Different kinds of bugs keep getting into my house. I’ve had ants, earwigs, crickets, and a couple of things I don’t even recognize. I don’t understand how or why they keep getting inside? What can I do to keep them out?

Insects don’t just pick on any home. There are certain factors that are more likely to attract them to a particular structure. Those factors usually involve availability to food, water, and shelter. Once pests are attracted to a structure, there are other conditions that allow them to get inside. It’s sort of like the “perfect storm,” and the storm is centered on your house! A combination of factors are coming together to attract pests to your home and then to let them inside. Although you think you are doing everything right, take a look at these lists and see if any apply to you:

Factors That Attract Pests To Structures

• Bird feeders and scattered bird seed
• Spilled garbage around the foundation
• Standing water around the foundation
• Piles of wood or debris around the foundation
• Heavy vegetation or mulch around the foundation
• Outdoor lighting or bright lights near windows and doors
• Food odors from kitchens, garbage cans, dumpsters, or pet bowls

Now that fall is approaching, you will unfortunately see even more pests trying to get inside. There are several insects (Asian lady beetles, stink bugs, boxelder bugs, and more) that like to spend the winter inside homes. They start making their move when the weather cools in the fall and their outside food sources start to disappear. Fall invaders are particularly attracted to the warmth of a heated building or the warmth of bricks or siding on the sunny, south-facing wall of a structure.

Factors That Allow Pests to Get Into Structures

• Unscreened windows and vents
• Doors with loose or missing sweeps or thresholds
• Openings around utility lines that enter buildings
• Overhanging tree branches that touch the roof
• Cracks around the foundation
• Pests also can be carried in on pets, people, plants, food, or other items

There are two main things that can be done to keep outdoor pests from getting inside: (1) An exterior perimeter treatment around the outside foundation of your home will stop pests dead in their tracks. Colonial offers a semi-annual exterior service for just that purpose. (2) Pest-proofing of openings that pests use to get inside will stop them, too. This means caulking and sealing all openings on the outside, as well as screening windows and vents, and installing door thresholds, etc. Colonial can do all that, too. Our technicians are trained to find all those tiny openings that pests find. Give us a call today, and between the two of us, maybe we can solve your problem with invading pests.

Sign up for our biweekly email newsletter for more information about bugs and pests!