Protecting your home from bugs is essential to ensure a happy, healthy household. There are numerous methods, including taking sensible precautions and using a repellent. Bugs are unpleasant, annoying, and create unhygienic living conditions. Bugs can enter through the smallest space, and take every opportunity to invade your home. However, there are a number of steps you can take to protect your home from bugs.
Door Seals
Doors are one of the main entryways for bugs. Just closing your door is often not enough to keep the those pesky insects out. Many people neglect their door seals. However, a properly sealed door is a very effective barrier in the war against bugs. To prevent bugs coming in under the door, install a high quality steel or aluminium threshold at the bottom of the door. For added protection, install a door sweep made from nylon. Door sweeps bridge the gap between the threshold and the bottom of the door. Use weather strips or use door seal kits to completely seal the frame, ensuring bugs can’t find their way in through any gaps surrounding the door. As an added benefit, sealing and weather stripping your doors help to make your home more energy efficient. If you tend to leave your doors open during warmer periods to help ventilate your home, consider installing door screens to prevent bugs entering while the main door is open.
Maintaining the Garden
Your garden is a haven for wildlife, including many types of bugs. A properly maintained garden has a significant impact on bug infestations, particularly for creatures such as mosquitos and fleas. Eliminating pooled water helps to reduce the number of mosquitos, as they breed in standing, or pooled water. Ensure your gutters are free and clear of blockages that may cause water to gather and stagnate. Make sure, if you have a water butt, that it has a tightly fitting lid. Remove any piles of leaves or plant matter and debris, as these spots provide the perfect conditions for bugs to breed. Keep lawns aerated and cut short, as this helps to minimise infestations of insects.
Repairing Cracks
Bugs love tight, dark spaces, and cracks in the exterior of your home, even tiny ones, can be problematic and provide an opening through which bugs can squeeze. To combat this, you should repair or fill any cracks. Examine the exterior of your home, looking for gaps or cracks in the masonry, cracks or missing sections of wood or siding. Once you identify the problem areas, you can easily replace rotten wood or siding panels, and use filler or mortar to repair any visible damage to masonry.