Jan 13, 2023, 12:50 PM by Fred Speer

The severe weather – rain, snow, and wind – that California has been experiencing affects not only residents and their properties, but also the pests that live around homes and apartments.

Moisture, along with food and harborage, is a necessity for most pests to survive. While such pests – including certain species of cockroaches, ants, termites, and rats – seek moisture sources, even they have their limits.

When excessive rain saturates the soil, pests will leave their underground nests and burrows in search of drier accommodations. Those accommodations are most likely inside your home or apartment.

Another undesirable outcome of the severe wind, rain, and flooding is the potential for damage to your home, which can create hidden access points for pests to enter.

Preventing pest access

While you can’t control Mother Nature, you can take steps to keep pests out of your home. Pests can gain access through an opening in the foundation, a torn window or door screen, a gap underneath a door, missing weatherstripping, or an opening in the roof due to a missing shingle.

These openings don’t need to be large to create a problem; mice only need an aperture the size of dime to get inside.

Once a storm has abated, you should perform a walkaround on your home’s exterior to look for any signs of damage. You can use caulk, steel wool, screening, heavy duty seals, and other suitable materials to build a reliable seal that will keep pests from finding a way inside your home.

If you don’t know what materials to use, or can’t safely perform the repairs yourself, ask your Clark Pest Control service professional. They can answer your questions and perform the necessary exclusion work.

A pest exclusion checklist

• Inspect the foundation for any cracks and openings, and loose or missing caulk and mortar, and repair immediately.
  
  
• Check screens on windows, attic vents, utility openings, and around chimneys for damage.
  
  
• Keep attics, crawlspaces, and storage sheds well ventilated and dry. Consider using a dehumidifier in these areas.
  
  
• Replace missing or damaged weatherstripping around doors and windows.
  
  
• If you can access your roof safely, inspect it for missing shingles or openings caused by high winds or falling debris. Pests – including ants, rodents, termites, and wildlife – will access these openings.
  
  
• Collect and remove any yard debris that may have come down during a storm (e.g., downed tree limbs, uprooted plants). The debris can serve as a harborage to pests, placing them closer to your home.
  
  
• Clean out any debris from rain gutters to prevent water from backing up, which can cause damage to wood beams and supports. Moisture-damaged wood is attractive to termites.

Pest control solutions from Clark Pest Control

Clark would like to remind you that an ounce of prevention goes a long way in keeping pests out, and it’s far less expensive to invest the time and money in exclusion methods than to remove pests once they get indoors.

Call California’s trusted, friendly pest, mosquito, rodent, and termite control and removal expert at (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or email us at clarkcares@clarkpest.com.

Until next time, the pest management professionals at Clark Pest Control thank you for helping to keep unwanted pests out of your home and yard.