As the seasons change and the weather starts getting colder, pests everywhere are looking for one thing: shelter. If you manage or operate a commercial property, you’re at particularly high risk for pest problems around this time of year. Preventing end-of-year pest infestations is completely doable, but it takes a little extra work.
What kind of extra work? Start by following these special wintertime pest exclusion tips. If you follow up on these and stay proactive, you can prevent pests now and in the new year.
Know Your Enemy
Some pests are more likely than others to seek out shelter as the weather turns. Rodents start seeking out warm shelter like crazy as soon as they sense the weather turn. Creatures like house mice are capable of getting through cracks as small as a dime.
Rodents aren’t the only common wintertime invader. German cockroaches, Brown recluse spiders, and even larger mammals like raccoons and squirrels are all drawn to warm, dry indoor spaces like your business.
Secure the Perimeter!
As the weather gets colder, pests are looking for any reliable source of food, water, and shelter. Your property can give them plenty of everything they’re looking for – but only if they can get inside.
If you’ve read our other blogs, you know that all pests follow the same broad infiltration strategy. They sneak in through little cracks and gaps around the overlooked edges of your building. If you can find these cracks and gaps, you can keep pests out, no matter how badly they want to get in. Walk around the perimeter of your building (outside and inside), and look for any weaknesses you can find. If it’s small enough to see, it’s small enough for a pest to use. Patch up gaps and cracks with caulk to deprive any desperate pests of their favored infiltration routes. Maintaining a secure building perimeter will help you to better maintain your building’s sanctity.
Give Them Nowhere to Hide
Several pests are especially good at hiding away until it’s too late for you to easily remove them. Small pests like insects can hide amongst pretty much any clutter that builds up over time. If you don’t give pests anywhere to hide, however, they won’t be able to establish themselves in your building.
Take time to clear the clutter inside of your building. Make sure there aren’t unsightly piles of boxes, wood, or other materials for pests to hide in. If pests can’t get in and they’d have nowhere to hide even if they could, you’ll make your property as pest-inhospitable as possible.
No matter the time of year, Assured Environments is always ready to protect your business. If you think you have a pest problem, give us a call right away. We’ll see to it that you have a pest-free Holiday and new year.