The weather’s back to its old self this month. In fact, it might be back with a vengeance – there are sporadic downpours heavy enough to wake us in the night! But we’re not the only ones getting disturbed by this ruckus…
Heavy rain makes a range of outdoor pests seek shelter, and our homes are the ideal sweet spot. It’s warm, dry and often dark and undisturbed, not to mention there’s food and moisture available.
No one wants to hear scratches in the night, or find a gnawed cable by the morning, but what can you do to stop them? We spoke to the experts to reveal the hidden gaps and entrances pests are using, and how to seal them off while you still can.
Why do pests seek shelter when it rains?
Pests will naturally seek shelter when it rains, so says Bob Gilbert, Entomologist with Blue Sky Pest Control. But that’s not enough to cause a problem.
‘Heavy rainfall does not usually allow pests into a home by itself. A way in typically has to already exist. Rain can flood outdoor harborage, saturate soil, disturb nests and push pests toward higher, drier, protected areas. But the pests still need an opening to enter the structure.’
So, the rain drives the pests towards our home, and from there, they try to find a route in. But what are the typical access points?
The 5 ways pests can get into your home
Small gaps and cracks
Bob continues: ‘Common entry points include gaps under doors, worn door sweeps, damaged weather stripping, torn window or door screens, garage-door gaps, foundation cracks, expansion joints, gaps around siding, crawl-space vents and openings around pipes, wires, cable lines and utility penetrations. Small openings matter. If light or air can pass through, many pests can use that space.’
In short, the slightest gap is all a pest needs to access to your home. The heavy rain encourages ants, rats and mice, mosquitoes and even slugs and snails into our homes. So, anything from a crack in the wall to a tiny opening above a utility line will do the trick.
Ed Dolshun, Technical Director at Catchmaster adds: ‘Pests do not need much. Mice can squeeze through a gap the size of a penny because their skeleton is flexible, not rigid. If you can slide a pencil into a gap from outside, something outside can probably use it, too.’
Damaged roof shingles
Even if your walls and foundations are solid, pests can still ascend those and make their way in via the roof, Ed stresses.
‘Rooflines are one of the most overlooked entry points. Roof vents, soffits, fascia gaps and damaged shingles all give pests a way in, especially rodents and wasps. Squirrels and rats can access a roof through a gap as small as a half inch. Once they are on the roof, attic vents and eaves are an easy next step inside.’
If you have any overhanging branches, those can provide a bridge of sorts for pests and give them easy access. If your gutters are blocked up there, that can also attract pests in its own right.
Blocked gutters
Ed agrees with this in his next point: ‘Clogged gutters hold water and organic debris, which draws pests looking for moisture, then that activity moves toward the roofline and attic vents nearby.’
Mosquitoes are drawn to the stagnant water in clogged gutters while rodents and squirrels will seek out the debris as nesting material.
Rick Culbreth Jr, pest control operator and president of Yates-Astro Termite and Pest Control adds that: ‘Homeowners should make sure their gutters and downspouts are directing water away from the foundation and address areas where water tends to pool. Preventing excess moisture from collecting around the home eliminates damp conditions that can attract pests and encourage them to seek shelter indoors.’
So it’s worth unblocking gutters as well as assessing where they’re directed, to make sure the water is free-flowing and not flooding the landscape.
The landscape
On that same note, Rick points out: ‘Things like mulch, dense ground cover and plants pressed directly against the foundation hold moisture close to the house and give pests such as ants a convenient bridge from soil to siding. Creating a few inches of clearance between plant beds and the foundation, along with trimming back branches that touch the roof or exterior walls, removes some of the easiest routes pests use to enter a home.’
You need to consider what’s outside your home as much as the condition of its walls. If your garden is full of puddles, that makes mosquitoes more likely to breed, while if there’s English ivy climbing your walls, rats will climb it just as easily. Stop and think about where pests can access your home with the help of the landscape (or what might be keeping them close by) and prune them back.
Leaving doors and windows open
‘Other post-rain entry can happen through human activity,’ points out Bob. ‘Homeowners may leave doors or garage doors open during clean-up, move wet boxes into storage areas, bring in firewood or carry in patio cushions, potted plants, tools and other items that were sitting outside. Those items can bring pests in with them.’
It’s all well and good blocking up every entry point, but you might be inadvertently inviting pests in anyway by leaving windows and doors open. It’s worth installing fly screens to block these obvious entrances. Keeping a clean and tidy home, with emptied bins, vacuumed floors and sealed food, will also make it less inviting to pests.
How to keep pests out
With there being so many ways in, it seems impossible to block them all. But Ed breaks down the best way to pest-proof a home ahead of the next downpour:
‘Sealing is the first move. Caulk gaps around utility lines, windows and the foundation, and check weep holes and vents for damage. After that, it is about not giving pests a reason to want in. Fix drainage issues, cut back mulch and vegetation touching the house, and keep firewood away from the foundation.’
If you’re looking for an easy way to check you’ve caulked every spot, Bob adds: ‘One useful inspection method is to turn on the lights inside the home at night, close blinds or curtains, turn off outdoor lights, and walk around the exterior. If light is visible around a door, window, garage door vent, or utility opening, pests may be able to use that same gap.’
So there you have it! It might take effort to seal up every gap – and odds are, you may miss a few – but each one you cover prevents another pest from potentially finding its way in. Keeping in mind that, while the rain drives pests into the home, the upcoming cold temperatures of winter will give them another push, so it’s worth doing this now.
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