Preventing insects and rodents from entering your house requires consistent effort. Many people wonder what they can do to make their property less attractive to local wildlife. While prevention alone does not end an active infestation, it makes a significant difference and supports the work our technicians perform. The list of customer responsibilities includes fixing leaks, trimming plants, reducing clutter, and following our written preparation and reentry instructions. Taking care of your property reduces the conditions that draw bugs indoors.
How water sources draw pests indoors
Water draws many living things toward your foundation. You must fix leaks and drips around the outside of your property. Keep your irrigation systems pointed away from the foundation of your home. Reducing moisture is critical because many creatures seek out damp areas, especially during the dry summer months. For example, most ant problems in the valley start outside and come in looking for water in dry months.
Subterranean termites live in the soil and build pencil-width mud tubes to travel above ground, often entering through cracks on slab homes. Removing standing water from neglected pools, fountains, plant saucers, buckets, and clogged drains stops mosquitoes from breeding. Keep woodpiles and landscape gravel away from the house to reduce hiding spots. Trimming plants away from your walls helps keep the perimeter clear and dry.
Sealing gaps and entry points
Structural repairs and maintenance fall under customer responsibilities, and sealing gaps keeps many creatures outside. You need to seal gaps around plumbing and wiring penetrations. Weep screeds and weep screens at the base of stucco walls on slab homes act as a common entry route for scorpions and cockroaches unless they are sealed or screened. Scorpions can squeeze through a gap about as thin as a credit card and hide in weep screens or irrigation boxes. Sealing these gaps blocks their access.
We offer exclusion work to help with some of these entry points. Our team installs door sweeps, weep screen guards, and seals gaps around plumbing and wiring penetrations. Keeping gaps closed is an effective step against rodents as well. House mice nest low in garages and wall voids, while roof rats nest high and travel along utility lines. Closing off access points makes your home less inviting to them.
Removing clutter and storing food
Food sources and clutter support populations of unwanted guests. You must store your food and pet food in sealed containers. Cockroaches and rodents contaminate food areas and surfaces with droppings and shed skins, and rodents also leave urine and gnaw marks. Storing items securely limits their food supply. German cockroaches live indoors in kitchens and bathrooms and multiply quickly, making sealed food even more important.
- Fix leaks and drips around the house and irrigation lines.
- Keep gravel and woodpiles away from the foundation.
- Trim plants away from walls to keep the perimeter clear.
- Store your food and pet food in sealed containers.
- Keep garages tidy to reduce hiding spots for mice and spiders.
What we do when prevention is not enough
When prevention efforts are overwhelmed by an active population, we step in to help. The office books a visit, and the technician inspects the inside and outside of your property. We find the entry points and identify the source of the activity before recommending any treatment. Customers approve the final price before we start working. We apply products according to their labels and provide written preparation and reentry instructions before treatment day.
Our general treatments target the areas where insects hide and enter. We apply an exterior perimeter treatment around the foundation, doors, windows, and weep screens. We use granular treatments in gravel and landscape beds where needed. We place dust in wall voids and weep screens, and set sticky monitors to track activity. We also apply interior crack-and-crevice treatment only where activity is found.
Requesting an inspection for your home
Our company offers free estimates for general pest work.
For standard visits, most online requests receive an answer during business hours, usually the same business day. Seniors and military personnel receive a ten percent discount on one-time services. We give a fifty dollar discount on your first service when you start a Quarterly Home Pest Plan. Reach out to set up your inspection. Review our general services
