How Are Pests Getting Into Your Home? Top 5 Pest Entry Points

Finding pests in your home can be very frustrating. Especially if you believe you’ve done everything possible to keep them out. People often underestimate the sneaky manoeuvres pests use to get into homes.

As pest control experts, we’ve seen some very problematic pests get through some very unusual, tiny access points. Understanding what the top pest entry points are and managing them better, you can decrease the possibility of an infestation.

Understanding How Pests Get In

Dawson’s Australia has been in the pest control industry for decades. That means we’ve dealt with every kind of household pest. Over the years, we’ve been able to identify the top five entry points that various pests use to get into homes. We’re going to examine these points and also provide you with a few tips to secure them.

Doors

Doors are possibly the most common avenue of entry. They’re also basically impossible to secure as it’s easy for critters to run in when people open and close the doors. Since pests like cockroaches, termites and other creepy crawlies are excellent at sneaking around undetected, they can easily slip in without you noticing. Fortunately, there are a few tips to limit access:

• Check and fix any gaps in the frame and foundation around the door
• Keep the area around the door swept and clean to avoid insects being attracted to the space
• If you’ve identified your door as a hot spot, it’s a good idea to keep it closed whenever possible

Windows

Another easy entry point is open windows because they don’t require much effort to get into. At Dawson’s, we’ve seen everything from insects to rodents and even snakes easily crawling through open windows. Here’s how to avoid pest traffic at this access point:

• As with the doors, check and seal any cracks and openings around the window frame
• Add screens to the windows that don’t have any and repair broken ones
• Don’t leave windows open too late in the afternoon, as many insects will enter in the evening, attracted to light, and warmth and looking for food

Air Vents

Air vents are also a very popular entry point insects like to use to get in. The good news is that you don’t have to block off airflow to your space to keep insects out. Simply implement these few simple tricks:

• Depending on the type of air vents you have, screening the ends can work—you’ll block entry but not airflow
• Perform regular checks to ensure the vents and screens aren’t cracked or have damages that could create an entry point
• Where possible, clean or dust air vents and the surrounding area regularly to prevent insects from building nests inside

Pipes

Plumbing and heating pipes are a very common way for rodents, snakes, spiders and other bugs to get into your home or office. As with doors, it may be difficult to eliminate entry completely as closing or blocking off pipes isn’t possible. But you can take a few preventative measures to ensure that pests prefer not to use that entrance:

• Clear and remove any debris (such as leaves and plant matter) that can be attractive potential homes for insects
• Speak to our experts about the types of covers or screens you can put on some exposed pipes
• Where possible, flush or rinse pipes as part of your property maintenance to keep bigger pests from crawling into them

Walls and Ceilings

Many pests can easily squeeze themselves into the narrowest cracks in walls and ceilings. Minimising entry through this point is quite simple:

• Check for cracks and gaps along the walls and ceilings – no matter how small, something can most likely squeeze through it
• Fill or seal gaps as soon as possible
• Check the area under the roof to ensure there are no openings for rodents or other small critters to crawl into

The Best Way to Secure These Entry Points

It shouldn’t be too hard for you to check and seal all these entry points in the safest way possible. However, our pest controllers at Dawson’s can easily handle that on your behalf. An assessment of the current and potential pest entry points forms part of our pest inspection services.

Pest control is as simple as giving us a call on 03 9222 2266 for a QUOTE.