodents. Watch for smaller signs too, like lines of ants or scrambling cockroaches looking for a home. And remove these pests and find out how they gained entry to stop future incursions.
Bananas Deter Aphids
Are aphids taking over your garden? Just place a banana peel under the soil near the stems of your plants. This will not only deter the bugs, but it will add some nutrients to the soil.
Don’t Let Pests in Through the Dryer Vent
Examine dryer vents to ensure the damper isn’t stuck open or broken off completely. Also check that the seal between the vent and the wall is tight.
Trim Plants Against Your House
Once you kill the ants in your house and yard, take steps to ensure they don’t come back. Trim back bushes, shrubs and trees that brush against your siding or roof and provide a bridge for ants to reach your house. Keep a 3-in. to 6-in. clearance space between the soil around the foundation and the bottom row of siding to prevent ants from nesting in the siding (and make sure the soil slopes away from the house). Avoid stacking firewood next to the house. Firewood makes a perfect retreat for ants. Ants like bare spots in the yard and they like to build nests under layers of thatch. Maintaining a healthy lawn is one way to discourage ants. If anthills pop up in bare areas, spray the mound with insecticide and plant grass in the bare spots. Rake the lawn or bag the grass when you mow to eliminate thatch.
Cornmeal Deters Ants
Seeing ants? Place small piles of cornmeal down wherever you see ants. Ants like to eat the cornmeal and they will take it back to their colony but they can’t digest it. It may take a few days to work, but if you have pets, it’s a non-toxic solution.
Do You Have Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs travel easily on clothes during vacation times. Check for bed bugs after visiting others, or being visited by overnight guests. Remember bed bugs can live in couches as well as mattresses. And clean any vacation clothes immediately.
Get Rid of Dust Mites
Make your own dust mite repellent spray with essential oils. Mix eucalyptus, lavender, clove or peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle. Use it to mist furniture and linens and allow the spray to air dry.
Follow these tips to clean your rugs and rid them of dust mites.
Check Seasonal Clothing for Pests
Do you have seasonal clothes or bedding that you are bringing out of storing? Wash and dry it all thoroughly to kill any waiting bug eggs, and inspect everything for signs of an infestation before you pack it away—or start wearing it.
Guard Your Chimney
Install a chimney cap and screen to keep out pests like rodents and birds. Not only can they do damage, but they often bring in smaller bugs that will take up residence in your home.
Keep Ladybugs at Bay
If ladybugs are taking over an area of your home, place some bags of cloves or sprinkle some clove oil in heavily infested areas. Ladybugs don’t like strong scents and will evacuate quickly. Then vacuum or sweep up the cloves.
Try these tips to get rid of Japanese Beetles in your garden.
How Common Household Pests Get In
Although your walls may appear solid, many walls are full of tiny pest passageways. Small insects can sneak through the tiniest cracks, so you may not be able to make your home absolutely bug-proof. But you can seal most gaps, especially the larger ones that let in mice and larger insects. Put on some old clothes, as you’ll have to get on the ground, slink behind bushes and even crawl under your deck to examine your home’s exterior. Take a flashlight and a mirror along. If mice are your main concern, also bring a pencil. If you can slide the pencil into a crack, it’s large enough for a young mouse to squeeze through. Take your time and examine every square foot of your home. The key areas to inspect include wall penetrations, doors and windows, the foundation, dryer vents, exhaust fans and roof vents.
Protect Wood From Moisture
Insects and other small pests need to draw life-sustaining moisture from their surroundings, so they avoid dry places and are attracted to moist ones. If the soil around your house, the foundation and the walls is dry, it’ll be less attractive to insects, spiders and centipedes. Rake moisture-wicking soil and mulch away from the window frames and low wood. Turn your mulch periodically to help keep dampness down, and keep bushes trimmed back as well.
Eliminate Cockroaches
Tucking paper bags under the kitchen sink is tempting, but unfortunately it creates a cockroach condo. Even worse, once the cockroaches move in, they deposit their pheromone laced fecal pellets. If you have cockroaches, it’s usually best to hire a professional exterminator. You can buy high-quality bait products, but they’re expensive and are only effective if you place them properly. If only 5 percent of the roaches survive your attack, they will completely repopulate in just a few months. For a little more, you can hire a pro who understands the habits of cockroaches and will place the bait in hard-to-reach crevices. Furthermore, a reputable exterminator will guarantee the job.
Box Elder Bug Swarm
When box elder bugs swarm in the fall, you may think they’re taking over your house—maybe even the world! Even though they’re harmless, here’s a solution. Look for major congregations of bugs outdoors and spray them with a strong solution of soapy water. Keep the spray bottle handy, and spray wherever they recongregate.