Effective Solutions: How to Keep Bugs Out of House: Being able to keep bugs out of the house is important for keeping your home free of pests. Not only do they make things dirty, but the buzzing of flies and the itchy bites of mosquitoes are just plain annoying.
Some insects, like bees, wasps, and scorpions, can sting you very badly. Other insects, like fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks, can spread diseases to people and pets. This is especially true for kids [source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation]. Even a typical cockroach can cause allergies and asthma attacks.
There are more than 10 quintillion bugs in the world, which is 10,000,000,000,000,000,000! [source: Smithsonian Institute]. Making the house bug-proof can feel like a losing fight at times. You can start making changes that will help get rid of those pesky bugs for good if you know what brings them to your home in the first place.
Insects need food, drink, and a place to live, just like people do. By taking away their food source and their favourite places to hide, you can make it less likely that bugs will move into your home.Of course, the best way to keep bugs out is to not let them in at all.
Fill in the holes and cracks on the outside of your house to do this. You can make it much more likely that bugs won’t come in by making the places they normally use to get in smaller.Are you ready to begin? Keep reading to find out how some easy door hardware can help you start making your home bug-proof.
Effective Solutions: How to Keep Bugs Out of House
What It Includes
- Lock your doors.
- Include Screens
- Take care of your garden.
- Fix Cracks
- Seal all the holes in the pipes.
- Cover up big holes
- Bugs shouldn’t be invited to dinner.
- Put away trash Rightly So
- Keep the foundations clear to attract natural predators.
Lock your doors
A properly sealed door can help keep out pests, just like a locked door can keep out thieves. If you look closely at your entrances, you might be surprised at how many gaps you find that aren’t blocked. These gaps make it easy for bugs to get in.
Put a strong steel or aluminium step under your door to keep bugs from crawling under it. Putting this together with a door sweep will make it even safer. You can get a sweep for a low price at most hardware shops. It helps to fill the space between the threshold and the bottom of the door. The best way to keep bugs out is to use nylon brush sweeps instead of vinyl or neoprene.
Adding weather stripping or door-seal kits to the frame’s edges will keep bugs from getting in through the sides or top of the door. Clear caulk should be used to seal the part where the door frame meets the wall and the bottom of the frame where it meets the ground.
Don’t forget that none of these ways of closing the door will work if you leave it open. If your kids tend to forget things, you might want to put in a door stopper.
This hydraulic device will close and shut your door for you after it’s been opened. You can change the speed and force of the closing. At your local home improvement shop, you can find cheap door closers that are easy for the average homeowner to set up with just a few simple tools.
Effective Solutions: How to Keep Bugs Out of House
Put a screens screen on the window
- Check to see if your screen has any holes. Pests don’t need much space to move. THE IMAGES OF RICHARD HAMILTON SMITH
For many people, doors and windows are the only way to let fresh air into their homes. When it’s hot and muggy outside, this can be very tempting. It’s too bad that mosquitoes, fleas, and other bugs like to come into your home most in the summer. - Put screens in your windows and doors so you can enjoy the fresh air without having to deal with bugs. To keep most common home pests out, choose a screen with 20 mesh or less [source: Gouge, et al.]. Putting up a screen is pretty easy and only needs a few simple tools.
- Bugs can also get in through holes or tears in the screens you already have. You can carefully push the broken wires back into place with a screwdriver or scissors. Seal the hole with a coat of household cement or clear nail paint to keep bugs out. For wood frames, use screws to reattach the screen to the frame. For aluminium frames, use a splining tool to reattach the screen to the frame.
Take care of your garden
Taking care of your garden can make bug problems go away, especially with mosquitoes and fleas. They need water to breed, so getting rid of any pools of water in your yard is one of the best ways to cut down on the mosquito population. This will not only make your time in the garden more enjoyable, but it will also keep bugs from trying to get inside.
Find places in your yard where water likes to pool and get rid of them. If there is water sitting on your yard, you may have thatch buildup. This problem can be fixed by aerating the lawn, which lets water soak into the soil organically.
Poor draining is another common issue that is caused by the way the land slopes. You can fix this by adding fill dirt yourself, or you can have the yard regraded by a professional [source: Gouge, et al.].
It’s also important to keep drainage systems like gutters and sinks in good shape. Keep them clear of grass clippings, leaves, and other junk so they can work properly. Even when it’s not being used, keep your pool chlorinated and cleaned. Two times a week, change the water in your birdbaths or waterfalls so mosquito eggs don’t hatch in them.
As you work in the yard, get rid of any piles of leaves or other trash. For insects, these places are great places to hide and have babies, getting ready for an infestation that can be hard to get rid of.
Use caulk to fix cracks in the window
If you fix the cracks, bugs won’t be able to get through as easily. The fact that many bugs are so small makes it easy to think that they can get into the house through cracks or holes that the homeowner can’t even see.
