No matter where you live, protecting your home from wildlife is essential. If you leave your house defenseless, animals can get in, leading to infestations. You’ll want to learn more about protecting your home from local wildlife.
So, if intruders aren’t welcome in your home, keep reading! There are plenty of ways to protect yourself and your family. Let’s begin.
1. Inspect Your Home for Small Openings
First, you’ll need to inspect your home for holes, cracks, and other gaps. Many animals don’t need much space to make their way inside. For example, rats only need a space one inch in diameter to get inside. Bats can get in through even smaller holes, about the size of a dime.
So, you’ll want to check everywhere; your chimney, vents, and roof are good starting points. You’ll need to inspect carefully so you don’t miss any possible entry points.
If you don’t know what to look for, a wildlife pest control service in Indianapolis will help. These experts are familiar with the signs of wildlife entry, allowing them to identify and seal those points easily.
Some signs of animal entry include:
- Loose vents
- Loose roofing tiles
- Openings under a porch
- Chimneys without coverings
- Animal droppings near small openings
- Gaps between window frames and doorways
You can use this trick to figure out where animals are coming in. All you need to do is place a small crumpled piece of paper in a hole in your home. If wildlife uses that particular gap as an entry point, the paper will be in a different place when you check it later.
Make a note of all the possible entry points for the next step.
2. Seal Potential Animal Entry Points
Now that you know where all the small holes in your home are, you’ll need to start sealing them. Even if animals aren’t currently using them to get in, you want to protect yourself from that happening in the future.
You can fill small gaps with steel wool. It’s scratchy, discouraging animals from trying to dig or chew through it. Depending on where they are, you’ll need to seal more significant cracks with caulk, concrete, or other materials. You can put a door sweep under doors to fill the space.
However, if you have cracks in your foundation, you’ll want to contact the pros. These issues can be too severe for most people to solve as DIY work.
3. Keep Your Yard Clean
Next, you’ll want to ensure you’re keeping your yard clean. Having trash or debris on your property, like lots of loose leaves, can attract various animals. You’ll want to trim your trees so the branches don’t touch your home. Then, make sure any bushes in your yard are also kept tidy.
You must also clean up fallen fruit around trees from time to time. Leaving them to rot on the ground can attract wildlife looking for an easy snack.
Overall, messy yards can draw in plenty of wildlife. Once animals are on your property, they’ll start searching for ways into your home. So, it’s crucial to spend some time on landscaping and cleaning.
4. Upgrade Your Trash Bins
You might also need to update your trash bins, especially if you’ve noticed animals getting into them before. You should choose a container that seals tightly and is resistant to wildlife.
Animals love the smell of food scraps and will try to eat what you throw out. If they’re successful one night, you can trust that they will keep coming back in search of food. It’s better to prevent the animals from discovering a source of food near your home in the first place.
You can also use strong smells to deter animals from entering your trash bins. Spraying your garbage cans with a potent vinegar can keep away rodents. Some homeowners also use chicken wire to keep animals away from containers.
5. Store Your Food Correctly
Most animals come inside our homes looking for something to eat. You’ll need to ensure all of your food is stored correctly. Air-tight containers are best because they won’t let the smell of food out. Plus, keeping your food sealed can make it last longer.
So, go through your pantry and check that everything is put away. Afterward, you’ll want to do the same for pet food. When you leave out pet food, it becomes very enticing to wildlife.
Leaving food out can also cause problems. Make sure to rinse off your plates and put away leftovers after each meal. It’s helpful to occasionally go through your fridge, pantry, and cupboards to remove old food.
In short, you don’t want any food scraps left out.
6. Use Humane Wildlife Traps
You could set up a humane trap if you’re unsure whether animals are in your home. These traps capture wildlife, allowing you to remove them without harming them. They’re also an excellent test to see if any outside critters are lurking in your home.
Place the trap somewhere out of the way, set some food in it, and leave it undisturbed, preferably overnight. If you find one animal, such as a rat or mouse, inside it the following morning, you can be sure there’s more hidden. Having one small animal in your house is highly uncommon.
Contact a wildlife pest control service if you find an animal in your home. The pros will have the equipment and experience to handle the animals safely. Wildlife can carry many diseases, and you don’t want to expose yourself to them.
Contact the Pros!
One of the best ways to protect yourself from wildlife is to contact the experts. They’ll know the signs of animals coming in, allowing them to quickly determine whether you have an infestation that must be dealt with immediately.
Keeping your yard clean and your trash secure are some of the most efficient steps you can take to keep animals away. Using the tips on this list, you’ll have an easier time preventing wildlife from moving in.
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