That’s why one of the best ways to keep bugs out of your home is to fill in any cracks on the outside. A good rule of thumb to remember is that if a pencil can fit through a crack or hole, so can a young mouse and a massive number of bugs.
Start by taking a close look at the outside of your house. Check for missing or damaged siding, cracks in the base, bricks that are coming loose or falling apart, and wood that has rotted. Once you count how many holes you find, you’ll be amazed at how open and welcoming your home really is.
For bug-free walls and supports, use mortar or cement to fix any holes. Take out the broken bricks and put in new ones, making sure to fill the gaps with mortar.
Replace any wood or trim that is rotting, and fix or replace any siding or cladding that is harmed. If you have open foam insulation or wood sheathing that could be damaged by termites, you might want to add a layer of cementitious backerboard.
Bees and wasps often build their homes along the roof line, so pay close attention there. If there are gaps or holes in the fascia board or soffit, a stinging bug could get in and hurt you [source: Terminix].
To really seal your home and fix small cracks, take some time to enjoy what caulk can do. Caulk is simple to use, doesn’t cost much, and can keep bugs out for a long time. Put glue around the window frames and any grilles that let air in or out. Fix small cracks in the base and siding with caulk. You can also use it to seal the joints where the siding meets the roof or foundation.
For painting over, latex caulk works best. Clear silicone caulk is more flexible and less likely to dry out and crack over time [source: Gouge et al.].
Securely cover any holes in the pipes
- Most people who own their own homes have had to deal with installing utilities at some point. Installers most likely put holes in the outside walls of your home to run the lines for your new cable line, internet service or phone lines. On the inside of your home, the more careful builders may have used sealants or caulk to cover these lines.
- But what about the outside? The chances are that there are at least a few utility or pipe holes in your walls that are surrounded by big gaps that let bugs in.
- Water, gas, electrical and air conditioning pipes are some of the most popular types of through-wall penetrations. Look all over the outside of your house for these kinds of holes. They could be on the ground or along the roof line.
- By looking at the lines that come off of outside wires, you can often see how they get into your home. Check around outside faucets and power outlets as well [source: Gouge et al.].
- Pipe sealants or glue can be used to fill in smaller holes or cracks. Look for polyurethane foam that can be expanded for bigger holes. Some builders like to put down copper mesh or steel wool as a base layer under this foam to keep bugs from going through [source: Potter].
Cover up big holes in the roof
- If your roof has a hole in it, bugs and other things bigger than bugs can get in. Some of the bigger holes on the outside of your house are harder to fix. You can’t really use glue to fill up your chimney or roof vents, after all. Use very fine wire mesh, which is also sometimes called “hardwire cloth,” to cover bigger holes and keep bugs out.
- You can staple this stuff over holes to keep bugs out; it comes in rolls. Not only does it keep bugs out, but it can also keep squirrels and raccoons out, which can bring fleas, ticks, and other bugs into the house [source: Potter].
- Check the roof for big holes. These are usually found near the chimney and roof vents. Instead of wire mesh, a pre-made chimney cap can be used, and it may be better at keeping different kinds of pests out of the chimney.
- Over holes in crawl spaces and basements, as well as over grills, vents, and registers [source: Gouge et al.], wire mesh should also be put in place.
- There are filters built into some vents that are meant to keep bugs out. Check to see if yours are working right, and if they aren’t, fix or replace the dampers. You can also get screened doors or vents to replace the ones you already have. These are made to keep bugs out.
Don’t have dinner with bugs
- There will probably always be a way for bugs to get into your home, no matter how hard you try to keep them out. Take away their favourite things to keep them from making themselves at home. This means getting rid of trash and food and drink sources that aren’t covered. The bugs will leave your house and go to the next one without these things.
- A messy home is a great place for bugs to live and grow. Insects can have a lot of babies before anyone even notices them if they hide them under newspaper stacks or in a cupboard that is full. It’s almost hard to get rid of them after that. Keep the mess to a minimum and stop pests before they start.
- Bugs and other insects also need food to stay alive. Use sealed containers to store food and clean up food spills right away to keep them from eating in your home. [source: DIY Pest Control Guide] Clean up dirty dishes right away or put them in the laundry.
- Don’t forget pet food; ants and bugs may be interested in it. After meals, put your pet’s food away, or buy a container that keeps bugs out but lets your pet still get to the food.
- Check the roof for big holes. These are usually found near the chimney and roof vents. Instead of wire mesh, a pre-made chimney cap can be used, and it may be better at keeping different kinds of pests out of the chimney. Over holes in crawl spaces and basements, as well as over grills, vents, and registers [source: Gouge et al.], wire mesh should also be put in place.